Tennessee school system found to be unprepared to teach autism students

By Staff Writer

The Tennessee education system is struggling to keep up with the increasing diagnoses of autistic children in its schools, reports the Tennessean.

Governmental studies in Tennessee show that school systems within the state are not prepared to effective teach students who have autism. Furthermore, officials from the comptroller’s office told the news source that they currently do not know which systems are best to teach those with the condition.

The state does not require teacher training on youths with autism. Furthermore, they do not track whether training that some schools provide is effective. Enrolling children in therapeutic boarding schools can help individuals with the condition by offering individualized education designed for achieving behavioral and academic success.

In an effort to offer teachers training opportunities many of Tennessee’s higher learning institutions are planning to offer more autism-specific education degrees. However, none of them have a master’s program in Autism Education, according to the Offices of Research and Education Accountability.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly 1 in 110 children are currently diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.