At 11 years old, Jorge has had to change schools seven times, three during preschool and four in elementary school. The reason: the lack of awareness both from academic staff and from his own colleagues about the autism spectrum, a condition with which he lives.
“I have had many problems in schools and I think that the parents of many children have gone through the same thing, changing schools,” explained Joselin Quiroz, Jorge’s mother.
“Sometimes I have had problems with the teachers, I go with the directors, with the directors and they do nothing, they always leave it on the air and I prefer to change it. They are problems because they do not understand the condition.”
Rocío Dávalos, mother of 8-year-old Alexa, has experienced a similar situation. And although it has not been necessary to change her school, Yes, he has had to constantly confront the managers of the schools.
“I have had verbal confrontations (with educational authorities) in terms of the mismanagement they give to children. In this case, with the issue of my daughter, I have had to challenge whatever is necessary so that she can be calm,” he shared
Until April of last year, according to the Ministry of Education, in Jalisco there were 1,763 students with autism enrolled in a regular school.
And despite his presence in the schools of basic education in the state, Both mothers agreed that there is a need to sensitize academic and administrative staff, as well as students, about the autism spectrum.
“It is necessary to change the awareness, both of the teachers and of the directors, that there be talks or that therapists go to the schools to talk about this, even if there were no autistic children, but that everyone knew how to treat people with autism,” Joselin pointed out.
For her part, Rocío mentioned that it is also necessary to make adjustments in the schools, listen to the parents, try to understand the child as well, and work hand in hand with the therapists.
Sometimes work is done with them (infants) at home and at school that is broken because they are very square, and it does not have to be that way, there must be visual, time, and space adaptations, have breathing rooms,” he added. .
