SPED 6201 Overview and Legal Issues in Educating Exceptional Learners  

FINAL ASSIGNMENT WEBSITE 

Understanding Autism: A SPED 6201 Final Class Project

Summer 2018
A Website created by Janet Karim

As part of the requirements for the ​SPED 6201 Final Class Project Summer 2018​, we were given
guiding questions that were to be discovered and presented in a format of our choosing. For the
project, I preferred the creation of a website highlighting PowerPoint presentations from two
colleagues and a group presentation on the Brown vs. Board of Education.

In both scenarios, permission from the authors has been sought and given.

The questions were:

1. What is autism spectrum disorder (ASD)?

2. What are some common signs of ASD?

3. How is autism treated? and

4. Which laws help to protect students who are autistic?

SPED 6201 is the GWU Graduate School of Education and Human Development course entitled
“Overview and Legal Issues in Educating Exceptional Learners. During the course, conducted
thrice-weekly by Professor Doran V. Gresham, we examined the numerous spectrum of
disabilities, including physical disabilities, learning disabilities, sensory impairments, autism,
emotional and behavioral disorder, multiple and severe disabilities.
As part of meeting the Graduate School of Education and Human Development (GSEHD)
mission is the requirement that students engage in the research process to better understand the
characteristics and interventions of a wide range of disabilities.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual on Mental Disorders (DSM-5) (2013), defines autism as a
general term for a “group of complex disorders of brain development,” it merges all autism
disorders under one umbrella diagnosis ASD (Autism Speaks, 2018). Children are usually
noticed as being autistic as early as age 3. Research reveals that autism is more prevalent in boys
than girls (4 out of five). There are numerous types of autism, among them children diagnosed
with the Asperger Syndrome, which is like autism, the child has normal language development
and may exhibit a gifting in an area such as solving mathematical equations, superior language
skills, great memory recall, fast reading, etc.; while with the Rett Syndrome has only been
diagnosed in only appears in girls. Another type of autism is Childhood Disintegrative Disorder,
although rare, however the child loses skills by age 10 (Autism Speaks. Captured from
https://www.autismspeaks.org​ on August 9, 2018).

Just as there are many types of autism with research identifying 100 gene changes, there is no
one cause of autism. However, researchers have also debunked idea that autism is caused by
“cold mum unloving mothers.” The research by Dr. Bernard Rimland countered this
previously-held theory, cited that autism is a biological disorder (Autism Speaks).

Autism is characterized under two domains, namely:

1. persistent social communication and social interaction; and

2. restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior.

The comorbid conditions that manifest in children with autism are allergies, digestive disorders,
viral infections, feeding disorders, epilepsy, and sleeping disorders. They also avoid eye contact,
have social and cognitive impairments, difficulties communicating, repeats words, physical
action, or phrases, or resist physical contact (Captured from
http://nationalautismassociation.org/resources/autism-fact-sheet/​ on August 9, 2-18).

While there are no medical tests that can diagnose nor is there a cure for autism, early
identification is crucial for the treatment for side effects of the disability, such as depression and
anxiety. Individualized therapies and behavioral developmental interventions are some of the
interventions for children with autism. Other treatments include behavior and communication
approaches, dietary approaches, complementary and alternative medicine (Autism Speaks).

Early intervention also means a roadmap for treatment and other useful information for effective
intervention such as special education (IDEA. Captured from Accessing Services: Your Child’s
Rights to Public Education from
https://www.autismspeaks.org/sites/default/files/docs/getting_your_child_services_0.pdf, ​on July
26, 2018)​.
IDEA Provisions: Early Intervention Services (EI) for Children Under the Age of Three-- states
with federal grants to institute Early Intervention programs, that services should not be limited to
what is currently available or customary in a school but address the unique needs children with
disability. not the child’s needs and the services are also spelt out to provide the Individual
Family Service Program (IFSP), based on a comprehensive evaluation of the child with special
needs (Accessing Services).
For children in ages range 3 – 22, early intervention is replaced by Special Education Services.
The document spells out the Individualized Education Program (IEP). This not only describes the
child’s strengths and weaknesses, but also sets goals, objectives and how they will be achieved.
Other civil rights laws are FAPE, which stands for free appropriate public education for
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (Captured
from Accessing Services on August 11, 2018).
Of course, there is also Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) that provides for students with
disabilities to have the right to interact with non-disabled students and participate in general
education classrooms; the provision also parents play role in determining whether inclusion is
best for their child (Captured from
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/autism-learning-disabilities/helping-your-child-with-autism-t
hrive.htm​, on August 9, 2018).
To further augment the dictates of this assignment, a selection of three PowerPoint presentations
(Eboni Banks, Haveen Sindi, this author, and a group presentation on Brown v Board of
Education) are produced with permission. While B v. Board includes a discussion that provides a
link to social developments in the next two decades especially issues dealing with civil rights
laws.

Resources

1. Lemov, D. (2010). ​Teach Like A Champion.​ San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

2. Hallahan, D.P., Kauffman, J.M., and Pullen, P.C. (2019). ​Exceptional Learners: An
Introduction to Special Education.​ New York: Pearson Education, Inc.

3. Olson, K. (2014). ​The Invisible Classroom​. New York: W.W. Norton & Company

4. Palmer, P.J. (2007). ​The Courage to Teach. ​San Francisco: John Wiley and Sons

5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXxCDJ5ZoW4​ song titled “We’re not so different”

6. https://www.autismspeaks.org

7. http://nationalautismassociation.org/resources/autism-fact-sheet/

8. https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Fact-Sheets/Autism-S
pectrum-Disorder-Fact-Sheet#3082_1
9. About IDEA. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, captured from
https://sites.ed.gov/idea/about-idea/​ on July 26, 2018
10. Legal Information Institute (LII). (1992). Brown v. Board of Education. Captured from
https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/347/48​ on August 11, 2018
11. Helping your child thrive -
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/autism-learning-disabilities/helping-your-child-with-a
utism-thrive.htm
Janet Karim is a George Washington University MA.Ed (EBD) candidate (2019).
Disclaimer Statement: This project was constructed as a part of a class assignment. The
information provided in the materials is accurate to the best of my ability, but it was not
constructed by experts in the field.