Online ISSN: 2325-7466
2006
Triannual
National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET)
United States

Articles

Identifying and Working with Elementary Asperger’s Students in Rural America

  • Dr. Barton Allen (Author) Long Island University/C.W. Post Campus Department of Special Education & Literacy image/svg+xml
    Dr. Barton Allen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education and Literacy at C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, Brookville, New York. His interests include the field of foster placement, autism spectrum disorders and transitional placement of students with disabilities. Dr. Allen is a former school administrator and teacher with more than thirty five years experience in the field.
  • Dr. Vito Loiacono (Author) Long Island University/C.W. Post Campus Department of Special Education & Literacy
    Dr. Vito Loiacono is an Assistant Professor of Special Education at Long Island University/C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, Brookville, New York. He is a former special education teacher, building principal and executive director of special education in community-based public schools. His research interests include the field of autism, the pedagogical preparation of educators and administrators who support students with autism in inclusive settings, and inclusive practices.
  • Dr. James S. Vacca (Author) Long Island University/C.W. Post Campus Department of Special Education & Literacy
    Dr. James S. Vacca is currently Associate Professor and Chairman of the Department of Special Education and Literacy in the School of Education at Long Island University, C. W. Post Campus, Brookville, Long Island, New York. Prior to teaching at Long Island University, Dr. Vacca worked for thirty five years as a teacher, principal, special education administrator, guidance director, and Director of Pupil Personnel Services in several school districts in New York State and on Long Island. For the past four years, Dr. Vacca has served as Educational Consultant and Foster Child Advocate for the Department of Social Services in Suffolk County Long Island. He is also Past President of the New York State Reading Association and a member of the International Reading Association and Council of Exceptional Children. Dr. Vacca was Educational Director of the Lake Grove Residential Treatment Center on Long Island and has taught Literacy part-time for more than ten years at Great Meadow Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison in New York State. Dr Vacca has published articles in several journals, and he has recently presented at workshops and conferences related to both Special Education and Literacy in New York City and on Long Island.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.113
Abstract
Currently, somewhere in a rural American school sits an elementary-aged student who has been labeled by a teacher and his/her peers as the "Little Professor" according to the Asperger’s Syndrome Coalition of the United States. The onset of Asperger’s Syndrome is recognized and occurs later than what is typical of autism. A significant number of children are diagnosed after age three, with most diagnosed between the age of five and nine. Children with Asperger’s Syndrome generally do not have cognitive or language delay. Social deficits begin at the start of school and they fall just below the typical range. For students with Asperger’s Syndrome the result of these deficits is that they never fit in with their classmates. Thus Asperger’s Syndrome students slip through the cracks because they tend to be bright and quirky and these traits tend to isolate them from their classmates. Asperger’s Syndrome is a life-long disorder and if it is identified at an early age and appropriate interventions are put in place at home and school, an AS child will have the opportunity to grow and mature and have a productive life as an adult. We as educators should consider the presence of Asperger’s Syndrome students in our classrooms as a true gift and not as a burden. These children have gifts, skills, and feelings that need to be nurtured and strengthened in our rural schools.
Keywords
Autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Elementary School Students, Asperger Syndrome, Rural Schools, Rural Areas
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There are 30 references in total.
How to Cite
Allen, B., Loiacono, V., & Vacca, J. S. (2010). Identifying and Working with Elementary Asperger’s Students in Rural America. Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals, 5(3), 5-15. https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.113

Fall 2010

Article Information

  • Article Type Articles
  • Submitted August 10, 2010
  • Published October 15, 2010
  • Issue Fall 2010
  • Section Articles
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