Challenges faced

Autism and its challenges to the child 

 Children with autism face problems establishing friendship due to poor social interaction. As they display impairments in the usage and understanding of social cues, they may not be well-liked or accepted by their peers (Lim & Quah, 2004). For example, as they lack empathy and display a lack of emotion, a child with autism may not respond to his friend whom he had just pushed aside to take a toy. It may also portray the child with autism as ‘awkward’ or ‘weird’ because children with autism tend to use repetitive language.

Also, due to the lack of varied, spontaneous make-believe play, the child would be unable to play with other children during playtime, such as dramatic play and blocks play. The lack of sustained attention would mean that it is very challenging for the child to be attentive and participative in class.

However, many children with autism spectrum disorders can be taught in mainstream, “inclusion" settings. Careful evaluation of each child, the availability of a range of supports, creativity, flexibility, and good communication with parents are critical ingredients to success. (Candice Baugh, 2012).