If the same person gave you directions in a foreign language but used a picture or illustration, you might be able to follow them. While handing you a plate, cup, and napkin, the person hands you a placemat with a circle representing a plate, a circle for a cup, and a triangle for a napkin. Most likely you could figure out that you were supposed to set the table. The individual with autism would probably figure this out too. Lise Fox, co-director of the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities in Tampa, Florida, explains that the most critical ingredient for the successful inclusion of children with autism into any group instructional setting is for the adults to truly understand autism.
Autism is a hidden disability.
If a child was in a wheelchair, we wouldn't expect him to walk across the room to sit in his chair. Yet, adults expect children with autism to integrate and understand language and social cues. Temple Grandin, a gifted adult with autism, explains to us how difficult it is for children with autism to integrate and understand language. These children look as if they must understand, and often they talk, so we assume they understand. We make the assumption that children with autism perceive the world in the same way we do.