Guard Against Potential Problems Related to Inclusion
In 2013, approximately 40 percent of students receiving special education services for autism were educated in general education classes for 80 percent of the day or more (U.S. Department of Education, 2016b). An additional 20 percent spent approximately half of their day or more in general education settings. Although inclusion in general education offers significant opportunities, especially for socialization interventions, educators must guard against “inclusion missteps” (Schwartz, 2006, p. 87). We describe potential problems of inclusion with respect to socialization goals in Table 7.4 . Fortunately, these problems can be avoided with the careful assessments described in Chapters 3 , 4 , 6 , and this chapter by ensuring that evidence-based interventions are applied in the general education settings where students are taught and by teaching general education teachers and peers to deliver these interventions (Giangreco, Halvorsen, Doyle, & Broer, 2004; Koegel et al., 2012).