I have been working at Nashua Schools (More than 10 years) Pros Large District so there are more opportunities for teachers to take on projects than smaller districts.
And many people with Autism do suffer from a form of Mental Retardation. For some reason I believe people feel better the more they can separate the two conditions and believe somehow it is better to have Autism non related to mental retardation.
Autism is sometimes described as a social/communication problem. Processing auditory information is a critical component of social communication, and people with autism spectrum disorders typically have problems processing this information. One problem occurs when a person hears speech sounds but does not perceive the meaning of the sounds.