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While more and more individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are choosing to pursue higher education, comparatively little research has been conducted on the success of these students. Even less practical information has been developed and promulgated to classroom educators. This article reviews trade publications, peer-reviewed journal articles, unpublished manuscripts, and data from professional organizations to answer two key questions: first, what are the factors that promote academic and social success at the community college, and second, what are the individual characteristics of those with ASD that impact community college success? Findings indicated that student collegiate persistence can be enhanced by a range of factors including peer acceptance, institution/faculty accommodations, and student self-advocacy skills. In addition, students with ASD exhibited pathologies that both enable and inhibit college success. Finally, this article aims to provide practical guidance to both the community college educator and administrator in assisting students with ASD to succeed at their institutions of learning.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is defined as a lifetime developmental disorder usually identified by social interaction impairment, communication deficits, and repetitive behavior. The cases of children detected with ASD are rising globally, including Malaysia. Parents, as the prime caregiver to these children, face numerous challenges due to what is entailed in taking care of their children. This paper describes a case study where we examined the views and experience of three mothers, each of whom has an ASD child. Data were gathered through face-to-face semi-structured interviews, after which they were transcribed and analyzed using the thematic analysis method. The mothers narrated that the challenges they encountered include the difficulty they had in initially accepting their child's diagnosis; labelling and discrimination; phase-based temporal challenges; endless physical, emotional, and mental sacrifices; finding the strength and patience to deal with the situation; academic vs. non-academic struggles, as well as their own coping mechanisms. This paper concludes with the need to provide support for parents-especially mothers-to enable them to overcome their challenges and focus on the development of their autistic children.

On January 23-25, 2013, the Council for Exceptional Children Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities (DADD) sponsored its Fourteenth International Conference: Research to Practice in Autism, Intellectual Disability and Developmental Disabilities. The conference was held at the Sheraton Kona Resort at Keauhou Bay, Hawaii. The DADD Board of Directors decided to devote this issue of "Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities" to conference papers. The conference brought together educators from school and college classrooms from all over the world. The conference included pre-conference training institutes and strands on assistive technology, autism/autism spectrum disorder, cognitive disability-best practices, differentiated instruction, and multiple disabilities. The conference provided many parents, teacher educators, researchers, teachers, and other practitioners an opportunity to gather to learn the most current information related to providing services for individuals with autism, intellectual disability, and developmental disabilities.

Prevalence rates of autism spectrum disorder have risen dramatically over the past few decades (now estimated at 1:50 children). The estimated total annual cost to the public purse in the United States is US$137 billion, with an individual lifetime cost in the United Kingdom estimated at between £0.8 million and £1.23 million depending on the level of functioning. The United Nations Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has enshrined full and equal human rights--for example, for inclusion, education and employment--and there is ample evidence that much can be achieved through adequate support and early intensive behavioural interventions. Not surprisingly, most governments worldwide have devised laws, policies, and strategies to improve services related to autism spectrum disorder, yet intriguingly the approaches differ considerably across the globe. Using Northern Ireland as a case in point, we look at relevant governmental documents and offer international comparisons that illustrate inconsistencies akin to a "postcode lottery" of services.

Implementing the tenets of inclusive education in different countries may be diverse because of varying interpretations, contexts, and ways of application. In the Philippines, studies that delve into the kind of environment involving Filipino children with special needs are scarce. Thus, through a grounded theory approach, this qualitative paper aims at developing a framework as a means of understanding inclusive environments thriving in an inclusive Philippine setting. Thirty-two special education teachers from three private schools were interviewed, the data being triangulated through class observations. The emerging theory encapsulated three major dimensions to understand concepts of inclusive environment: engaging environment, affirming environment, and nurturing environment. An engaging environment points to having high-standard learning outcomes, promoting collaboration and communication among learners, teachers, and parents, and involving them in decision-making. An affirming environment, on the other hand, denotes practicing expressive and receptive languages, imbibing the sacred worth of class members, and celebrating diversity. Finally, a nurturing environment can be achieved through interdependence and care for the needs of everyone. These dimensions are inter-related and are not standalone. This paper advances that success in the diversified Philippine inclusive classroom context can be achieved through the interdependence of school community members. The question of the significance of the inclusive practices and principles should not be the primary concern of a particular context. Rather, involvement and interdependence to achieve an engaging, affirming, and nurturing environment matter. Ramifications to micro and macro integration of inclusion that support inclusive environments are also discussed.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is an important public health problem. It refers to a developmental disability and can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. According to the previous studies there is no precisely treatment for individuals with ASD. However, they can be improved and can be taught important skills such as expressing their feelings, overcoming their fears, developing their physical abilities and working and bonding with their peers by especially sport education. Sport education or training was implemented with 10 participants with ASD aged 5,5-29 years. One parent from each family who accompanied ten individuals with ASD during sporting events participated in this study. A standardized open-ended interview method was applied to the parents. Social Skill Interview Questions and Academic Skill Interview Questions were applied to the interviewees. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed. The purpose of the current study was to explore the effect of sports training on social and academic skills in individuals with ASD. Sport helped individual with ASD make progress in social skills such as communication, participation in the game, social relations, behavioral problems and waiting in line, body awareness and balance control, interests, following rules and instructions. On the other hand, it did not yield to the ability to transition from activity to activity and it did not contribute to a few individuals with ASD, while it contributed positively to many individuals with ASD, although some had rather slow success. In the academic skills of sports, perception studies supported skills such as preparation for first literacy, sound words and sentences, listening, relations between objects, and rhythmic counting. While it was recognized that sports contributed considerable improvement to some of the individuals in skills such as writing their own names, grammar, natural numbers, operations, and measures, unfortunately it did not help some of them in progress. It was observed that the majority of those who did not progress were younger. Sport training or education did not support to the ability to perform operations using division and calculator. Evidence suggests that sport education has ultimately a positive effect on the social and academic skills of individuals with ASD. [Paper presented at the International Eurasian Sports Education and Society Congress (5th).]