June 14, 2017, New York Times: For Children With Autism, No More Being Hushed https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/14/nyregion/for-children-with-autism-no-more-being-hushed.html?_r=1
This year, 17,015 students in New York City public schools were classified as having autism as a disability, up from 13,685 in 2014-15. In recent years, a growing number of autistic students have been integrated into classrooms with general education students, with many of them being served in the Nest program.
However, there been a rise in special educational needs.
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.