Inclusive Education and Asperger Syndrome

What is Asperger Syndrome?

Asperger syndrome is a disability that affects the way a person communicates with and relates to other people. It is a form of autism (autistic spectrum disorder or ASD) but unlike ‘classic' autism, wherein people may appear uninterested in the world around them, people with Asperger syndrome may enjoy human contact and being sociable but may have difficulty interpreting non-verbal communications.

People with Asperger syndrome often find it difficult to empathise with others. They may find it difficult to read body language and facial expressions. They may not have the imagination necessary to put themselves in other people's shoes and they may have difficulty understanding certain jokes. People with Asperger syndrome may appear odd or eccentric to others and this can lead to bullying or ridicule, particularly during their time in education. Many people with Asperger syndrome are most comfortable with routines and changes to these routines can be disturbing to them. They may also develop obsessive interest in the detail of a topic, memorising numerous facts. They will generally have normal to high levels of IQ and are often recognised as extremely valuable members of staff. (Action for ASD. www.actionasd.org.uk)

My Experience with Asperger Syndrome

Each year in which I have taught Computer Technology to 16 to 19 year old students I have encountered one or more students who have been diagnosed as having Asperger syndrome. In the context of this class, in which learners are required to focus upon detailed aspects of computer technology, many have been outstanding students. Early experience with these students showed me how changes to the routine of a classroom session can cause them disturbance and upset. This has led to the development of a session routine that allowed adequate variety whilst supporting their requirement for consistency.

Special Educational Needs (SEN)

The term 'special educational needs' (SEN) has a legal definition, referring to pupils who have learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn or access education than most children of the same age. Many pupils will have SEN of some kind at some time during their education. Help will usually be provided in their ordinary, mainstream early education setting or school, sometimes with the help of outside specialists.

If a learner has special educational needs, they may need extra help in a range of areas, for example:

The Disability Discrimination Act

The new Disability Discrimination Act (2006) has introduced a significant duty on education providers regarding how they support students and staff with disabilities. From December 2006 educational establishments are required to be “proactive agents of change”. This means that they must ensure that their approach to disability equality is central to their work and covers all aspects of their activities. Establishments are required to maintain attention to the key DDA issues which are: not treating disabled students and staff less favourably and making reasonable adjustments where disabled students and staff are placed at a substantial disadvantage. As from December 2006 they are also required to meet a further six “disability equality duties” (DEDs). These are:

  1. promote equality of opportunity between disabled persons and other persons
  2. eliminate discrimination that is unlawful under the Act
  3. eliminate harassment of disabled persons that is related to their disabilities
  4. promote positive attitudes towards disabled persons
  5. encourage participation by disabled persons in public life
  6. take account of a disabled person's disabilities even where that involves treating disabled people more favourably than others

It is believed that implementing this duty will contribute towards closing the gap in life opportunities experienced between disabled and non-disabled people.

Inclusive Education

Inclusion means young people and adults with disabilities and/or learning difficulties being included in mainstream society. Inclusive schools and colleges help the development of communities where all people are equally valued and have the same opportunities for participation. Inclusion is an on-going process, not a fixed state. (Disability Equality in Action. www.diseed.org.uk).

The drive to educate pupils with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream educational establishments was led by Baroness Warnock who chaired the 1974 Committee of Enquiry responsible for the introduction of the concept of inclusion and the process of statementing. This topic has been making the news again following the publication of another paper, in 2005, by Baroness Warnock in which she questions moves to include children with severe behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD), including those with autism and Asperger syndrome. At a Scope conference she said “I believe that it is little short of cruelty to insist on ideological grounds that those children should be subjected to the torment of a mainstream school even if it is for the sake of the good of other children who will learn that such strange people exist.”

Various organisations responsible for representing those with BESD and learning difficulties are questioning whether mainstream schools and colleges can provide inclusive education for all. The chief executive of Mencap (Jo Williams) has said “as each child is different so are their needs. Some will thrive in an atmosphere of inclusion while others will do better in special schools.”

The National Autistic Society (NAS) policy and campaigns manager for children (Amanda Batten) has said “The key issues that everyone will agree on are more training for teachers, more support for children and better resourced provision. Children are often coming to our schools after they've fallen out of mainstream schools, which shows that mainstream provision is not suitable for everyone.” (Cited in Kotecha P. Learning together for the better. Disability Now. www.disabilitynow.org.uk.. Autism Action. September 2005.)

Education and Skills Committee

The Commons Education and Skills Committee have published a report in which they have highlighted the geographic lottery that exists regarding special educational needs (SEN) provision. The report demands improvements including a “clear, over-arching strategy for SEN and disability policy.” The committee does not call for a fully inclusive education, rather a "broad range of high quality, well-resourced, flexible provision to meet the needs of all children".

The Ofsted report “Inclusion: Does it matter where pupils are taught” found that children with SEN have a better chance of developing their academic, personal and social skills in well-resourced mainstream schools than other educational settings. Pupils in mainstream schools where support from teaching assistants was the main type of provision were less likely to make good academic progress than those who had access to specialist teaching in schools. Statements of special educational need were found to disadvantage pupils with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD). They were the least likely to receive effective support and the most likely to receive it too late. (Inclusion: Does it matter where pupils are taught? www.ofsted.gov.uk)

Disability Equality Scheme and Action Plan

Like other educational establishments and public bodies, City College has been required to produce a Disability Equality Scheme and Action Plan by the 4th of December 2006. The Disability Equality Duty (DED) is intended to ensure that all public bodies, schools, colleges, health authorities, local and central government etc., all pay due regard to the promotion of equality for disabled people in every aspect of their work.

The Disability Equality Scheme documented by City College provides a number of objectives along with milestones and success criteria for each objective. These are intended to contribute towards ending the discrimination that disabled people face and therefore bring about improvements in life opportunities available to people with all disabilities. These objectives include:

  1. Improving the experience of disabled students at college.
  2. Ensuring that all staff understand their roles and responsibilities under DED.
  3. Ensuring timely, accurate and relevant data is available across the college to meet the needs of staff in fulfilling the DED.

City College Brighton and Hove Action Plan

The objectives of the DES are underpinned by five key objectives that make up the City College Strategic Action Plan. These are summarised as follows:

  1. Leadership and culture: Embracing equality and diversity and viewing disability equality as a priority.
  2. Student Experience: Ensuring inclusion and active participation in all aspects of college life.
  3. Mainstreaming Disability Equality: Making disability equality central to what the college does.
  4. Training and Support: Ensuring that all staff and students are aware of their roles in relation to the DED and that staff are appropriately trained.
  5. Measure and Monitor: Using effective monitoring schemes and measuring any gaps in disability equality. (City College Brighton and Hove. Disability Equality Scheme. Version 1 2006.)

Who Will Benefit?

Working towards meeting these objectives will bring about significant benefits in many areas and to many people. Effective monitoring schemes will ensure that areas where improvement can be made are identified and that gaps in equality are plugged. Providing appropriate and adequate training for all staff will raise their confidence in dealing with issues relating to equality and the needs of those with BESD and/or SEN. The college experience of all students should be positive, regardless of their ultimate attainment. Making disability equality central to the college business sends a clear message to all which says “these people are important.” It will contribute towards a more accepting and integrated society as students take their college experiences with them when they leave.

Recommendations

The availability of appropriate and adequate support for learners with ASDs is dependent, in part, upon the geographic location of that learner. Huge differences exist between the policies and procedures followed by educational authorities in various locations throughout the UK. This should not be the case.

In the 30 or so years since the introduction of inclusive education many learners have gone through this system and are now working adults. It is these people who should be consulted regarding what aspects of their educational experience worked for them, what aspects didn't work, geographic locations where fixes may be required and recommendations that they would make. In fact these are the people who should be employed in policy and decision making roles related to inclusive education and discrimination.

Employers need to be better informed regarding ASDs. The ability of many people with Asperger syndrome and other forms of autism to carry out a particular job may be just the same as the ability of a person without these conditions to do the same job. The barriers that must be overcome are prejudice and lack of knowledge. Educating employers to recognise the commercial benefits of diversity in their workforce would help those with disabilities feel that they are wanted and useful.

Having some defined competencies for staff along with appropriate training and briefing strategies would be beneficial. Providing teaching and support staff with an information and support resource that they could consult with as and when they feel they need too may be useful.

Every learner needs to be treated as an individual. Their own personal needs, aspirations and goals need to be recognised and the college will ideally do what can be done to support them in their journey towards these goals. In order to do this staff will need to be appropriately trained and supported and the college needs adequate resources to support various needs. Additional specialist staff may be needed in order to appropriately accommodate the requirements of some people with Asperger syndrome or other ASDs. For example, mentors may be provided for learners who need them. These people would be responsible for helping the learner to understand situations and transactions that are beyond their ability to comprehend. Ultimately this comes down to funding. If adequate financial resources do not exist then it will not be possible to provide the resources required.

What Can I Do?

I remember the first time that I was told that I had several students who had been diagnosed as having Asperger syndrome in my class. I had no idea what Asperger syndrome was, how this condition affected people and what I should be doing to support them in my class. I have since learned enough to recognise some of the characteristics of the condition in their behaviour. I have modified my lesson plans to ensure that a recognisable routine exists and I now understand why certain students want to talk at length about some detailed aspect of computer technology which many would find tedious.

I would have benefited from having been briefed in advance of meeting these students for the first time. To have been told, in advance, would have prompted me to do a little research which would have allayed any fears that I may have had regarding my ability to look after the needs of these learners. Gaining some knowledge of the requirements of learners before the commencement of a course is one of my personal development goals. As a sessional lecturer who is busy with other commitments outside of college I, like others in a similar position, am rarely in a position to attend meetings or staff training. It would be useful to introduce a process to ensure that sessional lecturers are advised in advance of any learners with special educational needs, what those needs are and how they will ideally meet those needs.

Having completed this document I am now much better informed regarding the college's disability equality duty, the disability equality scheme and the current state of disability equality in education throughout the United Kingdom.

References

  1. Action for ASD. 2nd Feb. 2007
  2. Brighton and Hove City Council. Special Educational Needs 2nd Feb. 2007
  3. Disability Equality in Action. 24th January 2007.
  4. Citing resource: Kotecha P. September 2006. Learning together for the better. Disability Now. 26th Jan. 2007
  5. Autism Action. National Autistic Society. September 2005.
  6. Ofsted publishes report on inclusion. Inclusion: Does it matter where pupils are taught? www.ofsted.gov.uk 24th Jan. 2007.
  7. City College Brighton and Hove. Disability Equality Scheme. Version 1 2006.