How are children with autism included in mainstream schools?

By

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SUMMARY1

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS2

RATIONALE3

INTRODUCTION AND METHOD SECTION4

RESEARCH QUESTION5

REVIEW OF LITERATURE AND CURRENT THINKING5

CONCLUSION15

IMPLICATION AND REFLECTIONS21

REFERENCES23

SUMMARY

According to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders -IV (DSMIV) (1994) autism is considered a spectrum disorder due to the wide range of ability levels exhibited by those carrying this diagnosis. Those individuals more significantly impaired will carry the diagnosis of Autism. The setting for this study will be a local school district in Glasgow, Scotland. This school district will have a population of approximately 1,200 students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. There will be 60 teachers working in the elementary school, 7 of whom will be special education teachers. There will be 90 teachers working in the middle school and high school, 10 of whom will be special education teachers. Co-researchers will be selected based on their level of experience teaching in inclusive classrooms; thus those with more experience will be selected prior to those individuals with fewer years of experience in inclusion classrooms. This study leads to increased understanding of teacher perceptions with regard to inclusion practices that include ASD students. The study results also extend current knowledge in the area of educating students with autism. Consequently, the schools in Glasgow, Scotland, have had to make other arrangements for the (ASD) children within their own schools by cutting other elements of funding such as school trips to balance the school's money pot and the Autistic child and it will affect outside agencies such as (SEN) that are employed by the schools for the care of (ASD) child.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would first like to express my gratitude for my research supervisor, colleagues, peers and family whose immense and constant support has been a source of continuous guidance and inspiration.

RATIONALE

In 2006, the Minister for Education and Young Peoples' commented in an enquiry into pupil motivation that 27% of children in Scotland did not want to go to school (Education Committee, 2006). Additionally, the enquiry summarised Her Majesty's Inspectorate for Education opinion that some Scottish primary schools had, 'serious problems of disaffection and de-motivation'.

An outcome expectation refers to the belief that the changed behaviour would create the desired result. (Carey, 2006, 47) noted that teachers, faced with the daily struggles of teaching non-achieving or disruptive students, often develop a faltering sense of self-efficacy. This low sense of self-efficacy may spiral, resulting in a lower level of instruction and commitment on the part of the teacher, ultimately leading to continued student non8 achievement and disruptive behaviour. Conversely, teachers with a well developed sense of self-efficacy encourage students to develop an intrinsic interest in learning and are able to highlight positive student achievements, both academic and non-academic (Berument, 2009, 444).

Additionally, every school I have been allocated to for placements has used some, if not all forms of positive reinforcements. I personally have used them to encourage interest in tasks and, until now, have not questioned their effectiveness. Therefore, I consider that investigating how positive reinforcements in primary schools can help pupils ...