International Journal Of Inclusive Education: Discussion On Educational System For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder

The aim of Inclusive Education

Discuss About The International Journal Inclusive Education.

The main aim of Inclusive Education is to provide education to every student irrespective of their challenges such as students with Autisms Spectrum Disorder, impaired vision students and are placed in general education category for achieving higher distinction (Anderson & Boyle, 2015). Prior to this, inclusive education helps to remove the barriers in educational system by aiming to provide basic and general management to all categories of students equally. The paper mainly elucidates on the inclusive educational system with students with Autisms Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Australian educational settings. In order to support the educational process with Autisms Spectrum Disorder, many Governmental laws have also been formulated such as the Disability Standards of Education Act 2005, Disability Discrimination Act and more.

In order to understand the criteria of the Autisms Spectrum Disorders (ASD), there are no proper diagnosis, the only method to understand their behavior through social interaction and communication. Prior to that, the Government has also initiated certain rules and regulation to support those students. As per the Disability Standards for Education 2005, it ensures that students with disability disorders can seek education and participate on all activities as normal students (Carrington et al., 2017). Accordingly, the Australian Educational system needs to make certain adjustments regarding the learning program of the students. In the year, 2008, the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of People with Disabilities puts an effort to promote inclusive education for disability students in Australia and in other nations. Australia supports general education for the ASD and other disable students therefore it mainly depends on the legislature procedures of the Government. The Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act, 1992 makes it clear that it is unlawful to treat any person unfairly because of their disability and accordingly the Australian schools have adopted this law in their educational process (Round, Subban & Sharma, 2016). Accordingly, the government and the non-government schools marketing reasonable adjustments to comply with the requirements of the disable students that include supplementary adjustments, substantial adjustments and extensive adjustments. It is important to note that during the mid 1970s, Australian schools provided education to the disable students in a mainstream classroom that was separated from the normal student education process, but after understanding the importance of special education settings, the schools initiated to teach disable students along with normal students (Liasidou et al., 2015). With the introduction of the inclusive educational system, the barriers between special and regular educational system have been completely removed.

Governmental laws to support autistic students

Although it has been stated that students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders have their own unique characteristics, but there are four main characteristics that helps to deal with the ASD students that includes communication, social interaction, challenging behavior and the learning characteristics. Language difficulties include lack of expressive language skills, problem in oral languages, and inflexible style of conversation and more (Sharma & Sokal, 2015). To deal with such problems, schools can introduce comprehensive communication assessment that mainly involves pathologist related to speech-language. Classroom evaluation will help teachers to understand their problem and accordingly can pay attention to students by comprehending common instructions by using basic language. Prior to that autisms student have psycho-educational problems such as students within the classroom have learning difficulties, problem related to paying attention in the classroom. Schools should introduce different learning styles such as VARK learning styles that deals with providing education to the autism students through visualizing things, by hearing or listening and through touching any kind of objects (Meyer et al., 2016). As per the report, autism students’ likes to rely only on one type of learning styles, therefore schools should apply a single learning style so that students can get easily accustomed. As per the UNC, ASD students have visual strengths; therefore teachers within the classroom can incorporate teaching style through demonstration such as in the form of images, charts that would bring positive outcomes for ASD as well as for other disable students. For instance, if the teacher wants students to form a group for any activity, this could be delivering to the students through demonstration. The educational programs that will be adopted within the classroom for the ASD students would be in collaboration with the parents, as parents are expected to assist the professionals so that the disable students could acquire the best possible knowledge (Romanczyk, Wiseman & Morton, 2017). Collaborative parent-teacher relationship will not only help in the success of the students but will able to create a healthy environment for communication, social interaction and learning.

In order to deal with the ASD and other disable students within the classroom schools and the teachers could apply curriculum based assessment skills and other appropriate strategies that would help teachers to understand the behavior of such students in a better way. Implying of the Inclusive education system in the schools of Australia has provided greater opportunities in educational field for the disable and ASD students.  Curriculum based assessment will help to improve the learning of the disable students as it involves the participation of the students (McIntyre et al., 2017). Teachers within the classroom could introduce formative assessment system that will help teachers to understand the need of the students and accordingly teachers can use different strategies to help out the disable students. Accordingly for the implication of the curriculum based assessment, teachers can implement the SCERTS Model within the classroom (Hayes, 2015). The intervention of this model refers to social, communication, emotional, regulation, transactional and support. With the help of this model, in case of social interaction, teachers can communicate through gesture and signs and prior to that teacher as well as the students can actively engage in the learning activities. This model is an appropriate model for the disabled students as it is based on activity and developmentally grounded. Furthermore, curriculum based assessment encourage students with autism spectrum disorder to show their skills and talents as per the curriculum.

Understanding the criteria of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

It is important to note that to initiate better education for the disabled students; teachers can apply various strategies such as different learning theories could be introduced by the teachers in order to encourage individual learning process. Vygotsky and social cognition theory initiates students individual learning process as every students learning and the development process is affected by the culture (Bandura, 2014). This learning theory will help to provide support to the students in order to perform their respective task in relation to the performance level of the students. Apart from this, this theory also encourages students to study in a diverse background and accordingly schools should encourage studies in a diverse culture. Assessment based on this theory should aim to implement actual and potential form of learning that aims to measure the levels of their learning with and without support of the teachers and parents. Another learning theory is the social learning theory that focus on the learning process in the social context and this learning is appropriate for disabled students when they tends to change their own behavior and decides to adopts different students behavior (Meltzer, 2018). By implementing this theory, teachers within the classroom can initiate collaborative learning system among the ASD and other disabled students and accordingly can observe the behavioral changes among those students. Assessment related to the social learning theory that should include supportive perspective where behavioral changes likely to occur. However, another important theory schools can introduce for initiating inclusive education for the ASD and for other disable students is the Piaget theory of cognitive development that identifies the performance of the students through its four stages that includes sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational (Joly et al., 2017). Through the four stages it becomes easy to identify the learning difficulties and other problems of the students with Autism Spectrums Disorders.

Furthermore, the attitude of the teachers towards the ASD students should be supportive and prior to that to understand the nature of the autism students it is necessary for the teachers to acquire certain skills in relation to adjustment reaction for students required any additional needs. For example, students with certain healthcare issues might require short breaks and by initiating short breaks between classes can increase the motivational level of the students. According to the Universal Design for learning, accommodations and adjustments are made based upon the behavior performance level of the students (Meyer, Rose & Gordon, 2014). The main aim of the Universal Learning Design aims in creating certain goals and objectives that can be achieved by the disabled students as per their needs and criteria. For instance, Australian schools can introduce Braille technology for students with impaired vision disability. Apart from this, the social development theory can play a significant role by including certain time of practice to understand the connection between the disabled students and their respective problems (Sharma, Forlin & Furlonger, 2015). Furthermore, teachers within the classroom can differentiate various instructions within the classroom that helps the ASD students to know what they understood and accordingly they can demonstrate it. Differentiated teaching procedure focus on providing different learning procedures, and accordingly students can select their appropriate learning procedures as per their ability. Apart from this, teachers should introduce appropriate assessment and should adjust it as per the student’s needs so that they can perform well along with the normal students (Bilaver, Cushing & Cutler, 2016). For instance, formative assessment will help to understand the talents and skills of the disabled students, therefore exams should focus more on the talents and skills of the autism students.

How teachers can deal with ASD students

In order to promote and introduce inclusive education among all the government and non-government schools of Australia, the schools can initiate various programs and strategies so that students can achieve higher distinction in the exams. Services and physical accommodation is one such strategy that will tend to promote inclusive education for the autism spectrums disorder students (Biasatti & Lombardo, 2017). Programs such as speech therapy program will encourage disabled students to improve their speech, so that they can communicate socially. (Mitchell, 2014).

With the help of SMART goals, schools can formulate a program plan that would help teachers to teach the disabled students in an appropriate way.

Specific	Measurable	Achievable	Realistic	Timely
Implementation of the speech therapy program through inclusive education would help the ASD as well as normal students to improve their speech problem (Meltzer, 2018).	At the first week, teachers will focus more on identifying the problem and accordingly can start the therapy program with identification of alphabets.	If schools can implement the program properly, then it will give positive outcomes not only in academic sphere, but also in the social and behavioral domains.	Speech therapy is a realistic program as by applying the program many schools have received success.	Although this requires certain amount of time to complete the program. This program will require time period of six months in order to get success.

As per the evaluation program, implementation of speech therapy as a part of the inclusive education would help disabled students to improve their speech problem. This would not only help them in schools, but will support them in social and behavioral domains (Meyer, Rose & Gordon, 2014). Though the program might take a time period of six months, but implementing the program effectively and with the support of parents, teachers and the Governments, ASD students would be able to cope up with their problems.

Conclusion

From the above conclusion it could be concluded that with the increase in the number of disable students and especially students with Autisms Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the government and the non-government schools of Australia have introduced inclusive form of education. Accordingly to promote inclusive education the schools have also implemented various legislation policies such as the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, Disability standards for education 2005 and more. Classrooms are equipped with various teaching methods to teach the ASD students such as speech therapy programs, using of differentiated teaching methods and more. Furthermore, different stakeholders such as the Governments and the parents should collaborate and assist the teachers to encourage the disabled students. Furthermore, with the implication of the Universal Design for Learning, schools ensure that all the disabled students should get proper learning opportunities to increase their knowledge and skills.

References

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