Educators Deal with the Growing Problem of Autism As the number
of special-needs students soars, schools grapple with ways to
offer high-quality education without going broke. As the number
of special-needs students soars, schools grapple with ways to
offer high-quality education without going broke. There may be
no greater challenge facing public schools today than the
staggering increase in children diagnosed with autism. Even
though the law requires school districts to provide a free
"appropriate" education to every student, school budgets are not
growing nearly as rapidly as the number of children classified
as having special needs. Parents are increasingly demanding more
than basics; they want intensive, expensive services that offer
the best chance to rescue their child from a lifetime of
disability. Experts disagree on the most effective approach to
teaching children with autism, and many school districts cobble
together a mishmash of methods that changes with each new fad,
source of funding, special e