This just in from Disability Scoop:
Inclusion is often believed to be the best option for
students with disabilities, but a new study calls into question whether or not
the practice truly leads to better outcomes long term.
Researchers found that students with autism who spent 75
to 100 percent of their time in general education classrooms were no more
likely to complete high school, go to college or see improvements in cognitive
functioning than those who spent more time in segregated environments.
The results published Thursday in a special supplement to
the journal Pediatrics come from a study of nearly 500 young adults with autism
who received special education services at public schools nationwide.
Researchers assessed data on the students collected in the federal government’s
National Longitudinal Transition Study-2.
“We find no systematic indication that the level of
inclusivity improves key future outcomes,” researchers from the University of
Alabama at Birmingham and Johns Hopkins University wrote.
Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,
students who qualify for special education are supposed to be served in the
least restrictive environment. However, the study authors said their results
call into question whether or not that requirement is associated with achieving
the best long-term outcomes.
I am reporting on a report here without having read the
actual article (I cant access it as I’m not subscribed to the journal it was
published in). As far as I can tell from
the report in Disability Scoop, the researchers seem to have concentrated on
the outcomes of completing high school, going to college and improvements in
cognitive functioning. I wonder what
they would have found if they had looked at other key outcomes that contribute
to a good quality of life, such as friendships and relationships, level of
independence, self-esteem and self-confidence, and maybe even, experiences of
bullying.
In 2006, the NAS ran the ‘Make Schools Make Sense’ campaign. Their report (2006) showed:
- Over 50% of children are not in the kind of school their parents
believe would best support them.
- 45% of parents say it took over a year for their child to
receive any support.
- There are more appeals to the Special Educational Needs
(SEN) and Disability Tribunal in England about autism than any other type of
SEN. 79% of parents who appealed to the Tribunal in this survey won their case.
- Parents
say the biggest gap in provision is social skills programmes.
- 1 in 5 children with autism has been excluded from school, and 67% of these have
been excluded more than once.
The
above statistics are not from exclusively mainstream placements – they include
special schools as well as resourced units and mixed placements.
For
those of you considering educational placements for your children with autism,
in 2011 the UK’s Centre for Research into Autism Education (CRAE) surveyed a
diverse range of schools educating pupils from right across the autism
spectrum, finding several consistent themes despite the diversity of placement
and whereabouts on the spectrum. Good
practice schools:
- Had high expectations for their pupils with autism
- Used multiple assessments to monitor progress beyond
those statutorily required in order to monitor children’s progress in terms of
academic skills but also social and behavioural outcomes
- Were well versed in individualising and adapting the
curriculum for each pupil acknowledging that pupils with autism have additional
and unique needs and unique approaches to learning and the broad ‘autism
curriculum’ reflected these needs
- Encouraged effective and sustainable relationships with
specialist health and social care practitioners, in particular SALTs, OTs and
CAMHS
- Nurtured expert, highly motivated staff for whom training
was a priority both inside and outside the school gates
- Had very high levels of communication with parents and
carers, both about approaches to learning and on strategies to promoting
positive social and behavioural outcomes and well-being
- Were characterised by strong leadership and vision, which
saw their school as fully inclusive and deeply embedded within the local
community, taking on an ambassadorial role to raise awareness about autism
- Worked hard at developing fully reciprocal relationships
with families – parents and carers and children and young people.
The full report is
available here.
I would be interested to read others' views on inclusion - please post comments!
