Special Education

I have a minor in special education and when I was in college I had a special interest in autistic children thinking it would be wonderful to study under Bruno Bettelheim at the University of Chicago. I had the opportunity to learn under Mrs. Nagy who later taught at Oregon College of Education, now Western Oregon University. This was a practicum at Fairview Home and Training Center in a classroom. Most of the children had documented IQs of zero. We spent most of one term trying to work on teaching the students to put their chair under the table. Yes, Mrs. Nagy had the patience of a saint. It was at this time that I discovered that this was not the way I wanted to spend my time. The situation lacked a certain kind of hope.

The Mrs. Nagy's of the world are needed because there is a reality in the world today that there are more and more special needs children. There are more children who are diagnosed as autistic today than ever before. Why? Is there something in the environment causing this? We have known for years that the mother can not expose herself to drugs and alcohol during the early months of pregnancy. Why don't we investigate and get to the bottom of the problem and correct it. We need to prevent the causes of brain damage. More medication is being prescribed to students for many reasons. What long range effect will this have when these young people marry and start having children?