As the number of autistic kids rises, the ability of the public school systems to adequately provide for them becomes increasingly strained. This is especially true for kids in “regular” classrooms, as described in Asperger’s Syndrome And The Classroom:
More and more autistic children are in regular classrooms. But even though these Autistic children may look like any other, they’re not. And many teachers don’t know how to adapt to the difference.
It is an unfortunate reality that most teachers’ training and experience encompasses only a “normal” classroom, where all the kids at least understand the way things are supposed to work (even if they choose not to adhere to it). And this is understandable, from a teacher’s point of view, because that is the way most public schools are set up to operate.
Which means we need to change the way most public school systems operate. I think the teachers – the good ones, anyway – are up to it.
Update: You should also check out Bloggg: Article for Teachers for some more thoughts on this.