Special education is evolving, evolving in form and substance. The education of the special needs population in the United States lacks uniformity of purpose and action. In many school districts across the United States, special education creates a financial burden that subjugates traditional programs (Higbee, Katz, & Shultz, 2010). The lack of consistency in approach and positive outcomes has created academic chaos regarding methods and strategies in working with the special needs population. The difficulty in educating children with special needs to develop their academic and social skills has created many strategies with purported benefits, and in all honesty, some work for some children. There are too many cases where not all children benefit (p. 8). The problem is to develop a strategy and curriculum that takes into account the needs of all children, whether they are involved in an inclusive, traditional or autonomous classroom. This is especially significant with a particular segment of the special needs population, Asperger's autism. Asperger's autism is a controversial diagnosis, one that creates a schism in psychiatric thinking. Some psychiatrists classify it as a pervasive developmental disorder, while other psychiatrists see it as a form of personality disorder that has many traits associated with schizophrenia (Odom, Buysee, & Soukakou, 2011). The Asperger child lacks the emotional development normally associated with his age group. An example that illustrates the issue of emotional development involves age-appropriate displays of concern or awareness in their environment. Many children with Asperger's are unable to tell if someone is making fun of them and join in making fun of themselves as unaware...... middle of paper......50493608?accountid=28180Higbee , J. L., Katz, R. L., & Schultz, J. L. (2010). Disability in higher education: Redefining mainstreaming. Journal of Diversity Management, 5(2), 7-16. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/docview/506637577?accountid=28180Litvack, M. S., Ritchie, K. C., & Shore, B. M. (2011). High- and average-achieving students' perceptions of disabilities and students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms. Exceptional Children, 77(4), 474-487. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/docview/877027165?accountid=28180Odom, S. L., Buysee, V., & Soukakou, E. (2011). Inclusion of children with disabilities: A quarter century of research perspectives. Journal of Early Intervention, 33(4), 344-356. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/docview/921333607?accountid=28180