Inclusion of Students with ASD

Select this link to download the quality of inclusion checklist.

• You learn to talk by talking
• You learn to read by reading
• You learn to write by writing
• You learn to include by including Bunch, 1999

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In AMDSB, inclusive education means that every student with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has the opportunity to learn in his/her neighbourhood school in a regular classroom.

Building an Accessible and Inclusive School Community

Inclusion

• Concentrates on implementing best practices and universal supports for children with autism within the regular classroom
• Gives all students the chance to interact with and learn from their same age peers

Inclusion assumes that children with special needs are part of the regular stream and should be treated as such. Inclusion is based on Wolfensberger’s principle of normalization (i.e., all persons regardless of ability should live and learn in environments as close to normal as possible). The basic idea behind normalization is that people with special needs should be viewed in the ways in which they are the same as other people rather than in the ways in which they are different. School can be seen as a microcosm of the larger society. As Canadian society has moved toward a more inclusive view of all individuals, so too have schools moved toward inclusion.

Inclusive environments provide:

• opportunities for students with autism to increase their social interactions with same aged peers and in turn to improve their social skills
• interactions with peers giving students with autism a chance to practice their communication skills, develop friendships, and see how peers behave in day to day classroom situations

Peers benefit by having students with autism in their classroom. When peers of children with autism are educated about autism, and are given an opportunity to act as peer tutors/buddies, they learn acceptance and empathy, act as role models, and become more aware of individual strengths and weaknesses (Wagner, 1999).

What are the characteristics of an inclusive school?

All children can succeed in an inclusive environment.

Inclusion in the secondary classroom, Haley Zimmerman, 2011

Research tells us that effective inclusive schools have the following characteristics:<

A Supportive Enviroment

• the school’s atmosphere, values, and policies lead to inclusive expectations and behaviors of all staff members and students
• has high expectations for all staff members and students
• provides caring support for students and staff
• provides opportunities for participation of all students in the classroom and also in the broader school setting
• promotes feelings of acceptance through a welcoming school atmosphere and a school culture that accepts different kinds of behaviors in the classroom
• does not make assumptions about children’s abilities
• provides universal supports for students with ASD (eg. ABA, use of prompts, visual schedules etc.)

Positive Relationships

• teachers encourage the development of relationships through their decisions about where to seat children in the class
• expose all children to positive role models
• set up buddy relationships
• use many different universal supports to promote the social inclusion of all children

Feelings of Competence

• students with ASD often have areas of interest and vast pockets of knowledge they can share
• by understanding and promoting student strengths, children come to value themselves and develop a strong sense of self-worth or self-esteem

Opportunities to Participate

• students with ASD require opportunities to participate in activities that models and allows them to understand societal expectations
• provide opportunities to practice acceptable behaviour and then generalize it to broader school settings
• acquire an understanding of their strengths and their interrelationships with others

You’re Going to Love This Kid! Teaching Students with Autism

Inclusion works best when:

1. Administrators are supportive
2. The school team process is well established
3. Good communication and collaboration exists between home and school
4. Teachers are knowledgeable about autism and have received training
5. Student progress is documented and maintained
6. Peers are educated (eg. Peer Pals)

In an inclusive classroom, you need to teach peers to:

• understand autism
• welcome and greet the student with autism
• share toys, activities, and supplies with the child with autism
• offer prompts and assistance to a child with autism
• ask the child with autism for assistance with activities and tasks
• reinforce and give compliments to the child with autism
• include the student with autism in all group work
• model appropriate responses and actions for the child with autism
• encourage verbal and gestural responses and ask the child with autism questions about activities he/she is performing
• explain activities using simple words and clear phrases
• be consistent

Can Inclusion Work in a Highschool Setting?

Ask Autism Expert Paula Kluth: Can Inclusion Work for my Child in High School?

Your Challenge Becomes:

• to understand students with autism
• to know yourself and be aware of cultural biases and the affect they may have on your classroom practices
• be aware of your basic assumptions about learning and teaching of students with mixed abilities
• recognize that learning styles differ and that all students may not be successful if you use only your preferred teaching style
• to differentiate your instruction based on student strengths and needs
• recognize that any teaching style to the exclusion of others will exclude those students who do not learn best by that style
• vary teaching techniques, supports and strategies in your classroom
• establish a safe environment that promotes a climate of openness and interaction by all
• get to know your students as individuals rather than as representatives of particular groups
• avoid making assumptions of student similarities
• avoid trivializing student differences
• support the diverse learning styles in your classroom
• promote collaboration between all students

Paula Kluth

“Inclusive education is central to the achievement of high-quality education for all learners and the development of more inclusive societies. Inclusion is still thought of in some countries as an approach to serving children with disabilities within general educational settings. Internationally, however, it is increasingly seen more broadly as a reform that supports and welcomes diversity amongst all learners.”

The Successful Inclusive Classroom

Classroom Look-Fors

• all students participate in all activities
• students are active – not passive learners
• students are encouraged to make choices as often as possible (allow students some time to explore as some of the most powerful learning stems from taking risks and learning from mistakes)
• parental involvement
• students with ASD are free to learn at their own pace and have strategies in place to meet their unique needs
• learning goals are specific, attainable and measurable and challenge all learners

You’re Going to Love This Kid! Individual Objectives

When children are valued, listened to, encouraged, understood, and believed in; they will be successful.

Resources