ems with verbal and non-verbal communication and imagination, and unusual or severely limited activities and interests. The hallmark feature of autism is impaired social interaction. Many students with autism resist human contact and social interactions, and they have difficulty learning the subtleties of social interactions (Friend,178). They may fail to respond to their names, avoid making eye contact with others, and seem uninterested in developing social relationships. Individuals with autism also experience problems in both verbal and non verbal communication. They often have significantly delayed language development, and if they have language skills, they struggle to maintain a conversation with another person. In writing about her experiences of being autistic, Temple Grandin provides a clear example of her communication problems (Grandin, 1984). She explains that once when her mother wanted her to wear a hat while riding in the car, she didnt have the words to refuse. Instead, she screamed and threw the hat out the window, causing her mother to hit another car. Another characteristic of students with autism is a very limited range of interests, such as a student who is fascinated with motorcycles to the exclusion of nearly everything else. When they have such an interest, students with autism can spend literally hours upon hours absorbed in a private world of exploration. They might act bored with every activity unless it relates to their special interest. Sean Barron, in his book Theres a Boy in There describes his fixation with chains, One of my favorite things was chains; I loved the texture of chains. Each link looked the same and even felt the same as all the others. Because the chains on our garage were too high for me to reach, they were very mysterious to me- I wanted so much to touch them, but I had to use a stick instead. Since I couldnt reach them with my hands, I made them swing. I really loved the ...
