All Included

Ratified in 1851, the official state motto of Wisconsin is just one word: "Forward". In a land known for corn and lead mining, the motto was meant to reflect the motion of the plow and pick axe. But it's also an apt description of Wisconsin's autism education programs.In the capital city, Madison, 88 percent of primary school children with disabilities attend normal classes, in what the education world calls an 'inclusion model'. Even in high schools, where the curriculum is more challenging and specialized, 63 percent of children with disabilities stay in regular classrooms.A decade ago, children with disabilities were almost always separated into their own rooms — or even buildings — with specialized teachers and lessons. But some research since then has shown that many of these children can learn well alongside healthy children, and vice versa.Read more at...SFARI, September 2010.