Running head: EFFEVTICE EDUCATIONAL SETTING FOR STUDENTS WITH AUTISM 1

Effective Educational Setting for Students with Autism

Dominique T. Capolongo

Molloy College

Abstract
EFFECTIVE EDUCATIONAL SETTING FOR STUDENT WITH AUTISM 2

This research paper is based on the question of What is the most effective educational

setting for students with autism? Theyre an ample amount of educational settings for students

with autism whether it's in a mainstreamed classroom, contained-classroom, or a private special

school such as a BOCES. In this question, the autistic student, the regular student, and the

teacher all need to be put into consideration. This study focuses on the advantages and

drawbacks on placing autistic students in mainstreamed classrooms. Students with autism should

not be mixed with the regular student in a mainstream classroom because the pace might be too

fast for the autistic student, too slow for the regular student, distraction may occur in both

students, and the shortage of staff and resources may be an issue. Yet, it could be quite beneficial

to both children in a sense that they both learn from each other and their needs, push the autistic

child to learn how information is portrayed in a normal classroom, and conducts behavior

control. Therefore, theyre some benefits and drawbacks of ASD students joining mainstreamed

classrooms. Either it helps the ASD student function in normal ways and advances their

education or they could get peer-victimized and encounter that barrier of social inequality

between them and the students. This study provides a focus on four different research articles

from valid sources to further our knowledge of autism and what is the most effective educational

setting for those students, either in mainstreamed classrooms or a self-contained classroom.

Keywords: ASD, Mainstreamed, Self-contained

Effective Educational Setting for Students with Autism

EFFECTIVE EDUCATIONAL SETTING FOR STUDENT WITH AUTISM 3

Autistic students take in information slightly different than the regular student. Finding a

way to portray the information a normal student receives to an autistic child is what needs to be

discovered and relayed in the most effective way for the child. For this study, this topic includes

both the teachers and parents views on the idea of autism in mainstream classrooms and the

most effective classroom environment for the autistic student. The term mainstream means the

placement of a student with special needs into a regular classroom. Autism spectrum disorder,

also called ASD, is the name used for a specific set of behavioral and developmental problems

and the challenges that go with them. A diagnosis of ASD means that your childs

communication, social, and play skills are affected in some way (Mulligan, MacCulloch,

Roberts, Steel 2009). This is a disorder that cannot be cured, but definitely treated with the right

help. Autism may range in severity but the common symptoms are similar including difficulty

with socialization, difficulty communicating, getting distracted, and manic moods. That being

the case, school to ASD students could be very difficult and uncomfortable at times. The thing

about mainstreamed classrooms is that they involve plenty of student interaction and group work.

Due to the child's fear and uncomfortableness of talking to other, this could be quite difficult for

them. Therefore, there is an ample amount of benefits and drawbacks involving the concept of

autism in mainstream classrooms.

Placing ASD students in mainstream classrooms may not be the best option for them due

to the classroom pace and the social interaction part of the school. It could be quite beneficial to

place the ASD child in an enclosed classroom with the other children who suffer from ASD. It is

greatly unfair to the student with ASD to be expected to push to a limit they physically cannot be

pushed to due to their disadvantage in educational comprehension. Due to this, Students with

ASD are more likely to not find enjoyment out of school which leads them to be less cooperative
EFFECTIVE EDUCATIONAL SETTING FOR STUDENT WITH AUTISM 4

in class. Particularly, ASD students feel a mass amount of discomfort because they realize they

do not fit in with the other children, hence why they sometimes envy school. School puts an

abundance of stress on the ASD student which makes their condition feel worse. One probable

contributor to poor educational outcomes for mainstreamed adolescents with ASD is problems

with social functioning, which have been repeatedly implicated in studies of educational

performance in TD adolescents (Adams, Taylor, Duncan, and Bishop 2016). In other words,

students with ASD feel uncomfortable when working with the mainstream children which could

cause discouragement in the ASD student. They also form a realization that they will not be able

to keep up at the same pace as the mainstreamed student.

Not only do the students tend to segregate themselves from the ASD student, but the

teacher could as well. The gap between the teacher and the ASD student is another drawback

while putting autistic children in mainstreamed classrooms. Teachers are expected to assimilate

high-functioning and often highly intelligent ASD children with the rest of the class and meet the

specific needs each ASD child requires to facilitate their learning and development requirements

(Mathews 2016). Due to this, the teacher has to work extra hard to fulfill both the mainstream

students needs along with the ASD student needs. Kylie Matthews (2016) states that In order to

teach in a calm and productive manner, I need to be super organized because I cant leave

anything to chance. I spend a lot of my time doing extra planning for the children on the

spectrum at least two hours a week just focusing on their programs. The teacher needs to

find that equal balance between the different kinds of students and help them grow in their own

educational way. According to Kylie Mathews (2016) Those kids with ASD need more

engagement and take up more of their time, which can make teachers and other parents feel

theyre neglecting the other kids. In this case, that is not fair for either the mainstreamed child
EFFECTIVE EDUCATIONAL SETTING FOR STUDENT WITH AUTISM 5

or the ASD child. This leaves the teacher exhausted at the end of the day along with the two

different types of students not receiving their educational needs.

Due to the teacher trying to work with the ASD students' needs along with the

mainstreamed child's needs, bullying and peer victimization are being performed by the

mainstreamed child to the ASD child. Unfortunately, bullying is another drawback in the

mainstreamed classrooms. The cause of this is because the ASD child may be slower in

comprehending information and socially awkward. Peer victimization has a different cause and

outcome in the classroom between the regular children and the autistic children. The percentages

of parents reporting that their child experienced each type of victimization were: verbal (43.1 %),

physical (17.4 %), ignore (30.6 %), and provoke (63.5 %) (Adams, Taylor, Duncan, Bishop

2016). The ASD child is not being accepted by the regular children whether it's in the classroom

or on the playground. Children struggle to accept the child with ASD at times because they find

it hard to find things in common with one another. Therefore, peer-victimization and bullying is

another barrier the ASD child has to face while being in the mainstreamed classroom. This

would not happen in a special school such as a BOCES because all the students struggle in the

same way. In this case, the best environment for the ASD child could be an enclosed classroom

with other ASD students or a special education school.

On the contrary, putting ASD students in mainstreamed classrooms could be the best

thing for them and the normal student. Mainstreaming helps the normal student realize students

with ASD are slightly different in some ways and that's okay. It helps the ASD student mold to

normal activities and push to reachable goals. Autism is part of life, he says. Schools in the

local area are for local kids so theres no reason to exclude ASD kids from an ordinary school

unless there are very distinct reasons. (Matthews 2016). There are ways around the ASD student
EFFECTIVE EDUCATIONAL SETTING FOR STUDENT WITH AUTISM 6

to be more work than the normal student by adding an aid to attend the ASD student when

needed assistance. The ASD child could learn how to take on real-life society in the classroom

by participating in small group work and moving on from there. Within the preschool inclusive

setting, children with ASD have shown significant increases in intellectual quotient (IQ), social,

and communication skills (Stahmer & Ingersoll, 2004) (Lauderdale-Littin, Howell, Blacher

2015). ASD students in the mainstreamed classroom could be quite beneficial to the education of

the ASD students because it pushes the student to learn in faster ways along with giving the

student a challenge they will push the meet. They learn off of the other students such as

behavior, organization, and more.

The teacher can help the ASD student adjust in the mainstream classroom if they put in a

little extra time for them. A positive outcome for the ASD student is they can form skills such as

organization, socialization, and motor skills. Teachers can help them do so by giving the child a

tablet to use during class if the autistic student has issues with their motor skills. Also, the

teacher could consider giving the ASD student another copy of written instructions so they can

look back at it as many times as they need without the teacher stopping the class. Having a quiet

space to complete their assessments and getting assistance with organizing themselves and the

social aspects of school were also raised as important strategies (Saggers 2017). Some teachers

dont realize that having the ASD student in the mainstreamed classroom doesn't have to slow

the entire class down, but the teacher might have to do a little more outside work to make sure

theyre on track. Having a quiet space to complete their assessments and getting assistance with

organizing themselves and the social aspects of school were also raised as important strategies

(Saggers 2017). Social workers and aids are ideal for the guidance of the ASD student. They are

the ones who assist the emotional and behavior part of their disorder, which in the mainstreamed
EFFECTIVE EDUCATIONAL SETTING FOR STUDENT WITH AUTISM 7

classroom when their problems aren't being met. Numerous of studies say that being ASD

students participating in a mainstreamed classroom does benefit the student more than being in

an enclosed class, it just calls for a little extra work from the teacher.

There is an ample amount of opportunity to support children with autism in the

classroom. First, you need to have the proper knowledge of the condition. Without proper

knowledge, one cannot assist the ASD student to their full ability. Supplying the right specialist,

staff and time for them is essential for the education of the ASD child as well. Most importantly,

having the appropriate resources is the start of the educational path to success with ASD

students. If a school does not get supplied the proper funding, they cannot undergo any of these

support necessities. Teachers and specialists working in the field need to feel adequately

supported to meet the needs of these students, and this support must be ongoing (Saggers 2017).

A school cannot throw a random teacher into a class with autistic children. They need to be

tailored to a specialist if they are going to succeed with full potential. For example, Saggers did a

study involving Australia and an autism educational needs analysis. In the Australian Autism

Educational Needs Analysis, the majority of teachers (89%) and specialists (97.5%) who

participated had related to students on the autism spectrum. (Saggers 2017). As shown, there is a

high percentage of teachers and specialist who take ASD in mainstreamed classrooms seriously

which benefit the students and the program itself.

Advocates for full inclusion of students with ASD believe that the general education

setting is most appropriate in order to encourage overall success, both academically and socially

(Blacher, Lauderdale-Littin, Howell 2015). Theres a free service act called IDEA that offers

appropriate public education that is tailored to the individual's needs enacted by the federal

government. IDEA stands for Individuals with Disabilities Act. Based broadly on the IDEA
EFFECTIVE EDUCATIONAL SETTING FOR STUDENT WITH AUTISM 8

(2004) definition, states have their own special education criteria to find individuals eligible for

special education services (Blacher, Lauderdale-Littin, Howell 2015). This law has been revised

and made better every year and truly makes a difference in the education of ASD students. Every

child, whether they are diagnosed with ASD or not, are entitled to a proper education. IDEA

services provide essential and proper education for children with autism. The IDEA law also

provides appropriate evaluation of the autistic student and placing them where they need to be

based on their educational standard.

Placement is key for the autistic child in its development growth in education. A good

fit involves compatibility of a childs characteristics and family context, and the values of both

the family and school (Crosland, Dunlap 2012). Children with autism vary in severity on the

spectrum. Therefore, all children are different as to where they should be placed. In some cases,

ASD students perform best when the time is split between the mainstreamed classroom and the

specialized autism classroom. They also go to electives with the regular students which helps

them build social and motor skills. Self- management is an ideal strategy for the ASD student to

perform in a classroom. Self- management strategies promote classroom independence by

shifting the responsibility of behavior management from the teacher to the student. Self-

management has been shown to promote independent functioning even to the point of a student

no longer needing a one-on-one aide and showing less reliance on the teacher (Koegel,

Harrower, & Koegel, 1999) (Crosland, Dunlap 2012). This creates an opportunity for the ASD

child to form independence from adults and better interaction with classmates. Peer meditating is

a useful strategy which advances social and communicative skills in the children. As a way to

improve social reciprocity in more natural social contexts, peer-mediated interventions have been
EFFECTIVE EDUCATIONAL SETTING FOR STUDENT WITH AUTISM 9

found effective in providing social learning opportunities through peer interaction, peer

modeling, and peer reinforcing (Crosland, Dunlap 2012).

All in all, finding the perfect placement for the ASD student is very important for not

only their educational growth, but for their social growth. In my opinion, I feel as if some

teachers are ill-informed on how to teach the ASD child effectively, therefore they are not

receiving the proper information. Also, the ASD child may feel uncomfortable working with

other students in the classroom due to the difference in educational level. This could set up the

child for failure not only academically, but socially as well. They realize they cant keep up with

the pace a normal student can do and that ruin their self-esteem. But, it could help the ASD

student grow in ways they might not have thought they could before, by watching the

mainstreamed student and striving to work harder. Due to this behavior, there is a constant

argument whether ASD students work best in mainstream classrooms or is there another

educational setting that's essential for their needs. But, I think ASD children perform best in

mainstreamed classrooms because it could help their social skills along with observing skills by

watching the other students perform at a pace and having them set personal goals to push to a

limit they could never have thought they could push to. For this all to happen, I believe the

proper resources and teaching are essential for their education because, without the proper

knowledge, the teacher would not know not to help the ASD child comprehend the information.

It may be a little extra work for the teacher, but I feel as if it will benefit the ASD child in the

future.
EFFECTIVE EDUCATIONAL SETTING FOR STUDENT WITH AUTISM 10

References

Adams, R., Taylor, J., Duncan, A., & Bishop, S. (2016, August 26). Journal of Autism and

Developmental Disorders. Peer Victimization and Educational Outcomes in

Mainstreamed Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder, 46(11), 3558- 3566.

doi:10.1007/s10803-016-2893-3

Dunlap, G., & Crosland, K. (2012, May 3). Sage Journals. Effective Strategies for the Inclusion

of Children With Autism in General Education Classrooms, 36(3), 251-269. doi:

10.1177/0145445512442682

Matthews, K. (2016, August 28). Should Autistic Kids be in Mainstream Schools? Retrieved

From News.com.au, http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/school-life/

does-autism-have-a-place-in-the-mainsteam-classroom/news-

story/4b2643abee383f51a7261a7ffdc5379b

Mulligan, J., MacCulloch, R., Roberts, W., & Steel, L. (2009, September 3). What is Autism

Spectrum Disorder? Retrieved from aboutkidshealth, http://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/

En/ResourceCentres/AutismSpectrumDisorder/WhatisASD/Pages/default.aspx.

Saggers, B. (2016, September 15). Supporting students with Autism in the Classroom: what

teachers need to know. Retrieved from SplashABC, http://splash.abc.net.au/

newsandarticles/blog/-/b/2385547/supporting-students-with-autism-in-the-classroom-

what-teachers-need-to-know