Children, The Family and Health: What it Takes to Give Children Long Life
The Singapore Workshop: Observation Of Nonhandicapped School Children In The Mainstreaming Program In Regular Classroom
This paper presents an observation of a mother on her nonhandicapped child voluntarily in the mainstreaming classroom, grade 4, Kasetsart University Laboratory School where is operated under the auspice of the Faculty of Education, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand. The nonhandicapped is a girl of 9 3/4 years old and is the second among three girls in the family. Instinctually, she is sentimental and needs relative high attention and acceptance among family members, teachers, friends and others. Besides, she is helpful and kind.
To overview the clear nature of the peers and been concised with the environment as well as to foresee the future it is probably necessary to include herein the following information on the definition, fact and figures concerning with the autistic children, the mainstreaming program, the school and the study on the quality of life of the mothers and effect with relevant people.
Definitions, Facts and Figures
What is Autism? - Autism is a severe, lifelong, pervasive development disorder that usually appears in the first 30 months of life. People with autism have serious problems with communication, social interaction and behavior.
Autism is three or four times more common in boys than girls and is found throughout the world in families of all racial, ethic and economic backgrounds. Autism may display developmental deficits from birth, or they may seem to develop normally for 2 or 3 years before symptoms appears. They have a normal life span.
Autism have special handicaps which make it difficult for them to understand the world that they live in. They affect all aspects of the individual life and functioning as well as placing extreme demands on family members.
Autism has communication disorders to interpret and use words, gestures and facial expressions. Those who develop spoken language (about 50%) often do not understand what people talk about or whey they talk to one another.
Autism seem unaware or unresponsive to other people and often fail to develop normal social relationships. They are confused by and do not understand social situations and thus often act or behave inappropriately.
Possibly because their world is so confusing, they try to cling to the few things they do understand, such as keeping the same routines or becoming attached to certain toys or objects. Their confusion may lead them to such extreme frustration that they may scream or tantrum, injure themselves or destroy property.
Causes - The causes of autism are still unknown. Current research suggests that the possibility of multiple causes which may include structural abnormalities of the brain, a biochemical imbalance in the central nervous system, or genetic factors. Autism may also co-exist with other handicaps.
Autism and Retardation - Autism and retardation often co-exist. It is estimated that between 75 and 80 of people with autism also exhibit some degree of functional retardation though they may have peaks and valleys of strengths and weaknesses. This distinguishes them from individuals with mental retardation who generally have a consistent developmental level in most of their personal skills and traits. As well, the severe impairments in social interaction and communication characteristic of autism require specific and specialized programs and supports.
How to help the autism - There is no known cure for autism. Research continues into both the causes and treatment of this disorder. A child with autism benefits, often dramatically, from prompt recognition of the disability and special programs suited to his/her individual needs. However, people can help the autism by:
- Time
- Patience
- Firm expectations and conditions efforts by parents and professionals
- A stable structure environment, and
- Understanding by friends, neighbors and the community
The Mainstreaming Program
In Great Britain, three forms of integration are identified; location, social and functional mainstreaming. Location integration involves children being taught in the same school, moving special education classes to the same parts of the school building as regular classes or placing handicapped children in the same classroom as their nonhandicapped peers. Social integration refers to handicapped and nonhandicapped children’s joint participation in nonacademic activities such as eating lunch, attending assemblies or sharing recess times. Functional integration, probably the ultimate goal of the advocates of the least restrictive environment principle occurs only when disabled children are involved on either a full time or a part time basis in regular classroom and school activities (including academic activities) to a similar extent as their nonhandicapped classmates
Somehow, mainstreamed school programs are solely described in terms of the extent of contact between handicapped and nonhandicapped regardless of form of context in which integration occurs.
For instant, there is no one kind of mainstreamed school program for children with different handicapped conditions. Rather, when the best interests of children are being served, children are placed in regular school environments to the extent that they can function successfully in those settings.
The underlying principle, however, seems to be that the best environment for a child is the most integrated situation with which he or she can cope.
Mainstreaming programs in Kasetsart University Laboratory School are the integrated model of special education classes in the school building as regular classes where the children join participation in nonacademic activities (social education) during the first and the second grades. And, the placement of handicapped children in the same classrooms as the nonhandicapped in grades 3 to 8 for functional education.
Kasetsart University Labortory School
Kasetsart University Laboratory School was initiated for an establishment in 1971 as the laboratory for the Faculty of Education’s students and under Dr. John Dewey’s principle “...the conception underlying the school is that of a laboratory. It has two main purposes: (1) to exhibit, test, verify and criticize theoretical statements and principles, (2) to add to the sum of facts and principles in its special line”. Specifically concerned in the presentation herein, one of the school’s objectives is to allow the students to learn to live well in the present. The students should be able to simply associate in the group, the team (teamwork), and to cooperate and help the others despite of the very other important learning such as to have a freedom to do and create by themselves.
The Peers in Kasetsart University Laboratory School
All first graders were evaluated with the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS). The resistless indicated that 10 children were described as severe autism and 21 children were described as mild to moderate autism. The children were reevaluated after their three years of placement and it was noted in the report in 1997 that all the third, fourth, fifth and sixth graders who were once described as mild and moderate autism were characterized as nonautistic. However, the CARS scores indicated that the children still have some autistic behaviors. These behaviors are mildly abnormal for their ages in the following characters; interaction, emotional responses, fear or nervousness, verbal communication and activity level.
Intelligence scores and achievement level of the total 31 handicapped are cited below.
| Grade | Sex Level | K-ABC MPC Score | Achievement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F | 69 | 1.3 |
| M | 90(PIQ), WISC-III) | unable to evaluate | |
| M | 124(120) | 2.5 | |
| 5 | M | 77(92) | 0.8 |
| M | 86(100) | 0.8 | |
| M | 89(99) | 0.8 | |
| F | 96(92) | 1.6 | |
| M | 97(107) | 2.6 | |
| F | 99(112) | 2.1 | |
| M | 113(112) | 3.1 | |
| 6 | M | 118(129) | 3.0 |
| 7 | F | 88(122) | 2.48 |
| M | 92(108) | 2.57 | |
| M | 95(97) | 2.80 | |
| M | 104(106) | 2.48 | |
| 8 | M | 83(87) | 1.94 |
| M | 71(76) | 2.17 | |
| M | 81(96) | 1.97 | |
| F | 90(105) | 2.95 | |
| M | 104(117) | 2.30 |
Note:
1. MPC score in the parenthesis are from a three years reevaluation.
2. PIQ, WIS III refers to Performance IQ evaluated by WI SC-IH Test
3. Achievement level: 3 = superior performance, 2 = satisfactory performance and I = pass.
Quality of Life of the Mother with Autistic Child
In relevant, S. Puakpong studied on the time use and quality of life of mother with autistic child: a case study in Yuwaprasart Waithayoprathum Child Psychiatric Hospital. The table of time the mothers with autistic child spent in one day was shown below.
| Time spent | Family | Normal child | Autistic child | Spouse | Self | Occupation | Social |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Daily) h:m | 3.10 | 1.15 | 4.55 | .38 | 9.50 | 3.03 | .28 |
It was found that the mothers spend most of the time on herself as a respond to basic needs: sleeping, dinning and etc. second most for autistic child which was 3.40 hours more than for normal child. Furthermore, the mothers spend 3.10 hour for the family; houseworks which if lack of knowledge, skill, planning, help, sympathy and household facilities the worse the fatigue would lead to lower quality of life of the mothers. Nor did the normal child who often felt as left behind. However, it was noted that the parent had been very distressed of the future life and social interaction the autistic child could develop.
Observation on the Nonhandicapped Peer
From the beginning of her 4th grade study in June 1998 the nonhandicapped child has volunteered to assist the autistic students who are placed in her class in the mainstreaming program the school has organized in cooperation with the Child Psychiatric Hospital. Among them are 3 boys and one girl who are 2-3 years older than normal classmates. In fact, handicapped students are not new to the school children but to directly share and involve in the regular integrated classroom is not common. Since 1990, the school has placed total 31 handicapped students who are appropriate to be developed in terms of social interaction, education and acceptance by nonhandicapped school children in grades 1 to 10 in the school settings. Indeed, the regular classroom teachers selected are volunteers who then are in an extensive orientation, training and comprehensive discussions with school administrators, psychologists, special consultants and child psychiatric doctors as well as the parent. Kasetsart University Laboratory School is the only school in Thailand which solely initiates and implements the mainstreaming program with the aims to provide equal education opportututy for handicapped children with normal children, to develop cooperation between the educational and medical institutions, to study the development of handicapped children when educating in normal school setting and to develop an effective model of special education in regular school.
Until lately, the author has observed that when some habitual disturbances occurred in the classroom the handicapped and nonhandicapped students develop closer friendship and social interaction among one another. There is also a growing positive attitude of nonhandicapped peers towards the handicapped peers. Although, the nonhandicapped students are generally divided in terms of their favorite children and have a tendency to prefer those who can develop study and interact. In contrast, it is apparent that handicapped children’s acceptance by nonhandicapped peers reveals somewhat negative. Generally, reviews in displays or problems in language development (mutism, echolatic speech, and deficits in receptive and expressive speech), failure to develop social relationships, inappropriate and/or ritualistic and repetitive behaviors, isolated areas of high-level functioning in children who otherwise show marked retardation in other areas of functioning, and apparent deficits in responding to environmental stimuli are particularly relevant in determining the educational and training strength of these children and the practical perspective mainstreaming has to focus more exclusively on administrative and process issues for the least restrictive environment and effective integrated regular classroom implementation program.
However, in conclusion, the nonhandicapped peer has promoted positive contact with handicapped peers, gained a general awareness of handicapped people, fulfilled a need to help others and increased self-esteem. With adequate ethical learning, a mother can expect her child to do so. This particular observation emphasizes an extensive research on part of the nonhandicapped classmates for a clearly supporting literature and viable strategy beneficial to the professionals in their endeavor to reform the public education act under the new constitution focussing on the reinforcement of mainstreaming program in regular school in an end of the principle of human right in education alike.
Acknowledgement
The author highly appreciates Ms. Sarunya Puakpong and Ms. Wanvimon Duangklad, the lecturers of the Dept. of Home Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, Kasetsart University for their kind assistance and valuable information. The author is deeply indebted to Dr. Daranee Utairatanakit and Kasetsart University Laboratory School for their considerable effort and great works given to both handicapped and nonhandicapped children in terms of the equity of education and ethical learning. My great love and best wish are always devoted to the children of all kinds of nature in the whole society.
Reference
1. Krainam, Jongrak, Daranee Utairatanakit and Cheerapan Bhulpat. 1996, Special Education for Autistic Children at Kasetsart University Laboratory School, a Paper presented at the Second UNESCO-ACEID International Conference Re-engineering Education for Change: Educational Innovation for Development, Bangkok, 9-12 December 1996.
2. Krainam, Jongrak and Daranee Utairatanakit, 1999, Special Education for Autistic Children at Kasetsart University Laboratory School (Thai Edition)
3. Puakpong, Sarunya. 1998, Time Use and Quality of Life of Mother with Autistic Child: A Case Study in Yuwaprasart Waithayoprathum Child Psychiatric Hospital, Master Thesis, Graduate School, Kasetsart University.
4. Schopler, Eric and Gary B. Mesibov. 1986, Social Behavior in Autism, Plenum Press.
Last Modified: November 29, 2002