Edmonton schools cope with explosion in number of students on autism spectrum

Every new school year makes Amanda Drier nervous.
A new classroom, a new teacher and, potentially, a new classroom aide means yet another group of people to educate about her seven-year-old daughter’s autism. It’s exhausting, emotionally draining and absolutely necessary.
“Just the misunderstanding of autism in general, especially in the school system, is really challenging,” Drier, perched on her living room couch in west Edmonton, said last week. “A lot of ou