Essay: 102084- Inclusive Education- Theory, Policy and Practice, Lisa Miller, ST no.

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You have been presented with classes of students with diverse learning needs, including students with
autism spectrum disorder (ASD). You are required to discuss the inclusion of students with ASD in your
method.
You need to demonstrate an understanding of changing views about inclusion and knowledge of
legislation in relation to students with additional needs generally (not only ASD) in Australian
educational settings. Identify the skills required of you, and justify your selection to ensure that all
students are successfully included.

Inclusion involves the full participation of all students in schools independent of their differences.
Loreman, Deppeler and Harvey (2011) believe that if some students are educated separately or differently
to their peers this does not satisfy inclusion. This essay discusses the changing views about inclusion and
inclusive legislation in relation to students with disabilities in an Australian educational setting. It will
also discuss the inclusion of students with special learning needs within regular mathematics classes with
a focus on students with autism spectrum disorder ASD. Teacher attitudes, adjustments and
accommodations, differentiation and/or universal design for learning, appropriate outcomes (Life Skills)
and collaboration with stakeholders (e.g. support teachers, parents/caregivers) are all important
components in teaching students in an inclusive setting.

Various laws and policies to protect students with disabilities have been created by the Australian
government and teachers need to understand that educational institutions are required to adhere to them.
Before the 1970’s students with a disability were segregated from mainstream schooling and placed in
special schools (Woolfolk and Margetts, 2013). In the 70’s and 80’s, schools started to look at integration
as a way of bringing students into the regular schools, however often the school philosophy was flawed in
that the student needed to adapt to the school and not the school adapt to the student (Loreman et al,
2011). Past research has shown that children with special needs perform better in an integrated setting
where they can engage in the same units of study as their peers compared to segregated classrooms
(Loreman et al, 2011).

With the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA), students with disabilities were
given the legal right to enrol in regular schools and classes. The Act makes disability discrimination
against the law and advocates equal rights, opportunity and access for people with disabilities and is
enforced by the Human Rights Commission. There has been a major increase in the numbers of students
with disabilities being included in regular classes in Australian schools since the introduction of the DDA
(Pearce, Gray, Campbell-Evans, 2009). The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 has an extra condition
that applies to disability: “Discrimination may be allowed if not to discriminate would constitute

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unjustifiable hardship”. This meant in some cases discrimination was allowed if unreasonable hardship
resulted in the school, the other teacher or other students (Poed and Elkins, 2012). This loophole in the act
led the government to refine the policies and as a result the Disability Standards Act was created for
Education. “The main aim of the Education Standards is to give students with disabilities the right to
participate in educational courses and programs on the same basis as students without disability”
(Disability Standards for Education, 2005). The Standards stipulate that sometimes an educator must
make adjustments to allow people with disability to take part in education.

Another policy within the Australian Education System are the Teaching Standards (AITSL) designed for
teachers in Australia. One particular standard “Know your students and how they learn” has a focus area
of “Strategies to support full participation of students with disability”. For the Graduate level a teacher
must support full participation of the students with a disability and use strategies that support participation
and learning.

Policy has directed how teachers and schools cater to students with disabilities within an inclusive setting.
Policy is implemented through the use of accommodation and adjustments. Accommodations involve
changes to the physical environment such as the placement of ramps in school buildings, and adjustments
constitute adjusting curricula, assessment and instruction to meet the needs of all students regardless of
their difference.

Positive attitudes are important to the inclusion of students with a disability. It is important to see the
person first and then the disability. Inclusion is about having an equal opportunity to learn. “That is once
the student is seen as a person who is the same as others in the group the focus moves from the difference
to the person who wants to learn” (Loreman et al, 201, p.46).

Universal design for learning is now accepted practice in inclusive classrooms. It involves the three keys
elements 1) Multiple means of representation, 2) Multiple means of expression and 3) Multiple means of
engagement. The main idea with UDL is that all students can access the curriculum without further
modification. In New South Wales a number of objectives called “Life Skills” (Board of Studies) has
been placed in the regular school curriculum for both Year 7-10 and Years 11-12 that provide full support
for students with an intellectual disability. The idea of Universal Design for Learning is also closely
linked to the idea of differentiated instruction which means the delivery of the curriculum. Using
different pedagogical techniques all students in the classroom can be catered for regardless of their
disability.

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The inclusive community and collaboration are important ingredients in inclusion education (Loreman et
al, 2011). The inclusive community is one it which joint decisions about students are done within a team
environment which are part of the education supports. Many schools have special education units that sit
at the regular school. Teachers’ aides and volunteers are also available within the classroom setting. A
successful inclusive school will work in collaboration with these supports and also the parents, the
principle and other medical practitioners such as occupational therapists and speech/ language teachers.
All contribute to the success of organising the education of children with special needs..

With the increase of children with special needs entering the regular classroom teachers will need to adapt
and create strategies that are effective in creating a positive learning environment. The essay will discuss
strategies that can be used with special needs students with a focus on children with autism (ASD) in a
mathematics lesson. Initially, a description of Autism will be discussed. Pearce and Gray, 2009 believe
that inclusive secondary teacher should know the impact of the disability on their students. It is important
to note that the types of adjustments that are required for someone with autism would be helpful to any
other student with special needs and in fact also will have positive benefits to all students in the inclusive
classroom.

Autism is a developmental disability which strongly affects verbal and nonverbal communication and
social interaction which in turn can adversely affect educational performance. Other characteristics often
associated with autism are carrying out repetitive activities and movements, resistance to changes in
environment or in daily routine and unusual responses to sensory experiences (Yanoff, 2006). Students
diagnosed with autism sit on a spectrum that range from high functioning to low functioning ASD. People
with high functioning autism (which includes Asperger’s) perform fairly normal in life and require
minimum support because they behave in just a slightly odd way, such as speaking with an unusual voice.
About half of the children with autism are unable to speak. Many ASD students are taught to
communicate with sign language or a picture exchange communications system (PECS). Because autism
severely limits a person’s ability to communicate, it is sometimes viewed as a communications disorder.
Many schools have a substantial support network for children with autism which includes the special
education teacher and speech-language therapist. Some characteristics in the intelligence of students with
autism are that they typically have IQ’s lower than average, 75% have an intellectual disability, have few
organisational skills and have limited ability for abstract thinking. However many have exceptional ability
to memorise trivia. Some students have great talent in such areas as drawing and mathematics. Socially
they prefer to be alone, lack eye contact, don’t like to be touched and do not initiate play. Some children

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may become easily frustrated and upset and this may possibly result in violent outbursts (Yanoff, 2006,
Attwood, 1998).

To allow for students with special needs to remain in regular mathematics classes adjustments must be
made to content, teaching methods and equipment. Firstly it is necessary to know your student, know
their capabilities and what they already know (Pearce and Gray, 2009). Autism is often associated with
mathematical talent (James, 2010), so it’s possible that a mathematical genius may be in the classroom. It
is important to work to the students strengths and have good expectations of them. Assessments (formal
and informal), IQ tests and past results all form information about the student which helps in
differentiating instruction and applying UDL principles. It is also important that the teacher have some
knowledge about the students’ disability (Pearce and Gray, 2009). Adjustments to syllabus outcomes and
learning programs are catered for within the current NSW syllabus via the “Life skills” course (Board of
Studies). The majority of students who will access Life Skills outcomes and content will have an
intellectual disability. All decisions about curriculum options for students with special education needs
will involve collaborative curriculum planning with the student, parent/ carer and any other significant
individuals in the student's life. A flow chart on the NSW syllabus website outlines a process that is
helpful when considering whether a student should access Life Skills outcomes and content.

It is important that any student with learning difficulties in mathematics should be identified early and
given appropriate support. What can be taken from the previous description on autism, is that the teacher
should emphasise developing communication and organizational skills within the classroom. “The secret
lies in helping us find the keys to unlock the riddles of written and spoken language” (Robison, 2012,
p.42). The use of pictures should be part of the structure of the lesson to cater for students who do not
have strong verbal skills. This also includes students with hearing impairments, dyslexia and other
language difficulties. (Robison, 2012, p. 42) describes rules for teaching children with austism “Tell
students exactly what you want, and say exactly what you mean… Speak slowly and logically. If you use
body language combine it with words”. For example at the beginning of class the teacher should stipulate
on the board, step by step, what is going to be taught throughout the lesson and it should be read out
slowly. Pictures next to each step of the lesson could also be used to reinforce each stage. This adjustment
will also benefit other students in the classroom who have language disorders. Videos, computers and
keyboard skills could also be used within the lesson to emphasize visual display rather than spoken work.
There are a variety of math programs that can be adjusted to an individual students’ profile of skills and
interests, to help that child learn math concepts with meaning. The use of a calculator should be part of

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each lesson as it provides a quick and easy way to access answers. The general structure of any
mathematics class is to provide a method of “how to” or scaffold to solve a problem for a particular
mathematical concept. This method is then practiced and repeated throughout the lesson. All these
techniques and adjustments are strongly connected with the UDL principles.

Research by Bae,Chiang and Hickson, 2015, analysed the difference between children with autism
spectrum disorders (ASD) and children with typical development (TD) in mathematical word problem
solving ability. The results showed that world problem solving ability was higher in the children with TD
compared to the children with ASD. This was an expected result as children with autism have difficulties
with communication. They found that students’s with ASD performed better when taught mathematical
vocabulary. Teaching sentence comprehension, computation, and everyday mathematical knowledge was
also recommended. Word problems should be read aloud to avoid any difficulty in understanding the
question. Maths vocabulary is the language of maths and words such as equal, congruency, solve,
calculate need to be clearly explained to the student. Meaning could be demonstrated using pictures. Also
mathematics instruction should integrate students everyday life experiences into problem solving to help
them understand the meaning of the words. Teachers could work closely with parents to create plans for
the student to understand life experiences which would bring maths “to life”

In the school system, math skills are traditionally taught through language. For a child with weak
language skills, the verbal explanations of math concepts are difficult to understand. In general, you will
be most successful in teaching math concepts if concrete and visual concepts and demonstrations are used
to allow the child to "see" the math concept (Bell, 2002). For example fraction and percentages can be
demonstrated using the concrete example of a cake/pizza/piece of fruit that is cut up into pieces. Also real
3D shapes can be shown to a class such as a pyramid to demonstrate mathematical concepts such as areas
and volumes. Other concrete and real life examples are the use of house plans to show the concept of
scaling and similarity, games for to demonstrate probability, financial problems (budgets) and the
collection of data to demonstrate graphing and statistical techniques. The teachers’ job is to help the child
"translate" the language into a picture of the math question that is being asked and also making it real and
tangible. Concrete methods of teaching maths are also useful for all students with language difficulties.

If the student with ASD can cooperate, working in groups should be encouraged. This would help other
students such as those having anxiety disorders. Students learn better communication skills through
modeling from non-special need students. The student should be placed in a group with people who will

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be more empathetic towards the student with special needs. Groups are about taking turns and sharing
which teach good social skills. Group work will forge friendships and better social skills for which the
child with autism finds difficult. Peer Support tutoring in maths will provide individual support for
student with special needs and also benefits from learning from someone of similar age. Group interaction
of the whole class with students with special needs will ultimately lead to an understanding and empathy
for difference, tolerance, social skill development as well as creating friendships

A good accommodation for the student with ASD would be placing them closer to the front of the class.
This will allow them to hear and see any writing and pictures on the board and also allow the teacher to
be able to respond to their needs quickly. This accommodation would also apply to visually and hearing
impaired students. Since ASD is often associated with sensory sensitivity keeping the room quiet and free
of flickering lights and extraneous noises is important. A calm and well organized classroom will also
help students with challenging behaviors and anxiety disorders so they can focus on their work.

Education policies for students with special needs has led the way to the creation of Inclusive Classrooms
where all students learn in regular classes and access the same curriculum Teaching mathematics in a
regular class which includes students with special needs should use techniques such as adjustments and
accommodation, collaboration, UDL design and differential instruction. This inclusive methodology has
the potential to bring mathematics “to life” for all students. The skill set of successful teachers in
inclusive classrooms aligns well with what we know about effective teaching generally. A good engaged
teacher is one that can respond to the needs of all students in the class and plans effectively in advance.
“When inclusion is done well everyone wins” (Loreman et al, 2011, p.12).

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 References
Attwood, T. (1998). Asperger’s syndrome: A guide for parents and professionals. London: Jessica
Kingsley.

Australian Human Rights Commission (2016). About Disability Rights, from

https://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/disability-rights/about-disability-rights

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (2011). Australian Professional Standards
for Teachers, published by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership
(AITSL). Retrieved March 18, 2016, from http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-professional-
standards-for-teachers/
Bae, Y. S., Chiang, H., & Hickson, L. (2015). Mathematical word problem solving ability of children
with autism spectrum disorder and their typically developing peers. Journal of Autism and
Developmental Disorders,45(7), 2200-2208.

Bell, S. (2002). Teaching Maths with Meaning, Autism Ontario, 2015, from
http://www.autismontario.com/client/aso/ao.nsf/object/asdteachingmath/$file/asdteachingmath.pdf

Board of Studies. NSW Syllabuses for the Australian Curriculum; retrieved 2014
http://syllabus.bos.nsw.edu.au/

Disability Discrimination Act 1992, Commonwealth of Australia (2010). Retrieved August 01, 2016,
from http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2010C00023

Disability Standards for Education, (2005). Commonwealth of Australia (2006), from

http://www.ddaedustandards.info/index.php

James, I. (2010). Autism and Mathematical Talent, The Mathematical Intelligencer, 2010, Vol.32(1),
pp.56-58
Loreman, T., Deppeler, J., & Harvey, D. (2011). Inclusive education: Supporting diversity in the
classroom (2nd ed.). Crows Nest, Australia: Allen & Unwin.  Murphy, K. (2012).

Pearce, M., Gray, J., & Campbell-Evans, G. (2009). The Inclusive Secondary Teacher: The Leaders'
Perspective, Australian Journal of Teacher Education, v34 n6 p101-119.

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Poed, S., & Elkins, J. (2012). Legislation, policies, and principles. In A. Ashman & J. Elkins (Eds.),
Education for inclusion and diversity (4th ed., pp. 39-60). Frenchs Forest, Australia: Pearson
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Robison, J.C. (2006). Call Me Different, Not Difficult. Educational Leadership, 70(2), 40.

Yanoff, J. C. (2006). Classroom teacher's inclusion handbook : Practical methods for integrating
students with special needs (2nd edition). Chicago, IL, USA: Arthur Coyle Press.

Woolfolk, A., & Margetts, K. (2013). Educational Psychology (3rd ed). Frenchs Forest. Pearson
Australia.

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