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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
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
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
Victoria, 1872). Students with special needs were ‘virtually ignored’ by the public education
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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Reference List
Ageing, Disability and Health Care NSW Government. (2014). Disability Inclusion Act.
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Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2013). Profiles of Disability, Australia, 2009. Retrieved from
http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4429.0main+features100302009
Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth. (2013). Inclusive Education for
Students with Disability: A review of the best evidence in relation to theory and
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practice.pdf
https://www.autismspectrum.org.au/content/what-autism
Brandes, J. A., & Crowson, M. H. (2009) Predicting dispositions toward inclusion of students
with disabilities: the role of conservative ideology and discomfort with disability.
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Campbell, J., Gilmore, L. & Cuskelly, M. (2003). Changing student teachers’ attitudes
Department of Education & Training Victoria. (2015). Social justice principles, the law, and
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Loreman, T., Deppeler, J. M., & Harvey, D. (2005). Inclusive education: A practical guide to
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Model Farms High School. (2018). Teaching For Inclusion. Retrieved from
http://web1.modelfarms-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/disabilities.php?page=autism
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