A child with Asperger's Syndrome is moved to a different class in Argentina

The child with Asperger's syndrome, the mothers' joy at his class exclusion, and the hypocritical solidarity

Argentine mothers, Spanish mothers, and countless mothers around the world rejoice when a student with special educational needs is separated from the class where their children are. Furthermore, countless parents actively try to prevent their sons and daughters from having close relationships with children who have these challenges. This is the reality I have experienced and continue to experience.

On the surface, there's an enviable amount of understanding and solidarity. One only has to look at the messages flooding social media. Almost all of them are lies, and the support shifts as circumstances change. The child with special educational needs is routinely rejected, bullied, ridiculed, the class clown. Except, of course, when, overwhelmed by the bullying, they commit an act of aggression. At that moment, they're labeled aggressive and dangerous. No one takes into account the snickers, the shoves, the mean, even cruel, jokes they've endured.

At the slightest problem, parents protest, criticize the school administration, and demand action, which almost always consists of isolating the student from the rest of the class or expelling them. Of course, the parents of a child with special educational needs will demand non-discriminatory treatment for their child and, sometimes, imprudently, refuse to acknowledge their child's specific needs, which hinders the understanding necessary for inclusion.

Most teachers don't want problems, nor do they have sufficient training to successfully manage the difficult situations that may arise in the classroom. They breathe a huge sigh of relief when they move to the special education classroom, whether full-time or for just a few hours. There is no training or educational program to motivate teachers to deal with these special situations, partly because they also lack resources. And, of course, parents are not known for collaborating on inclusion efforts.

He asks himself Country "Where has society failed that a child has to be expelled from a class for having different abilities?" My response is that society has been failing, at least for the 37 years I've had a professional relationship with these patients. Society, with very few exceptions, has always tried to isolate these children from "normal" social and academic environments. We don't want problems and we only think about our own children. La inclusive pedagogyToday, it's a dream, a utopia that very few professionals—doctors, school psychologists, and teachers—are fighting for. Parents think primarily about their children. They only show solidarity when the problem affects them personally, or when they experience it from afar. Of course, not all parents, but the vast majority.

In conclusion, the media, and even some associations, don't help matters when they spread sensationalist and false information about these children. In our case, we're talking about Asperger's Syndrome. Very briefly, What is Asperger's syndrome?

1. Firstly, There are more differences What similarities exist between two children with Asperger's syndrome? That is, there are symptoms that define it, but let's not forget that the person is more complex than a diagnostic label. This is the first requirement to keep in mind to understand patients with Asperger's.
2. The most defining symptoms are the Theory of mind and difficulties in nonverbal communication They have difficulty interpreting other people's emotions, subtleties, and double meanings in language. Therefore, they can sometimes unintentionally hurt others' feelings (they say what they think, they don't usually lie...).
3. Most people, especially in adolescence, want to relate to others, although they lack skills, since they have difficulty correctly interpreting social codes.
4. At a cognitive level, These children have an obsessive, rigid personality structure, which results in virtually no adaptive capacity. They tend to be very ritualistic, suffering when changes occur in their environment and daily lives. They exhibit a very restricted range of interests.
5. At the engine level, Although they are often children with clumsy motor skills, this varies. I know patients who have excelled in some sports. They may exhibit stereotyped movements.
6. They are docile, kind, and affectionate patients who crave affection, although they can sometimes be authoritarian. They want everything done their way and tolerate changes introduced by others very poorly. This can lead to problems in living together.
7. We need to break with the idea that everyone is very intelligent, They have extraordinary memories, and they excel in math, language, or any other subject. Among children with Asperger's, we find "everything."

In conclusion: Me first, and me second. Then my children. I'm only willing to support causes that benefit me. Sending my children to a Catholic school is simply because, in my area, it's one of the best. I couldn't care less about religious ideals. If someone is hindering my child's learning, the right thing to do is to separate them from the group and put them in a special classroom. I pay for my child to receive a good, quality education without interference. That's the prevailing mindset.

Today, most religious schools are run by non-religious staff, many of whom lack faith. Therefore, let's not fool ourselves: they are franchises operating with the same interests as private, subsidized, non-denominational schools. Fully private schools, whether secular or religious, neither understand nor care about inclusion.

Inclusion is an unfinished task that fewer and fewer people are fighting for.