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ERIC Number: EJ1052063
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1360-3116
EISSN: N/A
Trading Places: Autism Inclusion Disorder and School Change
Lilley, Rozanna
International Journal of Inclusive Education, v19 n4 p379-396 2015
This article investigates the experiences of students diagnosed with autism who change schools during the early primary years in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Using the narratives of eight mothers, the article documents the circumstances leading to school change, usually towards more segregated provision. Mothers highlighted the difficulty of these school transitions and the family distress that often prompted change. The eight cases of school change that are analysed provide a stark picture of the extent to which Australian schools are unable to adapt to these students. Rather than searching for the causes of these difficulties in the behaviour of students, it is argued that we need to look at the pattern of deficits found in classrooms and schools, as described by concerned mothers. In this article the pattern is referred to as Autism Inclusion Disorder. The defining features of this disorder are the co-presence of persistent school deficits in social communication/interaction (including teacher inability to interact with students) and school restricted and repetitive behaviours (such as rigid adherence to negative behaviour management). Maternal school change narratives suggest that for a genuinely inclusive education system to develop more attention should be directed towards changing schools rather than changing children to fit traditional classrooms.
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A