Underlying Causes of Discrimination in Schools to Autistic

Running Head: Underlying causes of discrimination in schools to autistic children 1
Underlying causes of discrimination in schools to autistic children
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Underlying causes of discrimination in schools to autistic children 2
Underlying causes of discrimination in schools to autistic children
Introduction
Autism is a form of disability, mostly experienced at an early age. Disability refers to a mental or
physical impairment that negatively affects a person for a long period until they become unable
to carry out routine activities (Smith, 2013). Autism is a form of mental impairment condition
and a form of disability. In the modern world, people of different diversity face different types of
disability discrimination. In schools, children get exposed to different types of disability
discrimination, which include direct disability discrimination, indirect disability discrimination,
harassment and victimization, and the failure to make reasonable adjustments (Walsh, Kemerer,
& Maniotis, 2014).
Background to the study
It has been noted that children who suffer autism face a lot of discrimination in schools and the
entire society. Wide range of impaired social behavior, impaired communication skills, repetitive
behaviors that result in different sensory perception characterizes Autism Spectrum Disorder
("Characteristics of Children With Autism," 2013). They begin at a young age and become
severe in adolescence and adulthood, and it displays itself from the age of five years. In such
children, other conditions such as epilepsy, depression, Anxiety, and Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) display themselves, and their intellectual functioning is of
different ranges. These children can perform well in simple auditory tasks but perform too poorly
in complex auditory tasks. They are very hypersensitive to auditory stimulation. The children
who display high functioning ASD display poor performance as compared with children in a

Underlying causes of discrimination in schools to autistic children 3
speech – in – noise discrimination task where background noise must be demanded. They have
high speech hypersensitivity and abnormal auditory processing behaviors (Roehr, 2013).ASD
children can perform simple psychoacoustic tasks such as pitch memory and discrimination
tasks. Several studies have shown that autistic children experience discrimination in various
ways. According to Hossain (2019), these children face direct discrimination in schools because
of their disability. These children face discrimination based on association where they are treated
less favorably, especially when they associate with others or when they are thought to be autistic.
This scholar gives an example of discriminating an autistic pupil by hindering them from going
to a school trip because they are believed to be unable to join the activities to be undertaken
there. This act is termed to be unlawful, and thus, schools should make the necessary adjustments
at all times to accommodate autistic pupils and others with disabilities. In another study,
discrimination arising from autism occurs in schools when the autistic children do something in
the line of their disability and how they respond. They end up being treated unfavorably,
especially by excluding them from school (Dilly & Hall, 2018). The legitimate aims of schools
should be to ensure the safety of all the students and staff and still train the school population on
how to treat children with disabilities. No child should be excluded, for it leads to isolation,
depression, and anxiety.
In another study, autistic children have specific patterns of language use and their behaviors. The
speech behaviors are viewed as another cause of discrimination to these children, where some
use repetitive language, which involves saying irrelevant things when communicating with
others (Schopler, Bourgondien, & Bristol, 2013). These children show narrow interests and
exceptional abilities, where 10% of ASD children have very high abilities in specific areas. They
contain uneven development of language, especially in their areas of interest, and find it very

Underlying causes of discrimination in schools to autistic children 4
hard to respond to the speech of others. They possess poor nonverbal communication skills, and
to express their feelings, and they may act out in vocal outbursts.
AIM of the study
The objective of this proposal is to identify the underlying causes of discrimination against
autistic children in schools.
Study questions and hypothesis
The study questions for this study are:
Question 1.
Does there exist significant discrimination against autistic children in schools?
Hypothesis
a) There is a relationship between the communication of autistic children to
discrimination
b) School policies play a major role in discrimination.
Question 2.
Are there ways of improving speech in autistic children?
Hypothesis
1. There are many ways of improving communication in children with ASD.
2. Parents can affect the results of different types of language therapies used in children
with ASD.