Inclusivity in education for autism spectrum disorders: Experiences of support from the perspective of parent/carers, school teaching staff and young people on the autism spectrum

Abstract

Inclusive practices mean many children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) attend mainstream education settings. To manage the stressors involved and access its benefits, support can be critical. Indeed, insufficient support can detrimentally impact wellbeing, longer-term development, and the inclusivity agenda. Expanding a limited evidence-base on educational support after diagnosis, focus groups and interviews were conducted for eight parent/carers of children with ASD, twelve special education needs (SEN) school staff, and four children with ASD attending mainstream school. An inductive thematic analysis on the data elicited three themes: a system overwhelmed by unmet needs, the impact on quality of life, and hope for the future. The overwhelming finding was a significant lack of education support for parent/carers and school staff, with the mainstream education system poorly designed and insufficiently resourced to facilitate the inclusion of children with ASD, particularly for those impacted by historic difficulties with access. The tireless work of parent/carers and frontline SEN educators fostered a sense of hope and engendered inclusivity for the children who participated, who felt supported. Given their buffering role, protecting and supporting parent/carer and SEN teacher wellbeing requires a policy shift supporting longer term inclusivity alongside improvements in funding streams and accessibility in provision.

Interactions Between Teachers and Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Mainstream Secondary Education: Fundamental, yet Under-Researched

“…This is consistent with other, recent, studies in which researchers have found that prior to their transition to secondary school, most children with ASD worry about the size of their prospective schools and the sensory difficulties (particularly the noise) they will encounter (Makin et al, 2017). Moreover, in another study, young people with ASD expressed a strong need for schools to provide a quiet space in which the noise could be avoided (Hasson et al, 2022). Providing access to such spaces might help decrease the stress and anxiety levels that these students experience (Lebenhagen, 2022), and support their mental health and well-being, which is, according to parents in a recent study, negatively affected by mainstream education experiences (McKinlay et al, 2022).…”

Barriers general education teachers face regarding the inclusion of students with autism

“…Furthermore, this research found that teachers encounter funding difficulties when it comes to the need for teaching resources and assistive technology devices for their students with ASD. This finding is supported by that of Hasson et al (2022) , who stated that students with ASD must receive the necessary funding to ensure they are well-educated ( Lindsay et al, 2013 ; Hasson et al, 2022 ). In the case of private schools, such as that involved in this study, it is necessary that such programs seek funding from appropriate entities, such as state and federal government agencies, to ensure the availability of necessary resources for students with ASD.…”

“…Such additional training has also found that the confidence and knowledge was higher in teachers working with students with ASD after they had completed effective trainings on fundamental ABA techniques ( Leblanc et al, 2009 ). Given that teacher preparation programs have been found to be lacking in how they prepare (or fail to) teachers to work with students with ASD, teachers must have access to professional development that trains them in EBPs to support these students ( Hsiao and Sorensen Petersen, 2019 ; Hasson et al, 2022 ).…”

“… Goodman and Williams (2007) stated that “The increased numbers of students with ASD that educators encounter in mainstream settings result not only from legal and empirical support for this placement option but also from increases in the incidence of this disorder” (p. 53). Furthermore, the right of students with ASD to be educated with their typical peers in the GE classroom is endorsed by many teachers and parents ( Hasson et al, 2022 ). Thus, in the present day, it is expected that general educators be capable of accommodating these students in their classrooms ( Boyle et al, 2022 ).…”

Resourced provision in mainstream schools for students with special educational needs and/or disabilities: Inclusive service or safe space?

“…Despite these increases, recent OFSTED (2018OFSTED ( , 2022 reports have found that provision for these students is disjointed and inconsistent. Mainstream inclusion does create dilemmas for parents of students with SEND who can be overwhelmed by the burden of choosing a setting for their child, lacking support in decision-making or experiencing an illusion of choice which is ultimately removed through lack of funding or geographical constraints (Flewitt & Nind, 2007;Hasson et al, 2022).…”