Exploring the Experiences of Individuals with Autism in Mainstream Education

This assignment involves an analysis of combining traditional and autoethnographic approaches in qualitative health research, particularly in the context of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in secondary schools. The provided content includes articles, books, and online sources that explore various aspects of ASDs, including teacher attitudes, parental perceptions, and educational needs. The assignment aims to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of mixed-method research, highlighting the potential benefits of combining qualitative and quantitative approaches in understanding the experiences of individuals with ASDs.

Running Head: Health and Social Care
Health and Social Care: Researching representing and evidencing the social world- Autism Children
in secondary school, What support should they receive for their leaning?

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Representation of the topic in Media.........................................................................................4
Analysis of data..........................................................................................................................5
Literature Review.......................................................................................................................8
About Autism.........................................................................................................................8
Autism and school experiences............................................................................................10
Importance of an inclusive educational facility in secondary mainstream schools.............11
Research proposal....................................................................................................................12
Justification of the topic.......................................................................................................12
Research Questions..............................................................................................................12
Research Objectives.............................................................................................................13
Research Methodology.........................................................................................................13
Ethical consideration............................................................................................................14
Discussion................................................................................................................................14
Conclusion................................................................................................................................16
References................................................................................................................................17

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Topic: Topic Autism Children in secondary school, what support should they receive
for their leaning
Introduction
This repeat too many autism it should more critical
Autism is one of the complex conditions which include impairments in interacting on social
ground. Autism hinders the development of communication and language skills. It is a
neurobehavioral condition which causes repetitive and rigid behaviours. It has a wide range
of symptoms and it is currently termed as Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD. The report has
been prepared with the aim of analysing Autism children in Secondary School so as to
identify workable support which should be provided to them for their learning. The children
with Autism also find it quite difficult to learn anything. They need special and institutional
care in the school where they are supposed to be facilitated with a special curriculum of
education. The teachers of the secondary school should be able to understand the
requirements of the children with Autism so that they could help those children with the
needful (Brewer, 2016). It is not only the responsibility of the parents to provide that children
with a suitable learning environment but also the teachers should be responsive in providing
supportive educational and learning facilities to the children in the secondary school. The
autistic children should also receive the scope of learning and lead a life which would be
compatible with them (Dillon & Underwood, 2014). It has also been observed that that high
school going children with Autism sometimes have to leave their education behind because
of inadequate learning support. This topic has been chosen for intricate analysis so that the
difficulties with the children with Autism suffer in they are secondary school could be
provided with an effective plan of learning opportunity (Goto, 2017).

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Reviewing the context
This wrong contents to reviewing the context It should be more citiation
and critical
In England, there has been a program where three families from England have joined after
they have won a judicial review right. The government of England has allocated funds to the
local authorities with the aim of facilitating required provisions for education to be provided
to more than 250,000 young people of England. The funding has been made to the Education,
Health and Care (EHC) plan which has been developed for the children with special needs.
The article has also highlighted that more than 14% of the total population of the schools of
England have been the children with autistic spectrum disorders. The National Association of
Headteachers and the Local Government Association of England have highlighted the issue
of shortage of resources and insufficient funds in England to be provided for the educational
facilities of children with autism (The Guardian, 2019 ).
Media/polices
In order to understand how the educational system is trying to support Autism children, one
of the relevant media articles has been chosen. This article has been published in 2016. In this
article, the role of nature in nurturing students with special learning needs has been
highlighted. Here, outdoor learning has been focused on as it has been proven that the
students with special educational needs could become happier and healthier with the help of
outdoor learning. One of the schools in London has been observed to have maintained
outdoor learning such as “reading forest”. There are several other schools all over the world
which are looking at some innovative ideas with the aim of engaging all children and students
with special educational needs (Brewer, 2016).

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PLEASE CAN YOU CHANGE THIS TO UK LONDON NOT NEW YORK ALSO
NEEDED MORE CITATON IN THIS SECION
Another media article which has been published in 2017 has highlighted the learning
procedures for the students with autism. The article highlights that paraprofessionals and not
just the teaching assistants who get assigned to assist the students in class but they also help
in assisting children with autism. The main theme of the article highlight that providing
proper and adequate support to the Autism is of great importance. It is because it will
eliminate the education and literacy differences within the economy. They help the children
to understand the ways they are supposed to interpret several aspects of the environment with
the aim of making the children happy. The paraprofessionals are supposed to guide autistic
children and it helps to keep them out of any kind of trouble. Social interaction in the
classroom has also been highlighted as one of the major steps to help autistic children. Social
interaction help the student to develop self-confidence which in return help the Autism
Student to develop their personalities and to shape their career. This article has been
important and relevant to the topic as it has highlighted some of the attempts the school
activities and the teachers should take in dealing with children with autism (Taylor, 2017).
Analysis of data
More Citation need in this data
World Health Organisation states that one out of every 160 children suffers from Autistic
Spectrum Disorder or Autism. It begins in childhood and persists into adulthood through
adolescence. There have been some people who live independently with autism. But there are
some people who suffer from severe disabilities and need lifelong support and care.
Behavioural treatments can be crucial parts of evidence-based psychosocial interventions
which could reduce difficulties in social behaviour and communication in the individuals

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suffering from Autism. Parents’ Skills Training Programs are also important intervention
tools. These interventions leave behind a positive impact on quality and wellbeing of life not
only for the individuals with Autism but also for their caregivers. Interventions for
individuals with autism need to be supported by effective actions making social, physical,
and attitudinal environments more inclusive, accessible, and supporters (World Health
Organization, 2018). The World Health Organisation also states that people suffering from
autism are more likely to become subject to discrimination, stigma, and human rights
violations. Access and support to services for individuals with autism are not adequate on a
global platform. Some individuals with autism suffer from impaired social behaviours,
language and communication difficulties, and low interests and body activities. Co-occurring
conditions include depression, epilepsy, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD,
and anxiety. The degree of intellectual functioning also varies from one individual to another
and could extend from noticeable impairments to higher levels (World Health Organization,
2018).
In the United Kingdom, there have been almost 700,000 people suffering from Autism which
means one individual in every 100 individuals. To almost 2.8 million people, Autism has
become a part of their life. It has been reported that 34% of children with ASD are vulnerable
to bullying and discrimination. Nearly, 70% of the autistic children do not get proper social
service support. Only 16% of the total autistic adults get full-time employment opportunity in
the United Kingdom and 32% of autistic adults get the opportunity for paid work. But more
than 53% of the autistic adults seek employment opportunities out of which only 10% of
adults get employment support (National Autistic Society, 2018).
As per the data finding presented by the World Bank, it has been observed that there has been
an increase in the literacy and educational alignment for the children with Autism but at a low
pace. The analysis has been done on the basis of census data gathered from19 countries. The

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rate of literacy and educational alignment has been quite higher in the case of children
without any kind of disability. The data have also revealed that less than 50% of the children
with disabilities like Autism could get the opportunity of completing their primary education.
Out of 10 children with Autism, 7 children never get the chance of enrolling in schools (Goto,
2017).
As per the report of the United Nations, there has been global initiative taken with the aim of
achieving the Sustainable Development Goals incorporating the fundamental principles of
2030 Agenda of leaving no individual with Autism excluded and discriminated. A special
initiative has been taken in empowering girls and women with Autism so that they could
overcome the issue of discrimination and social exclusion. The initiative has been
inaugurated on the 2nd of April 2018. The main aim of the agenda has been to promote the
participation of the individuals with Autism ensuring necessary and needful support to be
provided to enhance their fundamental rights and freedoms (United Nations, 2018).
The following table shows the sources of information and the key findings:
Source of Information Key Findings Year
United Nations There has been global
initiative taken with the aim
of achieving the Sustainable
Development Goals
incorporating the
fundamental principles of
2030 Agenda of leaving no
individual with Autism
excluded and discriminated.
2018
World Bank It has been observed that
there has been an increase in
the literacy and educational
2017

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alignment for the children
with Autism but at a low
pace.
National Autistic Society It has been reported that
34% of children with ASD
are vulnerable to bullying
and discrimination. Nearly,
70% of the autistic children
do not get proper social
service support. Only 16%
of the total autistic adults get
full-time employment
2018
World Health
Organisation
Behavioural treatments can
be crucial parts of evidence-
based psychosocial
interventions which could
reduce difficulties in social
behaviour and
communication in the
individuals suffering from
Autism. Parents’ Skills
Training Programs are also
important intervention tools.
2018
Literature Review
About Autism
In the opinion of Humphrey & Lewis (2008), autism is one of the complicated
neurobehavioral disorders which could even cause severe disabilities to an individual. It can
cause an individual to become completely handicapped or makes an individual lead a life full

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of devastating disability. It needs institutional care. The children suffering from autism are
found to be struggling in communicating and understanding the feelings and thinking of other
persons. It is difficult for children with autism to express them with the help of gestures,
words, touch, and facial expressions (Taylor, et al., 2013). A child with Autism is very
sensitive and sometimes suffers from intense pain due to smells, touch, sounds, or sites which
might be normal to other persons. Stereotyped movements of the body such as pacing,
rocking, or hand flapping are commonly observed in the children with Autism. Children
suffering from autism are found to suffer from several degrees of cognitive impairment
(Dillon & Underwood, 2014). A typical cognitive impairment is characterized by delays in
development but people suffering from autism portray uneven development of skills. They
could suffer from issues in some particular areas where they become unable to communicate
or to get connected with the others. The unusual development of skills takes place in creating
music, drawing, memorizing, solving maths and problems, etc. (Brewer, 2016) The
symptoms of Autism generally appear in an individual during the initial 3 years. Sometimes,
children start showing symptoms of Autism since birth. In the majority of the cases, children
start developing normally in the initial stage but the symptoms of Autism appear when they
become 18 months old (Hopkins, 2018). It has also been observed in many cases that some
individuals do not actually portray symptoms of having difficulties in communicating but
they find it difficult to cope up in an environment where their capabilities fall short of
communicating (Goto, 2017). It is mainly found in boys and it has no ethnic, racial, or social
boundaries, social factors like lifestyle, income, and educational levels, do not have any
impact on the chance of getting affected by autism (Humphrey & Lewis, 2008).
According to Keen & Ward (2004), it is quite important for the entire society and community
to understand that the children with Autism need social inclusion and with the help of proper
learning environment these children could get a better future. Autism mainly makes an

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individual to get excluded from social interaction and the people suffering from autism
become highly isolated. It is also related to schizophrenia. In the year 1940, some of the
researchers started to apply the term Autism in describing children having social and
emotional problems. It has also been used to explain behavioural disorders in several
children. From the 1960s, the investigation for identifying suitable treatment for the people
with Autism has been started (Somerset Intelligence, 2019). The focus has been given on
medication such as electric shocks, LSD and behavioural change methods. But punishment
and pain have been mainly relied upon. The significance of behaviour therapy has undergone
changes and this has brought in several changes in learning environments where controlled
environment have been provided as techniques of primary treatments to people suffering
from autism and similar conditions (Jindal-Snape, et al., 2005). In the current scenario,
Autism therapies are mainly on the developed on the basis of behavioural and language
therapy. Other forms of treatments have also been added as for the need of the patients (Keen
& Ward, 2004).
Autism and school experiences
In the view of Dillon and Underwood (2014), it is very important to develop an awareness of
autism to improve the school experiences and to achieve desirable success for the autistic
students. The initiatives are very important in applying to the learning environments for the
children and students with autism so that they could get opportunities of attending
mainstream schools. Research has been conducted on mainstream school experiences of some
of the students who have autistic spectrum disorder. From the findings of the analysis four
fundamental areas have been identified which influence the quality of school experiences for
the students suffering from Autism (Horrocks, et al., 2008). The four key areas are perceived
relationships with teachers and school staffs, social skills, interpersonal strengths, and general
functioning of the schools, in the domain of the United Kingdom Secondary School, these

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areas have been explored on 14 autistic students and the findings have been compared with
students without autism (Brewer, 2016). Self-report questionnaires have been used for semi-
structured interviews. Quantitative analysis has been done which depicted consistent
experiences in schools for students with and without autism (Lau, 2009). On the other hand,
the analysis of the contents of the interview has highlighted some major differences where the
areas of group work, teaching staff, and peers within school have been found to be significant
factors. School inclusion implications have also been discussed (Sparkenbaugh, 2006). The
analysis has mainly highlighted that the teaching staffs should have enhanced awareness of
autism in improving the quality of the overall school experiences which could lead the
students with Autism to achieve learning with success (Dillon & Underwood, 2014).
Importance of an inclusive educational facility in secondary mainstream
schools
According to Humphrey and Symes (2011), it is important to provide children with autistic
spectrum disorders an inclusive educational facility in secondary mainstream schools. The
experiences attitude and knowledge of the teachers are supposed to be highly responsive in
providing the children an opportunity to have included in a normal educational environment.
Research has been conducted with the aim of examining the attitudes, experience, and
knowledge of teachers with respect to inclusive education for students with autistic spectrum
disorders in the mainstream secondary schools (Horrocks, et al., 2008). The research has been
conducted on 53 participants from different Secondary Schools located in the North-Western
part of England. A survey has been conducted covering information on socio-demographic
factors and teaching experiences along with perceptions of inclusion in the mainstream
secondary schools. Experience and knowledge of the school staffs regarding autism have
been studied upon. The influences of the experience skills and knowledge of the teachers in
integrating the students with ASD have been analysed intricately (Hess, et al., 2008). The

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research has also highlighted the development of ability in students with Autism so that they
could cope up with mainstream school education. They are supposed to understand the
benefits and issues in relation to integrating the children with ASD in mainstream Secondary
Schools (Goto, 2017). The responses of the survey indicated positive attitudes and
perceptions of the teachers to inclusion (Taylor, 2017). The senior managers and the
coordinators of Special Educational Needs have reported higher self-efficacy in providing
students with ASD with learning opportunities. They have also shown their responsiveness in
coping with several behaviour which is related to ASD. The respondents have also reported
that social inclusion has a potential benefit and also it is quite challenging for the students
suffering from autism. The main thing which has been identified from the research is the need
for future training and adequate practices which could eliminate the challenges and increase
benefits of inclusion (Humphrey & Symes, 2011).
Research proposal
Research will be conducted on the Autism children in secondary school, to identify the best-
suited support they should receive for their leaning. The research will be conducted on the
basis of a literature review which will also serve as the source of secondary data analysis. The
primary data will be collected from a semi-structured interview with some of the
professionals of the secondary school of the England. The interview will be an open-ended
one. The research will be able to gather necessary data from both primary and secondary
sources which in turn will help in developing better idea and understanding on the status of
the autistic children in the Secondary Schools of England and will throw light on the ways
they could be given appropriate support for their learning (Malina, Norreklit, & Selto, 2011).

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Justification of the topic
The intended study will be helpful in identifying the workable strategies to be applied in the
secondary schools so as to provide the autistic children with a proper learning environment. It
is also important to identify the issues or challenges which the schools are facing in dealing
with these children and in engaging them in the learning process (McQuerrey, 2018).
Research Questions
The research questions which the intended study will take care of are given below:
 How are the Secondary Schools dealing with Autistic children?
 What support should they receive for their leaning?
 How do the Secondary Schools can improve behavioural therapy analysis?
 What are the responsibilities of the teachers in providing autistic children with an
appropriate learning environment?
Research Objectives
 To indentify the ways the Secondary Schools of England dealing with Autistic
children.
 To identify the suitable support they should receive for their leaning.
 To analyse the responsibilities of the teachers in providing autistic children with an
appropriate learning environment.
Research Methodology
The intended study will be conducted with the help of both primary and secondary data. An
in-depth literature review will be conducted with the support of relevant and reliable sources
of information. The findings of the review will be presented effectively. This section will be
serving as the source of secondary sources of information (Alshenqeeti, 2014). The primary

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data will be collected from a face-to-face interview which will be conducted on some of the
teachers of the secondary school of England (Byrne, 2007). The responses of the teachers will
be recorded, analysed and interpreted which will be presented with the help of suitable
discussion (Gill, Stewart, Treasure, & Chadwick, 2008). The responses of the teachers will be
analysed quantitatively applying the qualitative method of research. The interview will be
conducted on one of the schools of England which have been into providing quality
educational facilities to the autistic children. The interview of 5 teachers of Anderson School
of England will be conducted with the support of an open-ended questionnaire. This school
has been facilitating the children as per the regulations and norms of the National Autistic
Society. The school has the primary aim of preparing the children with autism for normal life
with proper facilitation of education (National Autistic Society, 2019).
Ethical consideration
The proposed study will be conducted ethically. The researcher will contact the concerned
authority of Aoi Pui School and its teachers before scheduling the interview. The respondents
will be asked for their consent to taking part in the interview. The teachers' responses will be
recorded and stored safely. The credentials of the teachers will be well-protected and it will
be assured that no third person could access their responses and details. The responses will be
used solely for the purpose of the intended study. There will be no coercion applied to the
participants in providing their responses.
Discussion
Children with special educational needs or autism do not enjoy learning in the normal
procedure. They enjoy learning from outdoor learning programs which help them to reduce
their anxiety and stress. It also helps to develop their social skills and motivates their learning
within and beyond the regular curriculum. This procedure also helps the students with special

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educational needs to be responsible for practical and productive members. It is also very
important for the teachers to have proper arrangement for measuring and helping to record
the interaction taking place in the classroom. These procedures would help in identifying the
sources of distress and irritants. The information would help the teachers and the
professionals to come up with workable strategies to be implemented for the good of the
autistic children. The role of the school environment is highly important and this has been
well-portrayed through the analysis.
The above chart shows the number of people diagnosed with Autism in the United Kingdom
in the year 2014.

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The chart shows the different types of autism being diagnosed as of 2014.
Conclusion
The children with autism should be provided with ample opportunity so that they could lead a
happy and healthy life. The research proposal has been prepared with the aim of identifying
the best-suited ways of conducting future research on the topic of analysis. The school
authorities and the teachers have to play an important role in initiating the autistic children to
be provided with ample educational and learning opportunities in secondary schools. The
teachers should understand the behaviour of students with autism. They are supposed to be
included in the mainstream schools with the help of a suitable learning environment and
support of the teachers. To wind up the motion, it can be concluded that student with special
needs or autism student do not grasp the concept form formal learning program and practices.
Autism student requires practical learning in order to grasp the entire concept in much better
manner. Outdoor learning program help Autism student to develop their learning as well as
development of their mental capacity. Teacher and educational institution needs to provide
proper educational support and facilities to the Autism student in a way to make them feel

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comfortable and grasp the concept in an effective manner. Educational institution and teacher
has the responsibility to provide the proper opportunity to the Autism student in order to
make the overall economy educated and developed. It will also eliminate the differences in
the education level at large for the longer period of time.

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References
Alshenqeeti, H., 2014. Interviewing as a Data Collection Method: A Critical Review. English
Linguistics Research Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 1-7.
Brewer, K., 2016. Nature is the best way to nurture pupils with special educational needs.
[Online]
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pupils-special-educational-needs-outdoor-education
Byrne, P. O., 2007. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Mixing Methods: An Analysis of
Combining Traditional and Autoethnographic Approaches. Qualitative Health Research.
Dillon, G. & Underwood, J., 2014. Autism and the U.K. Secondary School Experience.
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Gill, P., Stewart, K., Treasure, E. & Chadwick, B., 2008. Methods of data collection in
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Horrocks, J., White, G. & Roberts, L., 2008. Principals’ attitudes regarding inclusion of
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