Inclusion Series- Inclusiveness for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

This issue of NASET’s Inclusion series was written by Jordan Romanski. The ruling of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) passed in 1975 brought about new ideas of teaching individuals with disabilities in different settings and environments. The Salamanca Statement (UNESCO) in 1994 recognized the necessity of providing education for all children. These acts made available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities and ensure special education to those children. Public schools across the United States must provide students with all disabilities an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that supports learning of academic, social, and behavior goals in locations considered to be the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). Historically, this LRE is located in a separate classroom or school entirely. Recently, however, according to Evidence Based Practice (EBP), research is now proving the benefits of combining these children with their typically developing peers in the general education settings given the appropriate supports to succeed. Combining children who have Autism and other disabilities into the general education setting and providing them with the resources they need to succeed will only benefit students, parents, and teachers alike as well as increase peoples’ opinions of the idea of inclusiveness.

This issue of NASET’s Inclusion series was written by Jordan Romanski. The ruling of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) passed in 1975 brought about new ideas of teaching individuals with disabilities in different settings and environments. The Salamanca Statement (UNESCO) in 1994 recognized the necessity of providing education for all children. These acts made available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities and ensure special education to those children. Public schools across the United States must provide students with all disabilities an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that supports learning of academic, social, and behavior goals in locations considered to be the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). Historically, this LRE is located in a separate classroom or school entirely. Recently, however, according to Evidence Based Practice (EBP), research is now proving the benefits of combining these children with their typically developing peers in the general education settings given the appropriate supports to succeed. Combining children who have Autism and other disabilities into the general education setting and providing them with the resources they need to succeed will only benefit students, parents, and teachers alike as well as increase peoples’ opinions of the idea of inclusiveness.

Inclusiveness for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

By Jordyn Romanski

Abstract

The ruling of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) passed in 1975 brought about new ideas of teaching individuals with disabilities in different settings and environments. The Salamanca Statement (UNESCO) in 1994 recognized the necessity of providing education for all children. These acts made available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities and ensure special education to those children. Public schools across the United States must provide students with all disabilities an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that supports learning of academic, social, and behavior goals in locations considered to be the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). Historically, this LRE is located in a separate classroom or school entirely. Recently, however, according to Evidence Based Practice (EBP), research is now proving the benefits of combining these children with their typically developing peers in the general education settings given the appropriate supports to succeed. Combining children who have Autism and other disabilities into the general education setting and providing them with the resources they need to succeed will only benefit students, parents, and teachers alike as well as increase peoples’ opinions of the idea of inclusiveness.

Key Words: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Inclusion, Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), Individualized Education Plan (IEP), segregation, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

What is Inclusion and Why it’s Important

Inclusion in education can have a multitude of explanations and meanings. Inclusion is a complex concept which has not been consistently defined (Falkmer, M., Anderson, K., Joosten, A., & Falkmer, T. 2015). In general, however, it means giving every child equal opportunity to grade level, appropriate learning experiences. According to Derguy, “inclusion means promotion of all pupils’ presence, participation, achievement, and acceptance by teachers and peers in mainstream school.” Derguy continues to discuss the long-term benefits of inclusion for not only children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), but also for typically developing (TD) peers by providing openness, tolerance, and understanding of individual differences. Benefits to inclusion can also potentially consist of increased opportunities for social interaction, exposure to typical peer models for behavior, and higher academic expectations (Silveira-Zaldivar, T., & Curtis, H., 2019).

Inclusion is important because it is more than a placement. It means more than simply putting a child in a classroom and expecting change. Inclusion means making the child feel welcomed by adults and TD peers. Inclusion is a feeling, not a place (Goodall 2018). Goodall continues to say that placing a child with ASD in mainstream schools can be seen as inclusion, depending on the individual’s perception, and understanding, yet in reality may be nothing more than physical integration.  

The writer researched this topic to learn about the perspectives of all stakeholders including individuals with ASD, parents, teachers, and TD peers and to have a better understanding of how inclusion should be implemented into mainstream schools. Development and facilitation of inclusive practices to accommodate needs of all students require input from all involved, including policymakers, teachers, students, and parents (Falkmer, M., Anderson, K., Joosten, A., & Falkmer, T. 2015).

In Goodall’s study, he collected data on the idea of inclusion from students with ASD who have experienced some type of inclusion system. The majority of these students had the same opinion; inclusion can take place in any type of school as long as the individuals with ASD feel happy, valued, and respected as individuals. However, one student said, “The idea of inclusion is evil because teachers don’t really care. Teacher to me is just like evil.”  These students’ differing opinions are rooted in their experiences from their teachers and personal experiences with inclusion.

In Falkmer’s study, she collected data on the idea of inclusion from a parent’s perspective. She found that parents believe that teachers are the main facilitators of, and barriers to, inclusive schools. These parents believe that teachers need to understand each child as an individual and know their social difficulties to implement interventions aimed to enhance social relations between themselves and TD peers. Communication between parents and teachers was also critical in this study as parents desire honest and open communication as well as the possibility of being active collaborators in their students’ educational and social journey.

In Derguy’s study, she collected data based on the opinions of ASD from TD peers in mainstream classrooms. She found that there is a lack of knowledge of disabilities, especially about ASD provided to TD peers. Her results confirmed that negative attitudes towards children with ASD decrease between the ages of 6-12. And then heighten again 13-18. She reasoned that with age, children develop reasoning skills and better comprehension of the role of social norms. She also found that girls’ attitudes were more positive than boys for all ages. She concluded her results by stating that children with ASD will not be welcomed into mainstream classes until anti-stigma interventions are put in place at a young age and being about profound change in attitudes. Many schools across America do currently for bullying in general, but not specifically focusing on Autism.

Both Dean and Silveira-Zaldivar agree on the fact that social skills training is needed for TD peers and teachers to best help social outcomes for children with ASD in mainstream classrooms. The idea of students with ASD attending a mainstream inclusion classroom is great if the support is in place for them to be happy and successful.  Implementing appropriate Evidence Based Practices for social skills intervention early and continuing those interventions throughout one’s educational tenure, is the most optimal approach to meeting the social needs of students with ASD (Silveira-Zaldivar, T., & Curtis, H. (2019). However, as of 2017, 39.7% of students with ASD spent 80% or more of their school day in general education classes, and 18.3% of students with ASD spent 40%-79% in general education classes (Dean, M., & Chang, Y.-C. 2021).  That is a total of only 58% of students with Autism spend a minimum of half their school day with their TD peers. The other 42% of students with ASD spend 0%-39% with their TD peers. This number has greatly increased over the past 33 years since ASD was introduced as a special education eligibility category in 1990, but it should be much higher. Those statistics being stated, only 58% of students with ASD are getting an adequate number of social interactions with their TD peers. The proximity to TD peers provides access to normative social cultures and social opportunities. EBP have been shown to support the acquisition and generalization of social skills in schools.

Some examples of EBPs were found in the articles that would be beneficial to use in general education classrooms. TD peer involvement in the use of antecedent-based intervention strategies, TD peers trained to serve as mentors, pivotal response training, video modeling, structured play groups, and peer-mediated interventions provide supported opportunities for individuals with ASD to practice skills within an authentic environment and increase opportunities for individuals with ASD to generalize newly acquired skills (Dean, M., & Chang, Y.-C. 2021). 

Similarly, to training TD students; teachers, support staff, and other school personal must be trained in order to fully support these inclusive classrooms. According to Silveira-Zaldivar’s study, regular education inclusion teachers have voiced their concerns about regarding the lack of training that they have received to meet the needs of students with ASD in their classrooms. Teaching staff will have to readjust their thinking and attitudes towards students with ASD and how they can best provide support. Districts must put in place behavioral coaches who will work directly with school personal during social skills times both structured and unstructured to model intervention strategies. When disruptive behaviors are reduced, there is a greater likelihood of enhanced learning, independence, and improved social relations for all students.

Conclusion

It is essential for schools to understand and fully implement inclusion in all classrooms to benefit all individuals. Schools and districts must be well trained in order to have prepared personnel to attend to the educational and social needs of children with disabilities. All stakeholders need to have the proper training and modeling given about the unique and diverse needs of all learners in their classrooms. Educators need to move beyond a focus on disorder and impairment and move towards an appreciation for student strengths, passions, and most importantly abilities. Personalized supports need to be put in place to help meet the diverse needs of all students (Wehmeyer, M. L. 2022).

Based on personal experiences as a teacher of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), there is agreement on the fact that the social needs of ASD students must be met. Children with ASD require social interactions and support from their teachers and TD peers. Literature found that it is incredibly important to train up TD peers from a young age as well as train teachers on the benefits of EBP in the area of social skills in order to have a classroom that is fully functional as an inclusive environment for all students.

Having highly trained personal to support teachers, a teacher who understands the student, evidence based social skills training, parents who are involved, as well as TD peers who welcome in and see the student as an essential part of the class environment are all important aspects of inclusion. Without one of these essential parts, inclusion cannot be met.

References

Dean, M., & Chang, Y.-C. (2021). A systematic review of school-based social skills interventions and observed social outcomes for students with autism spectrum disorder in inclusive settings. Autism, 25(7), 1828–1843. doi.org/10.1177/13623613211012886

Derguy, C., Aubé, B., Rohmer, O., Marotta, F., & Loyal, D. (2021). Another step to school inclusion: Development and validation of the Children’s Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire. Autism, 25(6), 1666–1681. doi.org/10.1177/13623613211000163

Falkmer, M., Anderson, K., Joosten, A., & Falkmer, T. (2015). Parents’ perspectives on inclusive schools for children with autism spectrum conditions. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 62(1), 1–23. doi.org/10.1080/1034912x.2014.984589

Goodall, C. (2018). Inclusion is a feeling, not a place: A qualitative study exploring autistic young people’s conceptualizations of inclusion. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 24(12), 1285–1310. doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2018.1523475

Silveira-Zaldivar, T., & Curtis, H. (2019). “I’m not trained for this ” and other barriers to evidence-based social skills interventions for elementary students with high functioning autism in inclusion. Lnternational Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 12(1), 53–66. doi.org/10.26822/iejee.2019155337

Wehmeyer, M. L. (2022). From segregation to strengths: A personal history of special education. Phi Delta Kappan, 103(6), 8–13. doi.org/10.1177/00317217221082792