‘Um, I was getting bullied at school because I didn’t believe in god’: one family’s experience of autism, school and home education

Abstract

is an experienced learning support teacher with a history of working in primary, secondary and special school settings over the past ten years. Throughout these ten years Christine has continued to develop her knowledge and understandings of specific learning difficulties by taking part in in-service training provided by the Education Authority and by completing a Master's in inclusion and special educational needs. Christine has been heavily involved in influencing government policy through her role as an elected representative and a Communications, Policy and Research Manager for a Governmental Minister of the Department of Employment and Learning (Northern Ireland). These roles allowed Christine to influence educational policy makers on the importance of inclusive practice and equal educational opportunities for all children and young people regardless of their ability. Christine's views about disability are informed by her belief in inclusion, equality and social justice for all regardless of differences. She is currently in the second year of a PhD, through Queen's University Belfast and is focusing on inclusive education for young people with a learning disability and autistic young people. She is particularly interested in educational philosophy, inclusive practice, education, neurodiversity, learning disability, autism and special educational needs. 'Um, I was getting bullied at School because I didn't believe in God': One Family's experience of Autism, School and Home Education. Home education is one of several educational options for children in Northern Ireland. Many parents decide to home educate before their child reaches school age whereas others decide following a period of enrolment within a school. In these latter cases, parents often do so because they believe that their child's emotional, social and/or educational needs were not being met by school. Research has shown that children with special educational needs, particularly those with autism, are more at risk of not having their needs met in a classroom environment than their peers resulting in a higher proportion of these children being removed and home educated. This paper presents in-depth case study of one home educating family who experienced a similar scenario. The data presented is in a series of vignettes which explores their journey to home education. Their journey involved a negative school experience because of bullying and understandings of autism, sexuality and religion. The findings highlight the need for schools to become more inclusive of all children, and families, despite differences in educational needs, sexuality and religious views through additional training, awareness, and policies that are reflective of a changing society. These recommendations would help to improve the school experience for those who diverge from society's perceptions of what is typical.

What do we know about home education and autism? A thematic synthesis review

“…Bullying is a well-documented risk factor for autistic children's inclusion and was the predominate reason parents decided to home educate in Bower's (2019) study. Six out of 10 mothers in Kidd and Kaczmarek's ( 2010) study reported that their child was subjected to bullying, "Bullying started rearing its ugly head…so much so that I did actually come upon three boys; two were holding him down while the other kicked him.…”

“…School staff not supporting the social needs of autistic children was identified as a form of exclusion (Bower, 2019). Parents also felt that teachers were sometimes too quick to send their autistic children home, "They've no qualms with phoning me the minute anything goes wrong.…”

“…Research on the topic of home education and autism has evolved in recent years with interest in the area growing (e.g. Bower, 2019;Lawrence, 2017). Whilst the body of literature remains fairly small, a review of the literature to ascertain the current empirical understanding is both timely and appropriate.…”

Factors and experiences that influence school mobility for autistic students: A systematic review

“…Parents' experiences with their child's school and family stress Parents across three studies reported ongoing negative interactions with their child's school (Bower, 2021;Hurlbutt, 2011;Simmons & Campbell, 2019). Experiences included disagreements with staff about the child's programming (Hurlbutt, 2011;Simmons & Campbell, 2019), a lack of home-school collaboration (Simmons & Campbell, 2019) and staff not responding to parents' concerns (Bower, 2021).…”

Elective home education of children with neurodevelopmental conditions before and after the COVID-19 pandemic started

“…The prevalence of mental health problems in children with neurodevelopmental conditions is at least double that of typically developing children ( Lai et al, 2019 ; Totsika et al, 2022 ). On average, their academic attainment is at the bottom of national indicators ( Department for Education, 2014 ) and many of them feel isolated and/or are bullied at school ( Humphrey and Hebron, 2015 ; Goodall, 2018 ; Bower, 2021 ). These children often experience problems with school attendance at rates higher than typically developing children ( Munkhaugen et al, 2017 ; Black and Zablotsky, 2018 ; Ochi et al, 2020 ).…”