Supporting Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders in Inclusive Settings (original) (raw)

Educators’ Challenges of Including Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Mainstream Classrooms

International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 2013

Although children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are increasingly being placed within mainstream classes, little is known about the challenges that teachers encounter with including them as full participants in the class. This qualitative study draws on a purposive sample of 13 educators who have experience teaching children with ASD within two cities in Ontario, Canada. Through in-depth interviews we asked about teachers' challenges regarding creating an inclusive environment within their classroom. Teachers reported several challenges, including: understanding and managing behaviour; socio-structural barriers (i.e., school policy, lack of training and resources); and creating an inclusive environment (i.e., lack of understanding from other teachers, students and parents). Teachers recommend that more resources, training and support are needed to enhance the education and inclusion of children with ASD.

Interventions for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders in Inclusive School Settings

Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 2012

Students with ASD present unique challenges to school systems. Despite these challenges, federal laws require that schools implement research-based practices in the least restrictive environment (LRE). The LRE is often deemed to be the general education classroom and the primary intervention agent is often the classroom teacher. Ensuring students with ASD receive effective intervention in these least restrictive and inclusive school settings will depend, in part, on the extent to which teachers and school personnel are prepared to implement research-based interventions. The purpose of this article is to provide a summary of research-based interventions for students with ASD. Our focus in this summary is on interventions that can be implemented in inclusive school settings by teachers and classroom support personnel. We first provide a general overview of interventions designed to reduce challenging behavior, teach communication skills, and improve social relationships. This is followed by a discussion of the obstacles to intervention implementation that may be present in school settings. Finally, we conclude by offering a list of intervention guidelines.

Students with Autism Spectrum Conditions in Inclusive Educational Settings: Barriers and Solutions

Ihlara Eğitim Araştırmaları Dergisi, 2021

It is well-known fact that education students with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) receive in general classroom plays a great role in their behaviors to develop positively. However, including students with ASC in inclusive education is controversial issue in educational setting. This is because the continuum of including students with ASC in inclusive education is one of the most complicated areas of education. For this reason, this study is aimed to contribute to all stakeholders working with ASC in inclusive setting by explaining barriers and offering solutions about successful inclusion of these students. In accordance with this purpose, studies in the literature were reviewed in depth. As the result of the research findings, there are several factors of inclusion which are essential to access fully inclusive education for students with ASC in general classroom. According to literature, general well-being of students with ASC, school staffs, family involvement, typically develop...

Facilitating Teachers Effective Inclusion of Students on the Autism Spectrum

This study was undertaken following the introduction of best practice guidelines for teachers working with students on the autism spectrum (SotAS) (Ministries of Health & Education, 2008). The research aimed to analyze the contextual factors involved in the teaching of these students in a mainstream primary school in order to ascertain if there were any factors that could increase the effectiveness of teaching SotAS. Four teachers and six SotAS were observed over a school year. Data was collected through those observations and follow up conversations with the teachers. An adapted activity theory framework was used to analyze the data and tease out the factors that created barriers to effective inclusion. The study found that existing skills and knowledge of the autism spectrum were not the key factors to being an effective teacher of SotAS. Instead teacher attitude and understanding of the actual experience of being a SotAS were found to be very important. Using of the medical model or deficit theories of the autism spectrum by teachers was found to hinder the provision of opportunities for these students. In contrast once teachers developed an understanding of a range of lived experience anecdotes and evidence, they were more able to see the potential of SotAS and therefore provide appropriate opportunities for these students to make progress.

Challenges for Primary School Teachers in Ensuring Inclusive Education for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Pedagogika

The article presents the results of a qualitative study revealing the challenges faced by primary school teachers in ensuring inclusive education for children with autism spectrum disorders (hereinafter ASD) in mainstream classrooms. Teachers face the following challenges: problem behaviour of children with ASD, difficulty in engaging children with ASD in the classroom community and common activities, difficulties in collaborating with other teachers, education support professionals, and parents.

Obstacles to Success of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in General Education Settings

Journal of Education and Training Studies, 2020

The purpose of this study was to survey teacher opinions of 14 potential obstacles to teaching in general education classes attended by students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The anonymous participant responses were received from 16 elementary school teachers, 60 middle school teachers, and 131 high school teachers. Participants completed a questionnaire in which they rated 14 items. Rating data were uploaded to STATA data analysis software. The Kruskal-Wallis (K-W) statistic was used to analyze and interpret the data. Results identified items that significantly discriminated among teachers of the three grade levels and show a difference in the perceptions of teachers at different grade levels for some obstacles. Teachers at the elementary school level generally perceived greater obstacles than teachers at the middle school level, who perceived greater obstacles than those at the high school level. The results can be considered by educators and service providers when identify...

Effective Educational Inclusion for ASD Students

Proceedings of the 2022 3rd International Conference on Mental Health, Education and Human Development (MHEHD 2022)

The importance of inclusion is still a contentious topic in the domains of education and psychology. Despite the controversy presented, according to the U.S. Department of Education, over the last two decades, the number of students with learning disabilities educated in general classrooms has increased substantially. Because of the huge expansion in inclusive programs, some have concluded that "full inclusion with co-teaching" is currently the preferred model of service delivery for kids with learning disabilities in most parts of the United States. For educators, it seems to be a positive term that embodies special needs students in regular classrooms, but it might quite difficult to provide an inclusive atmosphere for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Since there are many commonly held concerns about this action, this paper will examine several effective methods and accommodations to help perform a successful inclusion in educational settings. Throughout this paper, the focus will be placed on some general characteristics of ASD students, a comparison between different classroom environments, as well as teaching styles and implementations. This review demonstrates that, when done correctly, purposeful inclusion can help students with ASDs and other disabilities achieve academic and social success.

The role of the school psychologist in the inclusive education of school-age children with autism spectrum disorders

Journal of School Psychology, 2005

Two independent trends are impacting school psychologists with regard to their involvement in the education of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs): increasing prevalence estimates of ASDs and an emphasis on the inclusion of students with special needs in regular education classrooms. In light of these trends and growing awareness of the need for evidence-based practices in the field, school psychologists can expect to be involved in the educational programming of students with ASDs and should be knowledgeable about empirically supported strategies relevant to inclusive education of these children. The purpose of this review is to familiarize school psychologists with currently available intervention techniques by describing each strategy and outlining the degree of empirical support for each. Strategies for managing disruptive behaviors, promoting learning, and facilitating social integration are reviewed.