CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
2.10 AUTISM AND INCLUSION
• When the educator disciplines the learner,punishment is concentrated on what the learner did wrong, instead of teaching the child what he did wrong, and how to do it right the next time (Wagner,2005).
Unfortunately many learners with autism demonstrate challenging behaviours that interfere with their classroom participation (Conroy et al.,2005). Educators complain about the learner with autism's disruptive behaviour, being rude and offensive, and having no respect for authority (Wagner, 2005). Stereotypical behaviour, such as hand flapping, is very common in learners with autism and unfortunately hampers the learner'sability to learn. Itis also disruptive to the other learners and the educator in a mainstream educational setting. As these behaviours are challenging for the educator, it is essential to identify strategies educators can use to reduce the occurrence of these behaviours (Conroy et.al., 2005). Educators are of the opinion that there are no effective behavioural support programmes to help them cope with difficult behaviours, and that they, the educators and other school staff, need knowledge on autism to be able to understand the disability better (Wagner, 2005), as well as adequately to serve the needs of learners with ASD. Mainstream educators are of the opinion that it is left up to them to make inclusion work in the absence of clear guidelines or information on how to do so (Williams et.al,2005).
Educators in inclusive and special education find it difficult to accommodate the individual learning needs and learning styles of learners with autism. Planning of an individual educational plan for the learner with autism, is very important, although time-consuming. The educator needs to prepare work according to the needs and academic abilities of each learner (Sicile-Kira, 2003; Corsello, 2005; Roa and Gagie, 2006), as well as find the most appropriate way of teaching the learner with autism.
Learners with autism are mainly visual learners and depend mostly on visual cues (pictures) to help them learn and understand (Peeters and Gilberg, 1999; Sicile-Kira, 2003; Corsello,2005; Roa and Gagie, 2006; Blackburn,2007a; Jordan, 2007b).
This, however, is not the only way learners with autism learn. It is therefore important for special needs educators, as well as mainstream educators,to know about Gardner's Multiple Intelligences theory, which allows each learner to develop his or her strengths (Nolen, 2003; Larry, 2004). Gardner's theory identifies different areas
of intelligences,proposes that a person can learn in different ways, according to his strengths,and that everyone has the potential to process information in a certain way in order to solve problems (Gardner,1996;Shearer, 2004).
The following are the multiple intelligences that, according to Gardner, are used to process information: Linguistic intelligence,that is the ability to manipulate language, relies on using words effectively for reading, writing and for communication. By using linguistic intelligence, one tends to think in words and have highly developed auditory skills. The second is Logical-mathematical intelligence - the ability to detect patterns, logical reasoning, and problem solving - an area in which some adults with autism have shown great ability. We call these extremely gifted individualssavants.
Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence is the ability to understand the world through one's body,that is in the use of fine motor skills and gross motor movements to manipulate objects and to carry out delicate movements. Spatial intelligence, perceiving the visual world accurately and manipulating and creating mental images in order to solve problems, deals more with the concrete world: painters and sculptors rely on spatial thinking. The person who has an appreciation for, and learns a great deal from, nature, depends heavily on their Environmental or naturalist intelligence. They generally display empathy, recognition, and understanding for living and natural things like plants and animals. Musical intelligence is seen in a good understanding of pitch, rhythm and tone, and the conveying of emotions through music.
Interpersonal intelligence plays a vital role in a person's sense of well-being. Itis the ability to identify, understand and discriminate between people's moods, feelings, motives and intelligences. This implies the ability to manage people well.Educators in general have good interpersonal skills. Intrapersonal intelligence deals with the individual self,the ability to know and understand one's own emotions,personal goal setting and emotional self-management. These individuals are mostly imaginative, patient, disciplined, motivated and have self-respect (Singh, 2001; Nolen, 2003;
Shearer, 2004).
According to Gardner (1996),the multiple intelligences rarely operate independently from each other and are used concurrently. They typically complement each other as individuals develop skills or solve problems. Teachinga learner in a way that is best for the learner is of vital importance,as this could contribute to positive well-being.
As the learner masters a certain way of acquiring information, using the learner's strengths to gain information and skills could lead to the learner becoming motivated from within, and contribute to positive feelings. The learner will naturally be drawn to this area of intelligence, motivating and enhancing learning (Goleman, 1996). This is the same with learners with autism. As they experience difficulties with communication and social skills in general, as well as having difficulty integrating all of their senses into the learning experience (Meyer,2001),it is best not to concentrate on linguistic or interpersonal skills when teaching them. They are visual learners and they therefore need a lot of concrete objects and visual materials to help them learn.
Based on the triad of impairment, the following nine key areas have been identified by Inchley (2001) with regard to the educational needs of learners with autism:
the use of a visual cue as this is the strength of learners with autism individual teaching time with each learner with autism
teaching of communication teaching of social skills
teaching of skills that the learner can use in a different context and transferring of skills into different contexts
reinforcement through repetition relating learning to experience
learning mostly taking place through imitation and observation.
The multiple intelligence theory explains different learning styles and educational needs (Meyer, 2001). Being knowledgeable about learners with autism, as well as accepting the notion of multiple intelligences,might ease the strain on the educator.