Autism in schools: inclusive education
With approximately 700,000 autistic adults and children in the UK, each with their own challenges, strengths and needs, it is essential that teachers and others working with children and young people in our schools know about how best to support the autistic children in our care.
Autism is not an illness, and it does not come with an easy-to-use tick list of symptoms that don’t change over time. Each autistic person will have their own experience of autism, although there are some common features, for example many can have difficulty communicating. Another common feature of autism is repetitive behaviour and it can be very difficult for some autistic people to deal with unexpected change, which may cause great distress; something that has significant implications for the way in which autistic children are cared for in schools.
Lucy Alexandra Spencer is the Tutoring Director at Eteach. She is keen to stress that there are as many different expressions of autism as there are children and young people with autism. “There is no one size fits all,” she explained, “which means that our response in the classroom and outside the classroom needs to be tailored to the needs of each child.”
When we think of inclusion in terms of having every child in the classroom, we may not be offering each child what they need in order to thrive. “In my opinion,” Spencer explains, “we shouldn’t make children learn in a classroom if that is causing them distress. School is one model of education. Saying that this one model is what the neuro-diverse student needs does not necessarily make sense and we need to be open to that. We are seeing a lot of trauma as children are trying to fit a model of education that does not suit. Once that trauma sets in, the child has to develop coping mechanisms and then the chances of the retention of knowledge are much reduced. We cannot overestimate the impact of trauma.”
Spencer continued, “It is essential that we invest in training for understanding autism. It seems to be quite misunderstood. This lack of understanding of how to support children and young people can lead to them suffering social anxiety. We have to stop putting our misconceptions onto children. Some strategies may work for some children but not all. And some may work but for two weeks, then we need another strategy. It is not possible to get to the point where we have finished learning about autism.”
Autism and teaching
Many teachers will have experience of autistic children in their classes and will know what can happen when the situation deteriorates to the point where the child no longer wants to be in school, or has the tools to cope with being in school. As Spencer explained, “When children refuse to attend school their mental health can deteriorate rapidly. Schools need to understand that if you are not meeting the needs of a child with an EHCP, that is serious. Adjustments need to be made and flexibility is essential. Making a child “fit” school is not OK. Inclusion is not treating all children the same. Learning doesn’t have to happen in the classroom. Inclusion is not always about being in the classroom. It is about having the opportunity to learn in an environment that helps you to thrive.”
As teachers and schools our awareness that the circumstances in which autistic children can thrive may change over time is one of the keys to effective support. Lorraine Dench, Office Manager for Child Autism UK, reiterates how essential it is to see each autistic child as unique. She said, "Autism is a huge spectrum and children need individualised programmes and support. It is important to get to know the child as what might work for one, won't work for another."
The National Autistic Society offers advice for schools on its website https://autism.org.uk. Highlighting the fact that the exclusion rate for autistic children is higher than for neurotypical children, the Society suggests that there is no quick fix set of strategies to overcome barriers to inclusion. It offers these five tips on how best to support an autistic pupil:
- Get to know the individual – every autistic child is unique.
- Work in partnership with the autistic pupil, parents and other professionals.
- Address issues around stress and anxiety.
- Reasonable adjustments need to be made to school policies and practices.
- All staff should have autism training.
You can find out more about these points here: Top 5 autism tips: inclusion in education
A more inclusive future
We have to improve our approach to helping autistic children to thrive in their education. At the moment, autistic children are three times more likely to be excluded from school and this seems to happening even to very young children, leaving families distraught and children in a state of uncertainty and flux. And when autistic people leave education, they are less likely to get a full-time job as adults. The National Autistic Society refers to Autism as a life-long disability and schools have a huge role to play in helping to minimise the difficulties faced by autistic children as they navigate their education and the society in which they live. We can do better, in terms of policy, funding, and on the ground support, and we must do better.
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