The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Inclusive education for autistic children is essential: expert

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 17, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Inclusive education for autistic children is essential: expert

Staff Reporter

Parents of such wards should press for admission in mainstream schools

BANGALORE: Special education for autistic children will not prepare them for the world that they will inevitably have to face, believes Rubina Lall, Head of Special Education Department at SNDT Women’s University.

Speaking at a seminar on inclusive education for autistic children, Dr. Lall said that it is imperative that autistic children be brought into mainstream education as it helps them deal with the demands of the world.

“After all, school is a microcosm of the world and the world is the way it is. It will not change for autistic children,” she said.

To prepare the environment for disabled children, changes in the attitude of teachers, and also the school system, is important.

“Usually parents of non-disabled children have their own fears and stigma about an autistic child studying with their wards. The school management also perpetuate these fears by not accepting autistic children,” she said.

Urging parents to persist in their efforts to enrol their autistic children to mainstream schools, Dr. Lall said, “Parents should insist that the school management implement the mandatory three per cent reservation for disabled children and that autistic children also be considered under this policy.”

Repurcussions

Speaking to The Hindu earlier, Pratibha Karanth, director of Com-Deall Trust, said that it is important to have autistic children in the mainstream system to reduce the economic cost to the country.

“If one out of 200 children is in special education institutions, can you imagine the repercussions of them not functioning as part of society?” she said.

Emphasising early intervention to prevent autism from becoming a debilitating disease, Dr. Karanth said that the lack of awareness among parents and paediatricians was a major stumbling block in the field of autism.

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