Schooling for Pupils with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Parents’ Perspectives

Abstract

The current study, based on a survey of 1799 parents, explored parental perspectives of school absence in relation to approved grades, challenges, demands and obstacles in education for children with autism spectrum disorder. The results revealed a relatively high rate of school absenteeism for reasons other than illness. Girls had higher rates of absenteeism than boys for short durations of absence. Absenteeism was primarily caused by a lack of teacher competence regarding autism and inadequate adaptation of teaching. There were no significant differences between genders in approved grades, but the rate of failure to achieve approved grades was approximately 50%. The most common form of educational support was support from special needs teachers and adapted pedagogy.

A Self-Determination Theory Approach to Work Motivation of Autistic Adults: A Qualitative Exploratory Study

“…The undesirable consequences of negative relationships in the workplace align with SDT literature in the general population (Van den Broeck et al, 2016 ), and in employees with psychiatric disabilities (Moran et al, 2014 ), but seem especially harmful for autistic employees who may not easily recuperate from such detrimental employment experience. Recent findings suggest that highly negative employment-related social interactions can cause individuals to be left out of the work cycle for long periods of time (Anderson et al, 2020 ), perhaps also by consequently reducing work motivation.…”

“…Autonomy promoting practices such as 'job crating' appear to be highly relevant. Findings can also help parents understand the work-related motivational processes of their children, and minimize potential discrepancies in employment goals and preferences that sometimes occur (Anderson et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Personal factors are associated with the autism diagnosis (American Psychiatric Association, 2013 ), expressed in communication and social interaction difficulties in the workplace, as well as restricted repetitive patterns of behavior, and sensory sensitivities that affect one’s work experience and performance. Additional challenges stem from co-occurring neuro-psychiatric conditions such as ADHD, anxiety, and depression (Anderson et al, 2020 ; Black et al, 2020 ; Hedley et al, 2018 ; Scott et al, 2019 ), that are commonly associated with autism. Environmental factors that impede work possibilities may include stigma, a lack of modifications in recruitment processes, and work settings that do not enable proper accommodations (Black et al, 2020 ; Johnson et al, 2020 ; Waisman-Nitzan et al, 2019 ).…”

“…However, this concept was seldom mentioned in relation to employment of autistic adults. Work motivation seems particularly relevant in this population, due to a commonly found mismatch between interests, individual skills and employment (Anderson et al, 2020 ). Consequently, in order to secure a job, autistic individuals are often obligated to work in jobs that might not fit their abilities and perform tasks they may not find interesting.…”

Supporting Peer Interactions for Students With Complex Communication Needs in Inclusive Settings: Paraeducator Roles

“…The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2019) reported risk factors for bullying, including physical vulnerability, intolerant environments, and social skill challenges (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2019). Individuals with CCN may be at even greater risk for bullying as they may have difficulty reporting the problem to someone (L. Anderson, 2020;Beukelman & Light, 2020). Without effective supports for positive peer interactions, students who use AAC may have negative experiences with peers in the school setting that influence their motivation, attitudes, confidence, and communicative competence (A.…”