Research in Education Tutor: Wing Au

Sage Blackmore
Student ID: 110199439

‘What are the Impacts of Educating Autistic Children in the Classroom?’

A Literature Review

Introduction

When teaching, educators will come across students with a range of learning needs and disabilities.
A common classroom learning disability is autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This literature review will
address the impacts of educating autistic children in the classroom. An increasing number of autistic
students enrolled in mainstream schooling can present challenges for educators in terms of finding
ways to support and educate students, while also dealing with behavioural and social issues.
Characteristics of autism spectrum disorder will be reviewed first, as well as addressing what it is
meant by being on the spectrum. The review will consider ways in which educators need to create a
visual environment to assist with teaching and learning of autistic students. Furthermore, autistic
students’ development will also be reviewed in terms of their communication and social
interactions. Autistic student’s language and speech skills will be looked at as these can be
influencing factors that impact education. Finally, ASD students becoming overwhelmed in the
classroom will be discussed, with particular reference of how to make the environment suitable so
that students being overwhelmed does not occur. The literature included in this study is sourced
from a range of countries, including Australia, the USA, and Scotland. The selection of literature
purely focusing on ways in which educators can teach autistic children in the classroom was minimal,
which indicated that there are some gaps in the research, hence why this literature review is being
conducted.

The Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a learning disability, and there is an increasing number of children
who have autism (O’Callaghan 2002, p.264). Autism can be characterised by numerous different
things, and according to O’Callaghan (2002, p.263) there are three different sets of criteria required
for a diagnosis of ASD. The first criteria is that children with autism struggle with social interactions,
and struggle to think about others emotions (O’Callaghan 2002, p.263). Secondly autistic children
have problems with their communication, both verbal and non-verbal. They are delayed when
speaking, they may not understand what is said to them, not understand the content of
conversations, and often develop echolalia (O’Callaghan 2002, p.263). The final criteria is that
autistic children have a restricted imagination, and have an obsessive need for routines (O’Callaghan
2002, p.263). These three criteria have been similarly stated by Ashburner, Ziviani, & Rodger (2010,
p.19) however, these authors also suggest that a criteria is repetitive behaviour.

Further characteristics include; sensory issues, unusual attachments to objects, and tantrums for
unknown reasons. When referring to the spectrum it refer to specific sets of behavioural and
developmental problems children may have, which vary from mild to severe. Disorders on the
spectrum include; Asperger’s syndrome, pervasive development disorder - not otherwise specified,
childhood disintegrative disorder, and Rhett’s syndrome (Wherry 2009, p.6).

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Research in Education Tutor: Wing Au
Sage Blackmore
Student ID: 110199439

The Use of Visual Aids in the Classroom when Teaching ASD Students

A major aspect that educators need to consider and that can have an impact when educating autistic
students is the use of visual aids. According to Erpelding (2012, p.48) teachers need to use visual
cues in the classroom to help students understand what needs to be done visually, as quite often
ASD students have difficulty understanding oral language and/or forget what was said. The use of
visual aids means that they are accessible for students throughout the day to assist them with their
work (Erpelding 2012, p.48). Similarly, Friedlander (2010, p.143) also says that by educators using
visual aids when teaching ASD students it allows students the support they need to get through the
school day, and helps them complete their work and learning. Additionally, a main problem when
teaching autistic students is a lack of visual aids, or visual aids that are not made clear (McGregor, &
Campbell 2001, p.194).

To extend on this idea that by not using visual aids with autistic students it can have a negative
impact on education, Wherry (2009, p.18) states that students with autism cannot shift their
attention with just auditory stimuli, and therefore ASD students perform better and remember
classroom teaching and learning when visual cues are used. However, unlike the previous literature
mainly focusing on visuals, Wherry (2009, p.18) further suggests that autistic students still need to
have auditory stimuli.

Impacts of ASD Students Development in Classroom Teaching

Children with autism have challenges with their communication and social development (Koegel,
O’Dell, & Koegel 1987, p.189). These can have several impacts when educating ASD students. This
can include how they communicate with teachers, how they communicate their feelings, how they
communicate their work and learning, and also how they socially interact with their peers in the
classroom.

Communication

Undeveloped communication can hinder an autistic student’s ability. Communication is a vital skill
that an autistic child needs to have to function in the world (Erpelding 2012, p.33). In comparison,
Wherry (2009, p.59) also suggests that without communication skills autistic students cannot
function properly. This may include students having a hard time expressing their needs, and also
finding the right words to say that are appropriate for a certain situation (Wherry 2009, p.59).
Additionally, in a research performed in Scotland it was suggested that the most worrying and
difficult thing when educating autistic students in the classroom is their delayed and undeveloped
communication problems (McGregor, & Campbell 2001, p.195-201).

In saying this, the literature suggests multiple different intervention strategies to assist with
developing ASD student’s communication skills, which all have an impact on how educators adapt
and teach this to autistic students in their classroom. Koegel, O’Dell, and Koegel (1987, p.188)
suggest that when teaching communication educators do not rely heavily on verbal forms of
communication. Which similarly, Wherry (2009, p.34) also says that communicational systems
should be used that include pictures, objects and gestures. Using non-verbal communication does
not hinder student’s development of verbal communication (Wherry 2009, p.34). In contrast to

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Research in Education Tutor: Wing Au
Sage Blackmore
Student ID: 110199439

Koegel, O’Dell, and Koegel’s idea of not relying on verbal communication, Wherry (2009, p.34)
further suggests in communicational systems to also use forms of verbal communication such as sign
language and verbal language.

A gap within this literature is that there is no reference made to the use of negotiated education
plans (NEP), to assist with educators teaching and supporting learning of autistic students.

Social Interations

Difficulty relating socially to others is a trademark of autism (Oznoff, & Miller 1995, p.415). Autistic
students struggle with social areas including picking up cues from their environment, and also
forming relationships (Friedlander 2010, p.141). In addition, students with ASD experience isolation
from their peers due to the fact that they have difficulties initiating social interactions with others,
which can hinder their engagement in class (Wherry 2009, p.62). Similarly, Ashburner, Ziviani, and
Rodger (2010, p.20) further suggest that due to a lack of social skills autistic students are susceptible
to social exclusion as well as bullying.

Impacts when educating autistic students in the classroom include taking into consideration
numerous ways to develop and help students with their social development. Educators can use
social stories to assist with developing social skills, as social stories teach social expectations
(Friedlander 2010, p.142-143). Furthermore, educators can also provide social supports and models
to help autistic students learn appropriate behaviours (Friedlander 2010, p.143). Additionally,
Wherry (2009, p.63) also suggests using social stories, but also recommends teaching social rules for
different circumstances, teaching personal space, and also role playing different social situations.

In contrast to this literature, Krantz and McClannahan (1993, p.123) suggest that even with
educators modelling appropriate verbal and social initiations, they may not be effective when ASD
students initiate spontaneous peer interactions without teacher prompts. Or effective with peers
reciprocating social interactions with autistic students.

A further gap in the literature is about how educators deal with classroom exclusion and bullying of
autistic students. Although there is reference to autistic students being excluded and bullied, there is
no suggestions of how to deal with social exclusion, nor are there any programs put in place around
bullying of ASD students.

How Speech and Language Skills effect Teaching and Learning of ASD Students

Another feature of autism is unusual development of speech and language (Koegel, O’Dell, & Koegel
1987, p.188). Having speech and language difficulties effects how ASD students learn, and how they
communicate in the class as they have a difficulty understanding and using language (Wherry 2009,
p.76). Both Wing (1997, p.1761), and Erpelding (2012, p.23) state that quite often some students
with ASD will have no speech, and others will have little speech that exhibits unusual traits, for
example too loud or too quiet. This poses as a problem in education as educators cannot talk to
students about their learning, or be able to know if students understand a task through verbal
language. In addition to this, Wherry (2009, p.59) discusses how autistic students take language
literally, which is something educators need to be careful of and consider when teaching autistic
students in the classroom.

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Research in Education Tutor: Wing Au
Sage Blackmore
Student ID: 110199439

It is expected that educators incorporate language and speech into daily classroom learning for ASD
students (Eperlding 2012, p.14). To assist with teaching and development of language, educators can
seek help from speech pathologists (Ashburner, Ziviani, & Rodger 2010, p.21). Additionally, Wherry
(2009, p.59) says that the use of speech and language pathologists are a useful resource to help
develop classroom strategies to assist with language and speech development.

However, an impact on educating autistic students is that language skills are the most difficult to
teach to ASD students (Koegel, O’Dell, Koegel 1987, p.188). Which, McGregor and Campbell (2001,
p.195) also found in their research of what educators found the hardest to teach with autistic
students.

Classroom Stimuli Causing ASD Students to Become Overwhelmed

Autistic students can become overwhelmed to sensory stimuli in and around the classroom, causing
issues when educating students. Sensory overload occurs due to a range of things in the
environment (Wherry 2009, p.70). Ashburner, Ziviani, and Rodger (2010, p.20) state that classroom
stimuli such as intense noise and touch can be a distraction for ASD students. Additionally, Wherry
(2009, p.11) also says that lights and smells can be overwhelming. In contrast to the earlier
information provided about using visual cues in the class, it has been suggested that sometimes too
much visual stimulation will cause autistic students to become overwhelmed (Ashburner, Ziviani, &
Rodger 2010, p.20).

Educators need to be aware and understanding of autistic students certain perceptions to ease any
potential overwhelming situations (Friedlander 2008, p.141). Educators can prevent ASD students
from becoming overwhelmed through various ways. Educators should physically organise the class
so that confusion does not occur (Ashburner, Ziviani, and Rodger 2010, p.20). Wherry (2009, p.65)
says to create a quiet area where autistic students can go and calm down, and make sure the area is
organised with few distractions. Educators should also allow ASD students to wear sunglasses or a
hat inside to reduce incoming light, and educators should avoid wearing strong smelling fragrances,
and not use air fresheners in the classroom (Wherry 2009, p.67).

Conclusion

It is evident that there are a range of different things that can impact educating autistic students in
the classroom. It is also clear that educators need to adapt different things into their classroom
teachings to cater for ASD students. The literature presented above provided examples of aspects
which can effect teaching ASD students, particularly mentioning how major characteristics of autism
can be prevailed in the classroom, such as the use of visuals, communication development, social
interactions, language and speech skills, and becoming overwhelmed by stimuli. However, there are
some gaps within the research, in particular about the diagnosis of autism in schooling to be able to
receive additional teacher supports. More research purely focusing on the teaching impacts of
educating autistic students would be beneficial for educators and schools, not just mentioning
characteristics of autism within schooling.

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Research in Education Tutor: Wing Au
Sage Blackmore
Student ID: 110199439

Proposed Study

Although there are many gaps, the proposed study will look at ‘how does the diagnosis of autism
impact teachers educating students’. The study to be undertaken will focus on the diagnosis of
autism spectrum disorder within schools, and receiving teacher aides to work with ASD students. An
interview will be set up with various different teachers from northern suburb primary schools to see
how autistic students in their class/previous classes are diagnosed, and what teaching support they
receive. The study specifically aims to discover the process of getting a student diagnosed, how long
it can take, what happens if and if not a student is diagnosed with ASD, how it effects teaching, and
what support will be received if any.

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Research in Education Tutor: Wing Au
Sage Blackmore
Student ID: 110199439

References

Ashburner, J Ziviani, J Rodger, S 2010, ‘Surviving in the Mainstream: Capacity of Children with Autism
Spectrum Disorder to Perform Academically and Regulate their Emotions and Behaviour at School’,
Research in Autism Spectrum Disorder, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 18-27.

Erpelding, J.F 2012, Visual Teaching Strategies for Autistic Students in Inclusive General Education
Classrooms, UMI ProQuest, U.S.A.

Friedlander, D 2010, ‘Sam Comes to School: Including Students with Autism in Your Classroom’, The
Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, vol. 82, no. 3, pp. 141-144.

Koegel, R.L O’Dell, M.C Koegel, L.K 1987, ‘A Natural Language Teaching Paradigm for Nonverbal
Autistic Children’, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 187-200.

Krantz, P.J & McClannahan, L.E 1993, ‘Teaching Children with Autism to Initiate to Peers: Effect of
Script-Fading Procedure’, Journal of Applied Behaviour Analysis, vol. 26, no, 1, pp. 121-132.

McGregor, E Campbell, E 2001, ‘The attitudes of teachers in Scotland to the integration of children
with autism into mainstream school’, The National Autistic Society, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 189-207.

O’Callaghan, F.J 2002, ‘Autism – What is it and Where does it Come From?’, QJM: An International
Journal of Medicine, vol. 95, no. 5, pp. 263-265.

Oznoff, S & Miller, J.N 1995, ‘Teaching Theory of Mind: A New Approach to Social Skills Training for
Individuals with Autism’, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, vol. 25, no. 4, pp. 415-433.

Wherry, A.M 2009, Development of a Handbook for Elementary School Teachers Addressing
Awareness and Inclusionary Practices for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, UMI ProQuest,
U.S.A.

Wing, L 1997, ‘The Autism Spectrum’, The Lancet, vol. 350, no. 9093, pp. 1761-1766.