Supporting Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Schools

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Pre-School Children and School-Aged Students with ASD 2. Pre-School Children and School-Aged Students with ASD According to the American Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5 (DSM 5, 2013) 19 the diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder include: • Persistent difficulties in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts • Restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests or activities • Symptoms must be present in the early developmental period, either currently or by history, that is symptoms become apparent when social communication demands exceed the child’s abilities. The symptoms of people with ASD are on a spectrum, with some individuals showing mild and others much more severe symptoms. Some can have co-occurring intellectual disabilities and/ or mental health disorders and/or medical conditions such as epilepsy, gastro-intestinal disorders, sleep disorders and so on. Some students with ASD can have difficulties with sensory processing and may over- or under-react to sensory stimuli, such as noise, smells, visual. Many find change difficult so transitions and moving schools can pose particular problems for them and must be well-planned. Some students with ASD require little support in school and are relatively independent in their learning. Others require a lot of help in their daily lives because their more complex needs and/ or co-occurring intellectual disability and/or mental health difficulties affect the level of supports they require and the outcomes they can achieve. In the following sections consideration is given to the supports required by students with ASD that are different to or over and above those previously identified as being required by all students with special educational needs 20 (NCSE, 2013). Each section includes: • A description of what is currently in place for students with ASD at pre-school, primary and post-primary • A review of the current system which summarises the views expressed during the consultation process and outlines perceived strengths of the current system and which aspects require review • A summary of main research findings for each section • NCSE discussion and recommendations. 19 American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. 20 National Council for Special Education (2013). Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs in Schools. Trim: NCSE. 24 Supporting Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Schools – NCSE Policy Advice 2015
Pre-School Children and School-Aged Students with ASD 2.1 Pre-School Children 2.1.1 Current Provision Children start attending school at age four or five but often children with ASD are diagnosed before this age. Funding for pre-school supports for these children is primarily provided by the Departments of Health and Children. However, ASD is unique in the extent of funding provided by the DES for early intervention for children with special educational needs 21 . The DES funds places in 127 early intervention classes in mainstream primary and special schools for children with ASD, aged three and over. In addition, it funds a home tuition scheme for younger children with ASD from 2.5 years and for those children with ASD awaiting a place in a special class or school, if this is needed. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs funds the: • Early Childhood Care and Education Scheme (ECCE) which provides universal access to preschool settings for all children in the year before starting primary school. • Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) Programme which supports disadvantaged parents and parents in training, education or low paid employment to avail of reduced childcare costs at participating community childcare services. The HSE provides funding for special pre-schools for children with complex needs. These may be run directly by the HSE or through service providers contracted for this purpose or otherwise funded by the HSE. In certain areas, the HSE also funds ‘pre-school support workers’ to enable children with a disability attend mainstream pre-schools, which are generally privately owned and operated establishments. Where necessary, pre-school-aged children receive their therapy supports from HSE primary care teams and/or early intervention teams (now known as children disability network teams). Therapy supports may include speech and language, occupational therapy, psychology and physiotherapy. The HSE also funds respite services for children with ASD who have more complex needs. Details of these schemes are provided in Appendix 2. 21 The DES also funds the Early Start Pre-School Programme in selected schools in designated disadvantaged areas, two pre-school classes for deaf/hard of hearing children and one pre-school class for children with physical disabilities. Supporting Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Schools – NCSE Policy Advice 2015 25
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Pre-School Children and School-Aged
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Appendix 1: Summary of Previous Rel
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Appendix 2: Historical Context and
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Appendix 3: List of Special Schools
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Appendix 4: The Consultation Proces
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Appendix 4: The Consultation Proces
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Appendix 5: List of Interventions A
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Appendix 5: List of Interventions P
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Appendix 6: List of Recommendations
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Bibliography Bibliography Agency fo
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Bibliography Carr, J.E. and Firth,
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Bibliography Mannion, A., Leader, G
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Bibliography Reed, P., Osborne, L.A
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Supporting Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Schools

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