Clara Dziedziczak - 18319297

Inclusive Education – 102084

INCLUSIVE EDUCATION
Assignment 1 - Essay

Clara Dziedziczak - 18319297

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Inclusive Education – 102084

In recent years there has been a shift in views about education and an emphasis on how students of
all abilities and diverse learning needs can be included in a mainstream classroom environment. The
benefits of an inclusive classroom are clear throughout the large body of research into the topic,
with benefits across academic, social and economic outcomes. This essay will discuss the changing
views of inclusive education in the current educational climate in Australia and the legislation and
policies that have been instrumental in implementing this change. The skills and requirements that
are needed by teachers to create inclusive classrooms and schools for students with disabilities and
diverse learning needs will be discussed. Specifically, the inclusion of students with Autism Spectrum
Disorder [ASD] will be explored along with strategies for the classroom and schools that can be
utilised to ensure inclusion of all students.

In years gone by students with disabilities or diverse learning needs have often been excluded from
mainstream classrooms and placed in special education classes or in separate schools. It is has been
revealed throughout the research literature that there are no clear advantages of segregated
education (Loreman, 2007). Furthermore, it has been shown that special education has many
limitations for students with disabilities or diverse learning needs, including lack of academic and
social progress as well as poor post-secondary outcomes (Dunn, 1968). By grouping students into
“handicapped” and “non-handicapped” a stigma is attached to them and what they can achieve
based on their labels, leading to further social isolation for some students. Grouping students by
ability can have detrimental impacts on those students who know that they are in the “low” group,
impacting on their self-image and self-esteem (Loreman 2007). The shift towards inclusive
education has meant that there are many definitions and interpretations of the term “inclusive
education”. Loreman, Deppeler and Harvey (2011) suggest that true inclusive education involves full
participation of all students in all aspects of schooling. This means that students with a disability
have full membership in the regular classroom and spend most of their time there and participate in
all class activities, rather than in segregated classes (Loreman 2007). Inclusive education has a
multitude of benefits that are becoming increasingly evident for school systems as well as for all
children involved in inclusive education (Loreman, 2007). These benefits include opportunities for
positive peer interactions, access to the mainstream curriculum, social role models, as well as the
unique perspectives from all students (McKenney et. al, 2016).

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In Australia there are number of policies and legislation around the inclusion of all students in the
classroom that schools must adhere to. These varying pieces of legislation bind schools and
educators and has many implications for teaching practice. The Australian Government is
committed to providing and ensuring that all students receive a quality education. As the Disability
Discrimination Act 1992 sets out, “The Australian Government supports the right of children with
disability to have the same educational opportunities as other children” (Department of Education
and Training, n.d. p.2). Educational institutions are bound by this Act must not exclude students
based on their disabilities. The Disability Standards for Education 2005 seeks to eliminate
discrimination against people with disabilities set out that students with disabilities are to be
treated “on the same basis” as students without disabilities (Australian Government Department of
Education and Training, 2012). This act binds educational institutions and requires them to make
reasonable accommodations and adjustments for students with disabilities so that they can
participate in the classroom on the same basis as students without disabilities. Parents and where
possible students need to be consulted in regard to the particular adjustments that need to be
made. These standards have helped to contribute to the change in opportunities in terms of access
and participation for all students with disabilities and diverse learning needs (NSW DET, 2012).
Furthermore, the Human Rights Commission states that children with disabilities are not to be
excluded from free and compulsory education based on their disability. This means that people with
disabilities can freely access inclusive education and that reasonable accommodations of the
individuals need are provided for the student (Australian Human Rights Commission, n.d.).
All these policies, standards and legislation have implications for teachers and educators in how
they approach and plan their teaching for inclusion of all students. Schools are legally bound by
these and teachers must ensure that they are complying and are aware of what this means for their
practice.
The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership [AITSL] sets out clear standards for all
teachers at each level of proficiency to follow in The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.
These standards identify elements of best practice that are expected of all teachers across the board
and what constitutes quality teaching. Standards 1.5, 1.6 and 4.1 are specific for teaching for
inclusion, they set out clear expectations for teachers and things they need to be working towards
and developing in their professional practice.

Nationally there has been a considerable increased number of students in or schools with disabilities
or diverse learning needs, in particular there has been a steep increase in the number of students

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with Autism Spectrum Disorder (NSW DET, 2012). In Australia the prevalence of people with Autism
Spectrum Disorder [ASD] is estimated to be around 1 in 150 people (Australian Institute of Health
and Welfare [AIHW], 2017). ASD is a developmental disorder whereby symptoms present from early
childhood. These symptoms can range from mild to severe and can include impairments in
communication skills and misreading non-verbal interactions, repetitive or restrictive behaviours
and difficulties with social interactions (AIHW, 2017 & American Psychiatric Association, 2013).
People with autism can also present with many co-morbidities including intellectual disabilities,
anxiety, depression and attention deficit disorder (Odom, Cox & Brock, 2013; AIHW, 2017). These
co-morbidities add elements of complexity in the classroom and means that there are further
considerations that teachers need to make in the classroom to accommodate for these needs.
The benefits are clear for inclusive classroom for all students, particularly those with ASD, including
opportunities for peer interactions and access to the mainstream curriculum. However, despite
these benefits there are many challenges that are presented for teachers, principals and all students
in the classroom in attempting to achieve inclusion (Majoko, 2015). As Hedges et. al. (2014) discuss,
“within the social environment of a secondary school, difficulties in communication and social
interactions can put students with ASD at risk for social isolation and bullying” (p. 65). Traditionally
students with ASD are socially isolated from their peers; they have difficulties entering peer groups,
making friends and developing intimate relationships (Makoko, 2016; Hedges et. al, 2014). All these
factors make particular aspects of the classroom and teaching challenging. Often it will be hard to
engage students with ASD in group or collaborative work as they struggle to contribute in group
work and collaborate with their peers in group activities. Teachers need to be aware of these issues
that may arise and how best to address these so that they do not fly under the radar and become a
problem for these students, but also so these students can be actively engaged in meaningful
learning and a valued member of the class.

To create an inclusive classroom or school and ensure that students with all types of learning needs
are included, there are personal and professional skills and attributes that are required of teachers.
Unfortunately, there is not a one size fits all approach when it comes to including all students in the
classroom and in schools, particularly for students with ASD. (Kucharczyk et. al., 2015). Strategies to
implement in the classroom should be grounded in empirical research and should be for the benefit
of all students and fortunately there is a large body of research into how inclusive education can be
best supported. Loreman (2007), states “pedagogy is also critical to all learning, and especially in an
inclusive environment” (pg. 29.). How teachers go about their teaching, including teacher attitudes,

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differentiation, accommodations and adjustments as well as wide spread whole school approaches
are all crucial elements in creating an inclusive environment.
Often teachers feel as though they do not have the necessary skills and capacity to deal with
students with diverse learning needs (Loreman, Deppeler and Harvey, 2011). This calls for continual
professional development concerning inclusive education, to keep up to date with new research and
what constitutes best practice. There is also often a negative discourse and labelling of students
with disabilities in the classroom and the unhelpful attitudes that teachers have towards these
students as well. These attitudes can have a detrimental impact on the development of student’s
self-esteem and have been correlated with teachers having low expectations and view students with
disabilities and diverse learning needs (Loreman. 2007). These teaching attitudes are personal skills
that need to be continually developed upon to ensure they are having a positive impact on practice.
Strength based practice is a philosophy that seeks to draw the emphasis away from what is missing
or wrong with people to “what is right with people”. It focuses on how people’s strengths and goals
can be complemented and viewing everyone as having the potential to achieve (Hammond, 2010).
As Loreman (2007) also discusses “positive attitudes allow and encourage practices which according
to Hobbs and Westling (1998) virtually guarantee the success of inclusion.” (p. 24). This is important
in teaching practice as it is the attitudes and values that teachers have which shape and influence
how they care for and value their students (Hammond, 2010). This philosophy needs to be shared
and fostered among all staff at all levels so that there is consistency in language used across classes
and expectations of students. An important component to achieve this is having supportive and
shared leadership so this approach can practically be adopted by the whole school. School leaders,
parents and members of the community need to be involved in the process and efforts of inclusion
(Obiakor et. al, 2012), so that an inclusive culture can be achieved.
Pedagogical strategies and classroom processes are also an important professional skill to help
achieve inclusion of all students. As part of best practice, differentiated learning should be occurring
for all students in the classroom regardless if there are students in the class with disabilities or
diverse learning needs. As Obiakor et. al (2012) discuss that goals, assessment and instruction must
be diversified in order to meet the different learning needs that are present in the classroom.
Differentiation aids in making the content more accessible to all students and through teachers
applying creative thinking and modifications to the curriculum and modes of delivery. Teachers must
be prepared to make accommodations and adjustments to not only the curriculum but classroom
organisation and processes and procedures. These accommodations can include, changes to seating,
specific learning goals, assistive technologies and changes in classroom organisation. These changes

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are most effective when teachers are collaborative with their peers and parents and students.
Collaboration is crucial for the successful inclusion of students with specific learning needs, through
teachers discussing different strategies and techniques as well as sharing resources and participating
in professional development, they will be more equipped and have more resources readily available
to have an effective inclusive classroom. (Obiakor, 2012).

In particular, for my key learning area of science there are several specific strategies that can be
implemented in order to include students with ASD in the classroom and ensure they are engaged in
meaningful learning. As Knight et. al. (2012) discuss, science learning is heavily dependent on
student’s prior knowledge and experiences. Students with ASD potentially may have a lack of
vocabulary to describe scientific concepts and phenomena and a lack of exposure to scientific
constructs. Therefore, it is important to use different strategies to make concepts more concrete for
students. The use of lesson reviewing and bringing in concepts and key words from previous lessons,
using them in different ways throughout the lesson and then reviewing at the end of a lesson is one
way that this could be achieved (Knight et. al.,2012). The use of graphic organisers also helps
students to summarise observations through scaffolding and can assist students with building their
inquiry skills. In addition to this, students with ASD might require brief, clear prompts to understand
classroom tasks and directions (McKenney, 2016). These examples are relatively easy to implement
in a general education context and have benefits for all students in the classroom to deepen their
understanding and reduce time off task.

As discussed, there are clear benefits to Inclusive education that are being realised by countries
around the world. As there is a shift towards how inclusive education is best implemented there is a
great challenge for teachers to be well equipped to effectively cater for the diverse learning needs
of all students. Students of all learning needs regardless of their disability need to be actively
included in the classroom and considered a valued and welcome member of the class. The benefits
of inclusion are clear and to achieve the best outcomes for all our students, teachers need to be
continually striving to improve their practice and pedagogy.

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References
American Psychiatric Association (2013). Autism Spectrum Disorder. American Psychiatric Publishing.

American Psychiatric Association. (2018). What Is Autism Spectrum Disorder?. [online] Available at:
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Australian Government Department of Education and Training. (2012). Disability Standards for
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5_plus_guidance_notes.pdf

Australian Human Rights Commission (n.d) Right to Education. Retrieved from

https://www.humanrights.gov.au/right-education

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare [AIHW]. (2017). Autism in Australia, Autism - Australian
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Dunn, L. (1968). Special education for the mildly retarded – Is much of it justifiable? Exceptional
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