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Inclusive Teaching: Skills Required to Include Students with Autistic Spectrum Disorder

Words: 1979

Students with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have the right to participate fully in the

‘community life’ of my classroom, as the Disability Standards for Education Act of 2005 sets

out (Department of Education and Training (DET), 2005). The Disability Discrimination Act

of 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education Act of 2005 clearly state that students

with disability ‘have the right to education and training on the same basis as students without

disability’ (Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), 2015).

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics data of 2009, approximately one in ten boys

(186,000) and one in sixteen girls (106,600) attended mainstream schools with a disability

(Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013). As of 2015, ASD affects one in one hundred people

in Australia, accounting for 31% of National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funding in

2015 (Social Care Foundation Australia, 2016). ASD is a lifelong developmental disorder

affecting the way an individual relates to their environment and to others relating to their

social interactions (Autism Spectrum Australia, 2018). Education ‘on the same basis’ for

students with ASD involves a universal design for learning (UDL) that includes the use of

visuals, specific motivators, modelling, schedules, clear and explicit language, problem-

solving skills and encouragement, ‘reasonable adjustments’ that are made in consultation

with the student, teacher and parent / primary carer, and strengths-based teaching that

assesses students against appropriate outcomes. In terms of the personal and professional

skills that are required of me, I will need to be approachable, collaborative, ICT capable and

self-critical and self-aware.

Values in education have significantly changed since the inception of public education and

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the legislative Act of 1872. In 1872, The Education Act outlined that any parent neglecting to

send a child to school without a valid excuse would be liable to a penalty, and that a valid

excuse could have been that a child was ‘prevented from attending school by sickness, fear of

infection, temporary or permanent infirmity, or any unavoidable cause’ (Parliament of

Victoria, 1872). Students with special needs were ‘virtually ignored’ by the public education

system, and voluntary organisations began providing educational opportunities to children

with disability before governments established schools specifically for children with

disability (Queensland Government, 2013). The Disability Standards for Education Act in

2005 set out to eliminate discrimination ‘against persons on the ground of disability in the

area of education and training’, to ensure ‘that persons with disabilities have the same rights

to equality before the law in the area of education and training as the rest of the community’

(Department of Education and Training (DET), 2005). This Act was intended ‘to promote

recognition and acceptance within the community of the principle that persons with

disabilities have the same fundamental rights as the rest of the community’ (DET, 2005).

Now, teachers are required to develop a ‘high-quality curriculum for all Australian students,

one that promotes excellence and equity in education’, where ‘all students are entitled to

rigorous, relevant and engaging learning programs drawn from a challenging curriculum that

addresses their individual learning needs’ (ACARA, 2015). The change of emphases and the

shift towards inclusive education have been significant.

Morin, Rivard, Crocker, Boursier and Caron (2013) argue that ‘social inclusion, community

participation and empowerment of persons with disabilities are central concepts now guiding

policies, legislation and services for persons with intellectual disabilities around the world’,

seeing a shift in policy and practice, universally. In Australia, The Disability Inclusion Act

2014 was a revision of the Disability Services Act 1993 in response to the United Nations

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Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2010). These legislative milestones

affirmed the uniqueness of every individual and the desire to have persons with disability

participating fully ‘in community’ (Ageing, Disability and Health Care NSW Government,

2014). The NSW Department of Education (2016) wrote that these Acts provided the

‘legislative framework for the development and implementation of a state plan to drive

disability access and inclusion’ (NSW Department of Education, 2016). Policy and practice

were interlinked and responsive to statistics and research into disabilities affecting young

people. Lindsay (2007) saw this shift – schools were restructuring to meet the needs of the

students, rather than expecting the student to adapt to the ‘host setting’ in a model of

‘integration’. In addition to this, changes in legislative policy from 1872 to 2018 show a

movement towards connection. The New Zealand Disability Strategy outlined that disability

is ‘the process which happens when one group of people create barriers by designing a world

only for their way of living’ (Ministry of Social Development, 2016). Inclusive practice in

response to changing policy meant that teachers and schools would adapt to meet the needs of

students, building on their strengths to work ‘alongside them’ (Hammond & Zimmerman

2012), genuinely valuing their contribution to the community.

Attitudes have shifted along with policy. Forlin and Lian (2008) outline that inclusive

education refers to both the approach of serving students with disability within the general

education setting and reform that responds to the diversity of all learners. They argue that

inclusive education requires inclusive policy and a culture of acceptance (Forlin & Lian,

2008). Campbell, Gilmore and Cuskelly (2003) highlight the link between increased teacher

awareness with positive attitudes about students with disability, showing the importance of

educating teachers in this area. Similarly, Loreman, Deppeler and Harvey (2005) argue that

positive teacher attitudes are essential to ‘making inclusion work’. In their study of the

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relationship between pre-service teachers’ ‘discomfort with disability’, and ‘perceived

negative attitudes toward students with disabilities and opposition to inclusion’, Brandes and

Crowson (2009) highlight the critical issue of teacher beliefs influence: ‘regression analyses

revealed that social dominance orientation and discomfort with disability’ were ‘predictors of

negative attitudes toward students with disabilities’. They advocate for teacher preparation

programs that help pre-service teachers develop self-awareness about their attitudes towards

students with disability and the impact their dispositions have on their ability to effectively

support students. They argue that teachers must ‘support these students in their efforts to

become productive and independent members of society’ (Brandes & Crowson, 2009).

In terms of the skills required of me to teach in inclusive learning environments, I would need

to be approachable. Students with ASD often experience difficulty in social communication

and social interaction (Autism Spectrum Australia, 2018). I must develop rapport with my

students so that they can share with me directly what they do and don’t understand without

embarrassment. As a teacher, I am expected to provide instruction ‘in well defined learning

problems related to specific needs of the child with diverse abilities’, while ‘also ensuring

that they are included in the regular program as much as possible’ (Loreman, Deppeler &

Harvey, 2005). I need to know my students and create a learning environment that includes

clear expectations, consistency, structure and routine for the entire class with rules that are

specific, direct, written down and consistent (Model Farms High School, 2018). This would

reinforce my approachability to students who respond well to routine.

I must also be collaborative with students, teachers and the parent / primary carer. To teach

inclusively, I would need to know the specific needs of the students in my class and design

learning programs that meet these specific needs. The National Center for Learning

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Disabilities (2015) use the term ‘personalized learning’ to describe a learning policy that is

inclusive. They believe that students with disability can achieve highly ‘if they receive

specialized instruction tailored to their unique needs, supports that build on their strengths

and mitigate their challenges, and an environment that is engaging and sparks their desire to

learn’ (National Center for Learning Disabilities, 2015). Collaboration includes devising an

appropriate personalized learning program for all students. Personalized learning is an

evidence-based school-wide strategy which teaches to the needs of a diverse group of

students (National Center for Learning Disabilities, 2015). It is particularly effective for

students with ASD because it works from a strengths-based model. In personalized learning

programs, students’ strengths form the basis of the curriculum and instruction builds on what

students already know and understand (National Center for Learning Disabilities, 2015). This

is particularly valid because students with ASD may have restricted or repetitive behaviours

and interests (Autism Spectrum Australia, 2018). Strengths based theories draw from the

student’s strengths and resources in the process of change: ‘when challenges are experienced,

problems and issues are acknowledged and validated, and strengths are identified and

highlighted’ (Hammond & Zimmerman 2012). Strengths based teaching and personalized

learning develops skills in self-advocacy and self-awareness which are critical skills for

students with ASD. Collaboration is the key skill required of me here to devise these plans,

and beyond collaborating with the student, teachers and carers, I would need critical and

creative thinking, problem solving skills and flexibility to adjust learning specifically for the

needs of my students.

In meeting my responsibilities as a teacher of the Australian Curriculum, I will need ‘to

develop teaching and learning programs that build on students’ interests, strengths, goals and

learning needs, and address the cognitive, affective, physical, social and aesthetic needs of all

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students’ (ACARA, 2015). Loreman et al. write that inclusion demands a high level of

teaching competence and organizational changes to promote effective learning (Loreman et

al., 2005). This approach dignifies students, is student centred and needs based, and is

therefore responsive to students. I would also need the skill of setting high expectations,

knowing that all students are ‘entitled to knowledge, understanding and skills that provide a

foundation for successful and lifelong learning and participation in the Australian

community’ (ACARA, 2015). Every student in my classroom community has the right to a

‘safe, supportive, inclusive and disciplined learning environment’ (DET QLD, 2017). I would

need to value their unique contribution and see their potential.

I must also have ICT proficiency and a general openness to learning new assistive

technologies. Assistive technologies can be useful to help students with ASD participate in

and complete tasks giving them greater access to school learning opportunities (Simpson,

McBride, Spencer, Lodermilk, & Lynch, 2009). Assistive technologies can be used to

promote academic success among students with disability promoting independence, self-

confidence and self-image relating to how others ‘perceive and interact with them’ (Simpson,

McBride, Spencer, Lodermilk, & Lynch, 2009). Assistive technologies for students with

ASD could include technologies that support students with difficulties in written expression

such as a word processor (including the tools of word prediction, text-to-speech, spell check

and thesaurus), a pencil grip, voice recorder and speech recognition software, including

alternative modes of accessing these technologies such as touch screens and customized

keyboards (Simpson, McBride, Spencer, Lodermilk, & Lynch, 2009). For students with ASD

with difficulty reading, assistive technologies such as recorded material, concept mapping

software, word recognition and definition software and screen reader software could also be

utilized (Simpson, McBride, Spencer, Lodermilk, & Lynch, 2009). I must also be adept at

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including and incorporating visuals, graphics and illustrations into written work via simple

and explicit instructions in my UDL. This includes providing multiple means of representing

(the ‘what’ of learning), providing multiple means of action and expression (the ‘how’ of

learning) and providing multiple means of engagement (the ‘why’ of learning) (National

Center on Universal Design for Learning, 2014). A willingness to learn and incorporate these

assistive technologies in a UDL is crucial to meet the learning needs of the student and access

the full benefits of the technology for the student.

Finally, because my actions are determined by my set of beliefs, I must use the personal and

professional skill of being self-critical and self-aware of my own perceptions and beliefs as a

teacher. I must be reflective about my experiences and encounters with students with

disability and interrogate my beliefs and my reactions to new situations. To create inclusive

learning programs and host inclusive learning spaces for my students, I must develop my

practice of reflection to become more self-critical and self-aware.

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Reference List

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