Evidently, in the last thirty years considerable changes have taken place in education, largely based upon inclusion and reconceptualising special educational needs, from the medical model of disability, which sees the individual as the problem, being passive or dependant, to the social model, that sees the problem as society’s barriers, rather than the individuals condition. The social model of disability empowers disabled people to challenge society to remove those barriers (Mavrou et al, 2000). One key debate has existed since the findings of the Warnock Report (1978), having identified children with special educational needs, where is provision best made, mainstream or special schools? Low (1997) argues that the term inclusion and "inclusivism" means more than the simple integration of disabled people in mainstream schools and society. It is an ideal that considers all children as a whole and focuses on changes in schools and systems, rather than on re-placement of the child from the special to mainstream setting. Arguments for inclusive education are well documented and rest on ideas of equality and human rights. Much more than a policy requirement, inclusion is founded upon a moral position which values and respects every individual and welcomes diversity as a rich learning resource (Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education, 2008). The labour government is committed to a policy of including as many children as possible in mainstream schools, consequently many special schools have closed since 1997. However, many children have been inadequately provided for, and as a result the pendulum has swung back towards the demand for more special-school provision (The Independent, 2006). According to the report, Inclusion: Does it Matter Where Pupils Are Taught? (Ofsted, 2006), how well special needs pupils perform at school is not determined by whether they are taught in a mainstream or special school, as pupils with the most severe and complex needs can make outstanding progress in all types of provision. High quality, experienced teachers and a commitment by school leaders, Ofsted (2006) say, are the keys to success. The inclusion debate, they add, has for too long focused on whether children with special educational needs should be educated in special schools or mainstream schools, rather than the quality of the education and support they receive. Special schools have been seen as standing outside of inclusion instead of being part of it. Tutt (2007), asserts that any school may or may not be inclusive, dependent upon its level of success in making pupils feel as included as they possibly can in their school community, with the need for the widest possible range of provision, which children can be accessed as early as possible allowing them the flexibility move in and out of as their needs change. Clearly, there is divided opinion around the subject of inclusion and the debate still rages, however there is a consensus that there is still more to be done to help children with SEN to learn, achieve and participate in the life of their setting, where ever it belongs on the continuum of provision.
It is estimated that as many as twenty per cent of children and young people are deemed to have a special educational need at some time in their lives. However, of this twenty per cent, only three per cent will have a statement (Coles and Richardson, 2005). The figure for children experiencing some form of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is estimated to be around one in a hundred, this translates to approximately 134,000 children. (Wing and Potter, 2008). Autism is a complex neurological developmental disorder that typically appears during the first three years of life. ASD is a continuum condition and describes individuals that fall onto a spectrum of symptoms and characteristics of Autism, ranging from mild to severe. Asperger’s Syndrome is on the high functioning end of the spectrum. Children with ASD can exhibit any combination of behavioural characteristics in any degree of severity. Consequently, two children with the same diagnosis can be affected in very different ways. Some are able to live relatively 'everyday' lives while others will require a lifetime of specialist support. Children and adults with ASD experience difficulties in three main areas known as the triad of impairments, they are, difficulty with social communication, both verbal and non-verbal, difficulty with social understanding and interaction, and difficulty with imagination and flexible thinking (Sunfield, 2006).
Social communication difficulties can manifest themselves in many forms on the Autistic Spectrum, some children with ASD may have no or very limited speech, preferring or relying on alternative means of communication themselves, such as signing or visual symbols. Others may have good language skills, but may have a very literal understanding of language, and can find it difficult to use or understand facial expressions, tone of voice, and metaphoric phrases. Socialisation is not a natural process for those with ASD, and difficulty recognising or understanding other people's emotions and feelings, and expressing their own is characteristic and poor social interaction skills can mean difficulties in forming friendships. Difficulties with social imagination can cause a lack of understanding and interpreting others thoughts, feelings and actions and an inability to engage in imaginative play. Children with ASD may have other learning impairments, which can affect all aspects of their lives, and as is the nature of the spectrum, they can have experience different degrees of impairment; some will be relatively independently, while others may require lifelong, specialist support. Other characteristics of children ASD can include the need to have a rigid routine and rules as they may not be comfortable with change, hypersensitivity, where senses are intensified, or hypo-sensitivity, where the senses are under stimulated, in one or more of the five senses and intense special interests. Other conditions, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Dyslexia and Dyspraxia can be associated with ASD (The National Autistic Society, 2008). There is also debate around the issue of increasing numbers of diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder’s, with some schools of thought linking the increasing numbers with the combined MMR vaccine and others relating it to changes in referral patterns and in diagnostic criteria, and greater awareness of the different manifestations of autistic behaviour (Wing and Potter, 2008).
As previously discussed, ASD is a continuum condition so therefore requires a continuum of provision to support children, as a ‘one size fits all’ approach would not meet individual learning needs. Multi-agency collaboration is crucial in the delivery of high-quality services for children with ASD and in some cases a family may have seen in excess of 20 professionals by the time their child is five. General practitioners and health visitors are usually the first to hear of parental concerns. This can then lead to involving other professionals such as speech and language therapists, clinical psychologists, occupational therapists and paediatricians and in some cases, social services will assess the needs of the family. Once the child is approaching school age, more education-related professionals may be involved, such as educational psychologists and advisory teachers (Plimley, et al. 2007). Not all children will require specific intervention and provision, and for some at the high functioning end of the spectrum, understanding of their ASD can be all that is needed to prevent problems arising. At this stage the team of practitioners in the child’s setting, which would include the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO), would set about information gathering, usually from observations and any play plans implemented, and records kept. This would be the pre-early years/pre-school action stage, set out by the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice (DfES, 2002). Children who do not make adequate progress at this stage will require specific school or setting based plans and interventions, such as an Individual Education Plan (IEP) and contact with other professionals, usually at an advisory level, this stage is known as the early years/school action stage. Again, if inadequate progress is made, the child would then pass onto the early years/school action plus stage, continuing with the IEP and possible referrals for multi agency working, and subsequently onto early years/school action with high focus, involving an educational psychologist, if the child still showed no significant progress. Some children with ASD will require provision over and above what these previous stages entail. These children will need a statutory assessment and a Statement of Special Educational Needs (Bristol City Council, 2008)
The range of provision available for children with ASD will vary across LEA’s, and what is required will obviously depend upon the individual needs of the child, but professionals will need to be very sensitive to parents concerns and appreciate their rights of parents to have their wishes considered when decisions are made about provision. Many children with ASD have their needs appropriately met in local mainstream provision, by implementing simple interventions, with consideration being given to the physical environment and resources, and reviewing IEP’s. In some instances, children may have access to a learning support assistant. For more able children with ASD this type of provision can be very successful, provided that staff are sufficiently trained and are flexible in their practice. The type of provision would also have benefits for other children in the class, giving them a clearer understanding of individual differences. However, children with more complex needs may require a more structured approach to their individual needs. Many LEA’s have made provision for children with ASD, whose needs are complex, in the mainstream primary school, with a resource base or specialist unit attached. However, attending this type of provision may mean being educated outside of their local area, as not all LEA’s have this type of provision. These resource bases will usually have structured routines, curriculum and environment to maximise individual learning potential based on individual need and will be differentiated from that of the mainstream. Ideally, all staff outside the base will also have knowledge and understanding of ASD’s in order to promote inclusive practise. General special school can cater for a wide range of additional learning needs, having small classes with a high staff: child ratio, however, practitioners may not necessarily be specifically trained in ASD’s due to the nature of the continuum of needs within this type of setting. There will be a range of professionals either on site or associated with this type of setting. Children with ASD who have more complex needs may find it difficult to cope in this type of setting and may not have the opportunity for appropriate peer role models to encourage development social communication and interaction. Again, such a provision may take out of their community. Schools that specifically cater for children with ASD are available within some LEA’s, with some providing residential provision. There are also some schools of this type belonging to the private sector. The teaching staff will almost certainly have specialist knowledge and understanding of ASD’s and the school environment will usually revolve around daily routines, structure, visual clues and the acquisition of language, communication and social skills. Unfortunately, due to the small number of such provision, schools may be situated far away from the child’s home, again separating them from their local community (Wing and Potter, 2008).
On reflection of the continuum of provision available for the continuum of need reflected by ASD, there is again, no ‘one size fits all’ approach to the optimum learning environment. To reiterate the view of Ofsted (2006), importance should be placed on high quality service providers. The optimum learning environment for children with ASD should be one which, considers that all children are unique and structures interventions based on individual learning needs, meets their and their families needs and provides them with a sense of happiness and security, whilst challenging and developing their personal and academic progress, where ever it lies on the continuum of provision. A system of gradual inclusion from special schools to mainstream schools, where there is an appropriate match of aptitude and parents and practitioners are in agreement, is a view represented by the policy and practice of a special school, educating pupils mainly with ASD, observed on a recent visit to the setting. This view asserts that children should first be allowed to achieve in an environment where this is made possible, the special school, in order for them to make educational progress.
The implications of a continuum of provision for children with ASD are quite complex, and like the inclusion debate it’s self, the pendulum swings backwards and forwards. On one side, a continuum of provision provides wider choices for parents and children and a greater likelihood of satisfaction (Audit Commission, 2002), but may result in inconsistent practice and a lack of cohesive multi agency working. With the drive towards including as many children as possible into mainstream schools, comes the challenge of adequately providing for increasingly more complex and diverse needs of all children, and according to Paton (2008) teachers are finding it increasingly difficult to support children with special needs in mainstream primary schools with special schools sometimes being seen as standing outside of inclusion rather than being part of it. With the closure of many special schools, a ‘u-turn’ in inclusion policy, to provide more specialist provision, could be expensive, but no more expensive than continued investment in the current commitment. Finally, a reversal in government policy would also imply admission of failings in the resolute pursuance of the ideal of inclusion over the past three decades.
To conclude, this essay has examined how the individual learning needs of young children are reflected in today’s education system, the policy and legislation that has lead the way to current practice, and the debate surrounding inclusion. It has also discussed the continuum of needs and provision specifically relating to children affected by Autistic Spectrum Disorder, discussing the merits and disadvantages of provision available, and has critically reflected on the learning environment that would best meet the needs of this group. It has reflected on the implications of proving for individual learning needs within the continuum of provision, for practitioners and schools and also for current and future policy and practice.
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