Today’s elementary school teacher and his/her class have a new look.

Classroom instruction has a new attitude.

According to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (2015), at least 60% of children with disabilities spend 80% or more of their schoolday in the general education classroom. As such, teacher preparation programs should be guided by the premise that each child is an equally-valued member of the school culture, and that every child can learn. Not only do children with disabilities benefit from learning in the general education classroom environment, but their peers benefit, as well, as they embrace opportunities to consider and enjoy the diversity of talents, socialness, and the community of learners than includes children with a spectrum of abilities. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are welcomed, more than ever before, into inclusive classrooms, and learn best when appropriate instruction and accommodations are confidently provided by teachers knowledgeable and comfortable with proactive strategies that teach relevant, measurable skills. The benefits of orienting, instructing, and guiding preservice teacher candidates in educator preparation programs that offer dual-certification include greater professional confidence and improved, responsive instructional methods. Such effective educator preparation can place the teacher candidate at ease, and desiring even more information.  Teachers can maintain effective classroom management and instructional practices while at-ease, when having been properly oriented and prepared to provide students with ASD the individualized preparations that help them satisfy performance measures and indicators; promote greater student independence, self-advocacy skills, and self-determination; and encourage socialization and respects the civil right of all children, especially those with compromised school-based skillsets.

My presentation at the conference is designed to provide greater knowledge of the professional benefits for pre-service and practicing educators, when oriented to inclusion best-practices that benefit students with ASD. From current, peer-reviewed references, highlighted are research-driven concepts that teacher candidates and practicing educators should know, appreciate, and implement. In addition, the article offers from my conference presentation knowledge of the benefits of inclusion for students with ASD that strengthens their learning and improves their quality of life, as well as specific academic and social/emotional benefits that the inclusive classroom provides students with ASD.

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