****Feb 25, 2019, Florida State University News: Demand for autism spectrum disorder teachers inspires new FSU programs https://www.fsunews.com/story/news/2019/02/25/demand-autism-spectrum-disorder-teachers-inspires-new-fsu-programs/2972443002/ Kelly Whalon, associate professor in special education at Florida State University, first landed a job teaching children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) after college, and she hasn’t looked back since. Whalon said it’s difficult to express her passion into words. She simply loves working with these “fun, smart” group of individuals and has been helping students do the same. Now, Whalon is looking forward to expanding her work at FSU with new educational opportunities starting next fall. Kelly Whalon is an associate professor in special education at Florida State University. Her research interests include interventions to enhance the language, literacy and social communication skills of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). (Photo11: Courtesy of Kelly Whalon) The FSU College of Education has created a variety of new programs designed to prepare students to work with children and adults with ASD. Students can participate in online and on campus master’s programs, as well as an online graduate certificate. These new opportunities are the brainchild of FSU faculty, including Whalon herself. She said that they were all fully invested in developing the programs in a way that would address the full spectrum of autism. Students will learn how to help individuals with ASD develop the social, behavior and language skills they need to express themselves effectively…. Anyone from teachers, speech-language pathologists, vocational rehabilitation specialists, medical professionals, behavior therapists or even family members can benefit from the training these programs offer. … Licensed special education teachers in Florida can qualify for autism endorsement on their teaching certificate after completion, which boosts their marketability and job opportunities. Master's students will also be eligible for this endorsement, as the certificate is part of the program. … “I think it’s an exciting time to be in this field,” Whalon said. “It’s challenging because we have to tell people that we don’t know all the answers, but we do know so much more than we ever have. The information we’re getting is exploding all the time.” … Whalon said that ASD is one of the fastest growing disability categories, which requires professionals who are well equipped to help those with it. Autism has only recently been considered a spectrum disorder. It was initially described as a kind of childhood schizophrenia resulting from cold parenting. The “refrigerator mother” concept was disproved in 1980, when the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) gave autism its own separate diagnosis. Autism wouldn’t be understood as a spectrum condition until the late 80s. What it’s known as today, ASD, wasn’t published in the DSM until 2013, when all the subcategories were combined into one umbrella diagnosis. Since then, it’s been defined by two categories: impaired social communication and/or interaction and restricted and/or repetitive behaviors. “The change we’re seeing in the numbers is a reflection of a better understanding of what autism is,” Whalon said. “That has definitely led to an increase in prevalence.” … As for what causes autism in the first place, it’s still unclear. “There’s a lot of theories out there for why it exists, but what we do know is that we’re doing a lot better job at diagnosing it and understanding it,” Whalon said. …
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Childhood Lost
Children today are noticeably different from previous generations, and the proof is in the news coverage we see every day. This site shows you what’s happening in schools around the world. Children are increasingly disabled and chronically ill, and the education system has to accommodate them. Things we've long associated with autism, like sensory issues, repetitive behaviors, anxiety and lack of social skills, are now problems affecting mainstream students. Blame is predictably placed on bad parenting (otherwise known as trauma from home).
Addressing mental health needs is as important as academics for modern educators. This is an unrecognized disaster. The stories here are about children who can’t learn or behave like children have always been expected to. What childhood has become is a chilling portent for the future of mankind.
Loss of Brain Trust features over 9,000 news stories published worldwide since January, 2017
Anne Dachel, Media editor, Age of Autism
http://www.ageofautism.com/media/
(John Dachel, Tech. assist.)
CHECK OUT MY SUBSTACK:
https://annedachel.substack.com/
What will happen in another 4 years? How can we go on like this? This is a national (and international) problem of monumental proportions. We have an entire new class of children who cannot be accommodated by the system: many are manifestly neurologically impaired. Meanwhile, the government and the medical profession sleep on regardless.
John Stone,
UK media editor, Age of Autism
The generation of American children born after 1990 are arguably the sickest generation in the history of our country.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
It seemed to me that with rising autism prevalence, you’d also see rising autism costs to society, and it turns out, the costs are catastrophic.
They calculated that in 2015 autism cost the United States $268 billion and they projected that if autism continues at its current rate, we’re looking at one trillion dollars a year in autism costs by 2025, so within five years.
Toby Rogers, PhD, Political economist
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