Supporting Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Schools

Recommendations

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Pre-School Children and School-Aged Students with ASD 2.1.4 Discussion The benefits of good quality, early intervention for all pre-school children, including those with ASD, are widely accepted. It was interesting that every consultation spent most time on this area reflecting the importance that everyone attached to giving children the best start in life. While generally children with special educational needs can benefit from early intervention, we could identify no research findings that stated that it was more important for children with ASD than all other cohorts with special educational needs. The current pre-school system is not easy to navigate for anyone. Parents of pre-school children who are delayed in achieving typical developmental goals need to be supported. They need information on what they can do to help their young child to develop and reach his or her potential whether they are at home, in childminders, crèches or pre-schools. They may need access to multidisciplinary teams to assess their child and advise on appropriate supports and interventions. They need certainty that State-provided supports are readily accessible, consistently available and not location-dependent. They should be able to expect that State-funded pre-schools will welcome and enrol their child and meet his/her developmental needs. It is less than satisfactory for pre-school funding to be fragmented across three Government Departments with different schemes, without any national standard for staffing and supports across all settings and no one Department responsible for the inclusion of pre-school children with disabilities, including ASD. There is inconsistent access to diagnosis, therapeutic services and preschool places for pre-school children. Pre-school settings are staffed and funded differently with varying hours of intervention provided. Staff qualifications in settings are extremely varied ranging from staff with low levels to staff with FETAC Level 6 to fully qualified teachers, some with postgraduate qualifications. Fragmentation and confusion will continue unless a clear, national coherent pre-school plan is developed, funded and implemented. For example, we note that the DES can open and resource early intervention classes for children with ASD as needed. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs however reports that it has not the capacity to facilitate the inclusion of those with special educational needs who may require additional supports in pre-schools. The Department of Health/ HSE reports that it is not specifically funded to provide pre-school assistants to support these children – yet all three Departments are funded by the State. The ability of the DES to fund good quality special settings, while mainstream settings are not supported to the same extent, is at odds with the national policy for inclusion and not in the best interests of all children with special educational needs. If well-supported mainstream places are not available, parents will naturally gravitate towards good quality separate special settings with smaller classes, even if their children may be better placed in supported mainstream, inclusive settings. 30 Supporting Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Schools – NCSE Policy Advice 2015
Pre-School Children and School-Aged Students with ASD We have concluded that there is no basis in research for the DES funding separate pre-school classes for children with ASD while not funding similar classes for children with other special educational needs who may benefit from them. The continued provision for such schemes may be open to challenge on equality grounds as the research is very clear about the benefits that can accrue to all children from high quality pre-school settings. We therefore advise that the DES seek legal advice on the implications of continuing this provision for children with ASD and not for other children with complex special educational needs. We are aware that it is often suggested that it is vital for young children with ASD to receive one-to-one intensive support every day. The NCSE considers that overall research findings show that the support (type and level of intervention) a child receives should be decided on the basis of a child’s individual needs, based on a multidisciplinary assessment and implemented with the support of a multidisciplinary team. 2.1.4.1 What is Needed? Research has identified the benefits of early intervention and high quality pre-schools. We consider that one Department must be designated with responsibility for leading on developing policy and delivering a high quality, inclusive pre-school network. Young children should have access to appropriate supports in line with their needs once it is clear they are missing key developmental goals. Intervention should not have to wait until they have received a formal diagnosis of a specific disability. The NCSE advised in 2013 that children should receive their early year’s education together in inclusive settings, to the greatest extent possible and this service should be delivered through the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme. Our view is that, from age three, young children with ASD should attend pre-school together with other young children without ASD as this allows them to learn from and interact with their peers. This view has been reinforced by research as well as the views expressed during this process by parents, health and educational professionals, and most early educational providers. We remain concerned by the serious reservations, expressed by health professionals in our 2013 policy advice, about the potential developmental impact of the placement of young children with ASD (aged three to five years) in separate special settings, to the effect that this should be avoided as long as possible. A highly trained and skilled pre-school educator is key to high quality provision and for children with ASD, this means being knowledgeable about and experienced in the education of young children with ASD. Interventions must be evidence-informed and pre-schools must be of a high quality as otherwise there can be long-term detrimental effects on children’s outcomes. State-funding for pre-schools should be conditional on an open and inclusive enrolment policy. Supporting Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Schools – NCSE Policy Advice 2015 31
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Page 10 and 11: Abbreviations ABA ACCS ADHD APP ASD
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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 Reed, P., Osborne, L.A
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Supporting Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Schools

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