Wei Shian

The number of cases of autism has been increasing in the recent years, according to a report by Dr Mercola. (Mercola, 2012) The number represents a 23 per cent increase in the last two years and 78 per cent in the past five years. This growing trend of autism being diagnosed in children is worrying and as more children with special needs are requiring educational assistance, mainstream classroom inclusion is more important than ever.

      Autism is a challenging and complex illness. It has no known causes and the treatment for it is differs from individual. Some children would require special reinforcement and prolonged periods of drilling in order to learn simple numbers and alphabets, while those with high functioning autism, for instance, may excel in certain areas but may be severely deprived in another. For example, a child who has high functioning autism might be extremely obsessed with animals and can name you hundreds of different kinds of animals that live in the water, but might have trouble forming relationships with people.

      These children are not expendable, they are just like seeds that are waiting to be sown,. They require a dedicated and caring gardener, to guide and educate them, in order for them to flourish. It just takes a little more time and effort as compared to typical developing children. In the mainstream classroom, the teacher must be extremely patient and understanding when dealing with atypical children. When the child with special needs throws tantrums and does not pay attention in class, the rest of the class would be affected. And thus, it is the job of the teacher in the classroom to maintain an environment where it is possible for the children to learn in a meaningful manner.