A Smile is Worth a Thousand Words: Mother Shares Joys and Struggles of Inclusion for 6 Year-Old Son

By Madeline Kuderick
*Reprinted With Permission

From a mother’s perspective, the idea of inclusion can often present a great paradox. On the one hand, it offers children with special needs an opportunity for daily classroom involvement with “typical” peers. Likewise, it provides them with the chance to develop in the same academic and social learning environment that would be afforded any other child. However, it also promises a foreboding student-to-teacher ratio and the challenge of incorporating classroom modifications or securing additional staff resources despite limited funding. However, as the mother of a 6-year-old boy who has Asperger’s Syndrome, those facts were not at the forefront of my mind when my son entered a regular education classroom for the first time this fall. Naively, I was just keeping my fingers crossed that the recommendations on our spring IEP (Individualized Education Plan) would prove adequate, and hoping that my son would make new friends.

Through the combined efforts of the dedicated staff at Highland Lakes Elementary and in particular Ben’s teacher, Cissy Goodman, as well as a host of agencies including The Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD), The Florida Inclusion Network (FIN), and Florida Diagnostic Learning and Resource Services (FDLRS), we are on our way to making this a successful year for my son, Ben. But it is only through the coordinated work of these groups, that we have turned an emotional roller coaster into a smoother ride in under three months.

It began with the struggle of how to teach Ben in a mainstream classroom setting where students need to attend to the teacher instructing the entire class, and individualized/direct instruction is limited. After a bumpy first month at school, Diane Wilson (CARD) came to observe Ben’s class in action and developed some recommendations. Later, Cindy Tremaine (FIN) also observed Ben in his classroom and provided recommendations. Not surprisingly, their conclusions were strikingly similar, and we have incorporated a number of their mutual strategies with a good deal of success including: “Priming” the night before to give Ben advance familiarity with the following day’s worksheets; using Visual Supports such as a “First/Then” schedule; and providing incentive through a Choice Board with a series of reinforcers. These straightforward strategies have encouraged Ben to complete his daily worksheets relatively independently and with at least 80% accuracy. But, more importantly, they have allowed Ben’s self-esteem to blossom as he achieves greater and greater academic success.

The second hurdle came in the social arena. Some of Ben’s selfstimulating behaviors (i.e. rocking, nervously tugging on his ear; etc.), which had seemed so subtle in a special education classroom, glared like beacons in a regular education setting. Even at their young age, his first grade peers very quickly recognized that there was something different about Ben. Through the involvement of Marty Massimo (FDLRS), Ben’s classmates were able to better understand the tricky concept of an “invisible disability”. She shared her presentation, More Alike than Different, with the class and helped to facilitate an open discussion where the students could freely air their questions. After the presentation, many of Ben’s classmates appeared more empathetic toward him. They made overt efforts to include him in their activities. Tapping into further social recommendations made by CARD and FIN, Ben’s desk was re-located closer to classroom peers to foster a greater sense of inclusion. Also, every effort was made to ensure that Ben participated fully in “free choice”, “outside play” and other social opportunities that presented themselves naturally during the school day.

Not surprisingly, Ben started to come home from school with a more positive self-image and a better attitude about school in general. As a mother, I realize that Ben’s school situation may always be a “work in process”. We will have to improvise and create new strategies as the academic demands change or my son’s disability presents new challenges. This year, we are still considering the need for additional classroom resources to optimize the learning environment, and we may have to be flexible with our strategies as the year progresses. However, there is one irrefutable measure that helps me to know that our efforts have been a success thus far, and that is what I see every week day at 2:45 p.m. when the dismissal bell rings and students come pouring out into the breezeway. I see my son’s face . . . and he is smiling.

As one of six regional, university-based CARD sites, CARD-USF provides services to individuals with autism and related disabilities, their families, related professionals, and the general public throughout an eighteen county area in west, central, and southwest Florida.

The mission of CARD-USF is to provide support and assistance that optimizes the potential of people with autism and related disabilities. Efforts to achieve this mission are exemplified in the four “components for caring” that are the focus of CARD work:

• Direct Assistance – Providing individualized support for people with autism and related disabilities, and their families, in natural community settings.
• Technical Assistance & Consultation – Undertaking activities on behalf of programs (e.g., classroom, supported living residence, supported employment site, etc.) that serve people with autism and related disabilities.
• Professional Training – Providing instruction on autism and related disabilities through workshops, conferences, in-service training, and college courses.
• Public Education and Awareness – Developing and disseminating information about people with autism and related disabilities.

Additional information can be found at the CARD-USF website at http://card-usf.fmhi.usf.edu or by calling (813) 974-2532.

* The January - March, 2004 • CARD-USF Quarterly

CARD is located within the Department of Child and Family Studies (CFS), a department of the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida. The faculty and staff of CFS are committed to enhancing the development, mental health and well-being of children and families through leadership in integrating research, theory & practice.