Piaget

            
             According to Jean Piaget's pre-operational stage, children from a year old through early.
             childhood demonstrate intelligence through the use of symbols, their maturing language, and by.
             using their memories and imagination. It was Piaget's belief that human beings use reflexes in.
             order to adapt to their environment. Many teaching methods geared toward preschool and.
             primary age children are based around Piaget's belief in a "hands-on" approach to learning. Piaget.
             was a proponent of teaching children to become abstract thinkers by working in groups, using.
             manipulatives, and encouraging independent thought. For most children, the educational approach.
             that Piaget considered beneficial to cognitive development works towards developing abstract.
             thought. But what about the many children who are almost incapable of abstract thought? What.
             teaching methods work best for them? Where do they fit into Piaget's stages of cognitive.
             development?.
             As little as 50 years ago, autistic children were labeled as "self-absorbed". Most educators.
             subscribed to Piaget's stages of cognitive development, and due to the fact that the majority of.
             children with autism do not have distinguishable physical characteristics, or constantly display.
             behaviors of someone with severe mental retardation, there seemed to be no other explanation for.
             their behaviors. As our society learns more about autism, the question of how to educate children.
             with autism remains a hot debate. Considering the fact that autism occurs in about one in every.
             500 births (with a ratio of five boys to every girl), our schools have been forced to acknowledge.
             the differences between an autistic child, and one who has either a behavior or learning disorder. .
             Autism can be seen as early as infancy, when children may fail to anticipate being picked up.
             However, approximately one half of autistic children develop normally until 2-3 years of age,.