Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-18T11:15:39.507Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Facilitators and Barriers to Inclusion of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Parent, Teacher, and Principal Perspectives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 September 2020

Jennifer Stephenson ,
Leah Browne ,
Mark Carter ,
Trevor Clark ,
Debra Costley Open the ORCID record for Debra Costley [Opens in a new window] ,
Jon Martin ,
Katrina Williams ,
Susan Bruck Open the ORCID record for Susan Bruck [Opens in a new window] ,
Louise Davies  and
Naomi Sweller
Jennifer Stephenson*
Affiliation:
Macquarie University, Australia
Leah Browne
Affiliation:
Macquarie University, Australia
Mark Carter
Affiliation:
Macquarie University, Australia
Trevor Clark
Affiliation:
Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect), Sydney, Australia
Debra Costley
Affiliation:
Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect), Sydney, Australia
Jon Martin
Affiliation:
Jon Martin Training and Consulting, Australia
Katrina Williams
Affiliation:
University of Melbourne, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, and Royal Children’s Hospital, Australia
Susan Bruck
Affiliation:
Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect), Sydney, Australia
Louise Davies
Affiliation:
Autism SA, Adelaide, Australia
Naomi Sweller
Affiliation:
Macquarie University, Australia
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The inclusion of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is increasing, but there have been no longitudinal studies of included students in Australia. Interview data reported in this study concern primary school children with ASD enrolled in mainstream classes in South Australia and New South Wales, Australia. In order to examine perceived facilitators and barriers to inclusion, parents, teachers, and principals were asked to comment on the facilitators and barriers to inclusion relevant to each child. Data are reported about 60 students, comprising a total of 305 parent interviews, 208 teacher interviews, and 227 principal interviews collected at 6-monthly intervals over 3.5 years. The most commonly mentioned facilitator was teacher practices. The most commonly mentioned barrier was intrinsic student factors. Other factors not directly controllable by school staff, such as resource limitations, were also commonly identified by principals and teachers. Parents were more likely to mention school- or teacher-related barriers. Many of the current findings were consistent with previous studies but some differences were noted, including limited reporting of sensory issues and bullying as barriers. There was little change in the pattern of facilitators and barriers identified by respondents over time. A number of implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed.

Keywords

autism spectrum disorderinclusionschoolbarriersfacilitators
Type
Original Articles
Information
Australasian Journal of Special and Inclusive Education , Volume 45 , Issue 1 , July 2021 , pp. 1 - 17
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

†

This manuscript was accepted under the Editorship of Michael Arthur-Kelly.

References

Able, H., Sreckovic, M. A., Schultz, T. R., Garwood, J. D., & Sherman, J. (2015). Views from the trenches: Teacher and student supports needed for full inclusion of students with ASD. Teacher Education and Special Education, 38, 44–57. https://doi.org/10.1177/0888406414558096 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2011). Guide to understanding ICSEA. Retrieved March 26, 2019, from https://docs.acara.edu.au/resources/Guide_to_understanding_ICSEA.pdf Google Scholar
American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.Google Scholar
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.Google Scholar
Azad, G., & Mandell, D. S. (2016). Concerns of parents and teachers of children with autism in elementary school. Autism, 20, 435–441. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361315588199 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brewin, B. J., Renwick, R., & Schormans, A. F. (2008). Parental perspectives of the quality of life in school environments for children with Asperger syndrome. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 23, 242–252. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088357608322997 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carrington, S., Berthelsen, D., Nickerson, J., Nicholson, J. M., Walker, S., & Meldrum, K. (2016). Teachers’ experiences of inclusion of children with developmental disabilities across the early years of school. Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools, 26, 139–154. https://doi.org/10.1017/jgc.2016.19 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carter, M., Stephenson, J., Clark, T., Costley, D., Martin, J., Williams, K., … Bruck, S. (2014). Perspectives on regular and support class placement and factors that contribute to success of inclusion for children with ASD. Journal of International Special Needs Education, 17, 60–69. https://doi.org/10.9782/2159-4341-17.2.60 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carter, M., Stephenson, J., Clark, T., Costley, D., Williams, K., Martin, J., … Baldwin, S. (2014, July/August). Approaches to supporting children with ASD in inclusive school settings. Paper presented at the Aspect Autism in Education Conference, Sydney, Australia.Google Scholar
Carter, M., Stephenson, J., Clark, T., Costley, D., Martin, J., Williams, K., … Baldwin, S. (2015, August). An investigation of models for supporting children with ASD in school settings. Paper presented at the Asia Pacific Autism Conference, Brisbane, Australia.Google Scholar
Carter, M., Stephenson, J., Clark, T., Costley, D., Martin, J., Williams, K., … Sweller, N. (2019). A comparison of two models of support for students with autism spectrum disorder in school and predictors of school success. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 68, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2019.101452 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coster, W., Deeney, T., Haltiwanger, J., & Haley, S. (1998). School Function Assessment: User’s manual. San Antonio, TX: Pearson.Google Scholar
Eldar, E., Talmor, R., & Wolf-Zukerman, T. (2010). Successes and difficulties in the individual inclusion of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the eyes of their coordinators. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 14, 97–114. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603110802504150 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Emam, M. M., & Farrell, P. (2009). Tensions experienced by teachers and their views of support for pupils with autism spectrum disorders in mainstream schools. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 24, 407–422. https://doi.org/10.1080/08856250903223070 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Falkmer, M., Anderson, K., Joosten, A., & Falkmer, T. (2015). Parents’ perspectives on inclusive schools for children with autism spectrum conditions. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 62, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2014.984589 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Farrell, P., Alborz, A., Howes, A., & Pearson, D. (2010). The impact of teaching assistants on improving pupils’ academic achievement in mainstream schools: A review of the literature. Educational Review, 62, 435–448. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2010.486476 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gresham, F. M., & Elliott, S. N. (2008). Social Skills Improvement System (SSIS) Rating Scales. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.Google Scholar
Hay, I., & Winn, S. (2005). Students with Asperger’s syndrome in an inclusive secondary school environment: Teachers’, parents’, and students’ perspectives. Australasian Journal of Special Education, 29, 140–154. https://doi.org/10.1080/1030011050290206 Google Scholar
Humphrey, N. & Symes, W. (2013). Inclusive education for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders in secondary mainstream schools: Teacher attitudes, experience and knowledge. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 17, 32–46. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2011.580462 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Iadarola, S., Hetherington, S., Clinton, C., Dean, M., Reisinger, E., Huynh, L., … Kasari, C. (2015). Services for children with autism spectrum disorder in three, large urban school districts: Perspectives of parents and educators. Autism, 19, 694–703. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361314548078 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jang, J., & Matson, J. L. (2015). Autism severity as a predictor of comorbid conditions. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 27, 405–415. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-015-9421-9 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Keane, E., Aldridge, F. J., Costley, D., & Clark, T. (2012). Students with autism in regular classes: A long-term follow-up study of a satellite class transition model. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 16, 1001–1017. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2010.538865 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lindsay, S., Proulx, M., Thomson, N., & Scott, H. (2013). Educators’ challenges of including children with autism spectrum disorder in mainstream classrooms. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 60, 347–362. https://doi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2013.846470 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
May, T., Sciberras, E., Brignell, A., & Williams, K. (2017). Autism spectrum disorder: Updated prevalence and comparison of two birth cohorts in a nationally representative Australian sample. BMJ Open, 7(5), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-015549 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reupert, A., Deppeler, J. M., & Sharma, U. (2015). Enablers for inclusion: The perspectives of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. Australasian Journal of Special Education, 39, 85–96. https://doi.org/10.1017/jse.2014.17 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roberts, J. M. A. (2015). Autism and education in Australia. Australian Clinical Psychologist, 1(2), 21–26.Google Scholar
Roberts, J., & Simpson, K. (2016). A review of research into stakeholder perspectives on inclusion of students with autism in mainstream schools. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 20, 1084–1096. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2016.1145267 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Saggers, B., Klug, D., Harper-Hill, K., Ashburner, J., Costley, D., Clark, T., … Carrington, S. (2015). Australian autism educational needs analysis – What are the needs of schools, parents and students on the autism spectrum across Australia? Executive summary. Retrieved from https://www.autismcrc.com.au/australian-education-needs-analysis Google Scholar
Sharma, U., Forlin, C., & Furlonger, B. (2015). Contemporary models of funding inclusive education for students with autism spectrum disorder: A report commissioned by the Program for Students with Disabilities (PSD) Review Unit of the Department of Education and Training for the State of Victoria. Melbourne, Australia: Monash University.Google Scholar
Soto-Chodiman, R., Pooley, J. A., Cohen, L., & Taylor, M. F. (2012). Students with ASD in mainstream primary education settings: Teachers’ experiences in Western Australian classrooms. Australasian Journal of Special Education, 36, 91–111. https://doi.org/10.1017/jse.2012.10 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Starr, E. M., & Foy, J. B. (2012). In parents’ voices: The education of children with autism spectrum disorders. Remedial and Special Education, 33, 207–216. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932510383161 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tucker, V., & Schwartz, I. (2013). Parents’ perspectives of collaboration with school professionals: Barriers and facilitators to successful partnerships in planning for students with ASD. School Mental Health, 5, 3–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-012-9102-0 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whitaker, P. (2007). Provision for youngsters with autistic spectrum disorders in mainstream schools: What parents say – and what parents want. British Journal of Special Education, 34, 170–178. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8578.2007.00473.x CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wong, C., Odom, S. L., Hume, K. A., Cox, A. W., Fettig, A., Kucharczyk, S., … Schultz, T. R. (2015). Evidence-based practices for children, youth, and young adults with autism spectrum disorder: A comprehensive review. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45, 1951–1966. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-014-2351-z CrossRefGoogle Scholar