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Inclusive Education: Theory, Policy and Practice

Assignment 1: Inclusive Education Essay

By Michael Alex Murgolo

19178149

Western Sydney University

Word Count: 2070

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 Contents

Introduction …………………………………………………..……………..……...……. 3

Changing views about inclusion ……….…………………...………....………………… 3

Relevant legislation ...………...………………………..…………….…………….…….. 5

Skills to accommodate inclusion …………………………….……….…………………. 6

Conclusion …………………………………………………………..…………………… 8

References ………………………………………………….……………….…………… 9

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Introduction:

When talking about inclusion within schools and classrooms, particularly in the Australian
context, meeting the diverse learning needs of all students including those with Autism
Spectrum Disorder (ASD) complements the skills and methods of a teacher to promote a
positive learning environment and successful development of all learners. According to
Ballard (2012) inclusion is described as “a process of reducing barriers to participation in
school and community settings”, of which we steer this critical thinking towards the learning
framework.

This written work incorporates legislative policies from local and international forums
including the Disability Discrimination Act, 2005, the Disability Standards for Education,
1992 and the Salamanca Statement, 1992 to give individuals an understanding of the social
and political contexts that help facilitate the inclusion of students with additional needs into
mainstream education. Reupert, Deppeler and Sharma (2015) indicate in their article that
schools have primarily focused on the obstacles associated with inclusion rather than the
enablers that support it, hence this essay will reflect on the changing views about inclusion in
an Australian context while identifying the personal and professional skills required by
teachers to assist all students with various learning needs, including those with ASD. This
paper will be effective in raising awareness for teachers looking to cater to diversified
learning and the strategies needed to make inclusive education successful.

Changing views about inclusion:

The shift towards a mainstream era was established in Australia in the mid 1970’s, that is,
students with special educational needs are increasingly listed in their local schools while
receiving specialist treatment throughout the school day (Forlin, 2006, pp.266). The transition
towards inclusive education is seen as a right for all individuals to have equal access and
opportunities to learning regardless of their disabilities. This adjustment has been integrated
following significant research into segregated and public schools and the recommendations of
international declarations on the rights of individuals. To date the Federal Government has
embraced the reviewing of educational practices in inclusive settings, including ASD, so that
current students and teachers respect the diversity within school communities. According to
Saggers (2015, pp.36) these new initiatives and collaborations advocate that ‘a truly inclusive

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school will reflect a philosophy of care and community that values all students and
differentiates instruction based on learning needs.

Perspectives on the position of integrative inclusion in the classrooms has been popular
among participant countries of the United Nations, however, the changing attitudes to allow
students representative on the autism spectrum has presented a considerable challenge to
some teachers (RVET, 2004). While they receive the necessary training to adapt pedagogies
for students with ASD, the impact of mainstream inclusion has potential deficits in classroom
mismanagement that challenges their confidence and the success of students. The changing
views about inclusion for students with ASD has developed new management strategies for
educators to become more triangulated with communities for students on the spectrum.
According to Humphrey and Symes (2013) the experience of pre service teachers working
with ASD pupils has resulted in more confidence in their ability to cope with behaviours
exhibited, although targeted training would be more beneficial for their development. The
changing perceptions to change ASD segregation to mainstream schooling has ultimately
positioned educational institutions as inquirers of research not only for inclusive students, but
for all. Chandler-Olcott and Kluth (2009) observed through teacher reflection that their
ability to advocate for ASD students has improved classroom culture and given insight into
emerging understandings of how they learn. Seeing the benefits of inclusiveness has shifted
attitudes and views on inclusive education and embraced a sense of community that is unique
to the Australian culture.

Statistics from the NSW government’s 2016 report indicate that 105,000 students enrolled in
public schools receive modified learning and assistance because of a disability (NSW DET,
2016). This figure, in comparison with the 90,000 students in the 2012 report, is an increase
of 16.67% over a four year period. The positive results support the initiatives from local and
state governments to comply with legislative policies towards inclusive education for
students, including those with ASD, as this will “further strengthen students’ personalised
learning and support” (NSW DET, 2016). Furthermore the department’s education of current
teachers provides support for school staff through resources and professional learning, which
is a factor for the successful implementation of inclusive education.

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Relevant Legislation:

The Salamanca Statement (UNESCO, 1994) was widely regarded as an imperative figure for
an inclusive approach to educational practice. In the last decade of educational research, the
statement has influenced governments, particularly Australia, to move towards inclusive
schools and classrooms (Forlin, 2006) as the teaching quality was regarded by Loreman,
Deppeler & Harvey (2011, pp.88) as being “critical and influential on student learning and
the equity of their outcomes”. With reference to reaffirming the educational rights of every
individual, and the discussion surrounding inclusive education in Australian schools, the
Salamanca Statement denotes that a child-centred pedagogy capable of meeting students with
special education needs must be accessible and prepared in mainstream schools (UNESCO,
1994).

This framework on special needs education is further actioned in Australian policies

specifically through the recent Disability Standards for Education 2005 (DSE) which
highlights the changing perceptions of inclusive education and the commitment from the
Commonwealth, although separate in states and territories, to give equitable access and
participation in education to all learning individuals. While this is primarily solicited around
the inclusive education of students, the policy is crucial for the development and training of
future educators. As cited decades previously by Dunn (1968), equitable educational methods
are “hardly compatible with our prevalent practices and employ many untrained and less than
master teachers”, hence the Australian framework actions to demonstrate an understanding of
the policies and the expectations of educators to meet the needs of all students including
those with ASD.

Other legislation sanctioned by Australia to effectively remove disability discrimination, not

only in schools but tertiary institutions, is the Disability Discrimination Act 1992. In principle
the document makes it unlawful to discriminate against any human being because of their
disability (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2014). This act, in relevance to the
Disability Standards for Education above, has the compliance of all educational institutions in
Australia who must also adhere to their respective state or territory legislative policies. While
the Disability Discrimination Act ambiguously supports many forms of disabilities its
importance to inclusive students, particularly those with ASD, is evident in its extension to
make direct and indirect discrimination unlawful. It also stems to any previous, assumed and

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potential disabilities that may arise in a person (Australian Human Rights Commission,
2014). The initiatives by the Australian Government apply to the educational front as it
fosters greater equality and allows educators to make necessary adjustments for the inclusion
of all students in the classroom.

Skills to accommodate inclusion:

It has become necessary in the recent educational framework for current and pre-service
teachers to develop their skills to accommodate inclusive students and those with ASD. Due
to the respective nature regarding their learning, examples such as becoming restless,
communicating noisily, or having too much exposure can unsettle students and requires a
proactive approach from the teacher to increase motivation and promote a positive learning
environment. This improvement on social interaction skills is recommended through
behavioural based intervention plans, that is, steps taken by a teacher to stop problematic
behaviours. An article by Camargo et al. (2014) reviews this strategy through a small scale
study on ASD students in which the findings reported improvements in initiating and
responding to peers, being participative, maintaining conversations and making lesson related
comments (pp.2097). In addition, adjustments for the learning needs of all students requires
an accessible pedagogical approach that builds on individual strengths and peer support.
Analysis on the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) extrapolates that ASD students have
alternate sleeping patters and have systematic routines, where benefits for their learning
would be later school times and a negotiated, consistent timetable to accommodate their
needs (Goodall, 2015, pp.311). It needs to be reiterated that adjustments to inclusive
education has challenged Australian practices to differentiate normalised settings according
to individual requirements and have paved way for assistant staffing, reflexive pedagogies
and enriched learning opportunities.

An alternative perspective on students with ASD is the assessment strategies, including

intelligence tests, which sets the benchmark of which inclusive education can be deemed
appropriate. According to research by Carter et. al (2014) the average score of ASD students
on an IQ test varies significantly between support classes and regular classes, with the scores
being 80.7 and 89.3 respectively. These results would suggest that support through a
mainstream setting presents modest academic achievement while greater social and
behavioural progress is observed (pp.64). What inclusive education aims to achieve in this

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context is to present students with life skills while also changing attitudes towards inclusive
education. The result is a subsequent step forward in societal acceptance of people with
disabilities and acknowledgement that their competence in standardised testing is potentially,
in some cases, better than mainstream students. Furthermore, having a proactive approach to
assessment strategies for ASD students is reported by Chandler-Olcott and Kuth (2009) to
have rejuvenated educators professionally to make data-driven decisions to support students’
progression and development (pp.555). The ability to measure student performance for ASD
students has now developed into assessments based on their individual strengths, given this is
more equitable than the case of standardising and a formative process better measures their
abilities. Deppeler (2007) recommends in her journal that scaffolding, where the teacher
continually adjusts the level of support in response to performance, is better suited to ASD
students and complements the formative process to decide where the students are, and where
they need to improve (pp.167). Furthermore, while reference is made to students with ASD,
differentiated instruction and assessment for gifted and talented students is also significant as
Loreman, Deppeler and Harvey (2011) argue that standardised forms of assessment only tell
us about an individual’s strengths, and not their overall cognitive abilities (pp.53).

The recent success of students with ASD in inclusive settings relies on the adjustments of
teachers engaging in practices that improve on students individual assets. Such an example
introduces us to the TECH framework for teachers. Assistance through technology has
allowed adjustments in classrooms that promote differentiated learning and improve student
engagement for all inclusive students. Assistive technology, while being based on individual
needs, has the potential to help teachers create learning opportunities and convey explicit
instruction. According to King-Sears (2011) creating opportunities to integrate in the
classroom include blogging their reactions to a text, posting videos of work critique, and
summarising lesson content through an interactive online poll (pp.571). Given the range of
cognitive and social characteristics in a classroom, creating the technological framework to
support the skills sets of each student highlights collaboration to promote generalisation,
although this must be executed on a whole school level. Hart and Whalon (2011) make
reference in their article to train other staff who have interaction with inclusive students
(pp.277) so that they may address modalities of learning through assistive technology. The
improvement on students, for example, with comprehension difficulties and on the autism
spectrum significantly enriched vocabulary and grammar abilities when using a computer
avatar tutor (King-Sears, 2011). In conclusion, allowing students to create their own form of

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lesson evaluation, with explicit instruction, gives them a sense of responsibility to perform to
their strengths, and diversifies the learning collection which motivates all students, including
those with ASD.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the progression of inclusive education within Australian schools has been
actively researched and developed due to annual increases in the number of students with
disabilities, the initiatives from legislation regarding inclusiveness and a global perspective
who acknowledge reformed education. These policies that influenced Australian classrooms
in particular are the Disability Discrimination Act, 2005, the Disability Standards for
Education, 1992 and the Salamanca Statement, 1992. An understanding of inclusion in
relation to teaching practices has encouraged the triangulation of teachers, parents and
students to specifically improve the adjustments and accommodations necessary for inclusion
within the classroom. A recent study from Carter et al (2014) provides evidence that
relatively high levels of parent, teacher and principal approval with mainstream placement for
children with ASD (pp.67) is due to the adaptive skills critical to the development of
inclusive students, including those with ASD. Improved pedagogies have been carefully
researched and reviewed against the current frameworks for education, where these
supporting structures and skills help facilitate a positive learning environment targeted
towards the improvement of inclusive education.

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References:

Australian Government: Department of Education and Training. (2005). Disability Standards

for Education 2005. Retrieved from
https://docs.education.gov.au/node/16354
Australian Human Rights Commission. (2014). Disability Discrimination. Retrieved from
https://www.humanrights.gov.au/employers/good-practice-good-business-
factsheets/disability-discrimination
Ballard, K. (2012). Inclusion and social justice: Techers as agents of change. In S. Carrington
& J. MacArthur (Eds.), Teaching in inclusive school communities (pp. 65-87). Milton,
Queensland: John Wiley.
Camargo, S., Rispoli, M., Ganz, J., Hong, E., Davis, H., & Mason, R. (2014). A Review of
the Quality of Behaviorally-Based Intervention Research to Improve Social
Interaction Skills of Children with ASD in Inclusive Settings. Journal Of Autism &
Developmental Disorders, 44(9), 2096-2116. doi:10.1007/s10803-014-2060-7
Carter, M., Stephenson, J., Clark, T., Costley, D., Martin, J., Williams, K., & ... Bruck, S.
(2014). Perspectives on Regular and Support Class Placement and Factors that
Contribute to Success of Inclusion for Children with ASD. Journal Of International
Special Needs Education, 17(2), 60-69.
Chandler-Olcott, K., & Kluth, P. (2009). Why Everyone Benefits From Including Students
With Autism in Literacy Classrooms. Reading Teacher, 62(7), 548-557.
Deppeler, J. (2007). Classroom assessment for student learning. In M. Keeffe & S.
Carrington (Eds.), Schools and diversity (2nd ed., pp.164-187). Retrieved from
https://ap01.alma.exlibrisgroup.com/leganto/readinglist/lists/20133411070001571
Dunn, L. (1968). Special education for the idly retarded – Is much of it justifiable?
Exceptional Children, 35(1), Retrieved from
https://vuws.westernsydney.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?cours
e_id=_24385_1&content_id=_3145771_1&mode=reset
Forlin, C. (2006). Inclusive Education in Australia ten years after Salamanca. European
Journal Of Psychology Of Education - EJPE (Instituto Superior De Psicologia
Aplicada), 21(3), 265-277.
Goodall, C. (2015). How do we create ASD-friendly schools? A dilemma of placement.
Support For Learning, 30(4), 305-326. doi:10.1111/1467-9604.12104

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Hart, J. E., & Whalon, K. J. (2011). Creating Social Opportunities for Students With Autism
Spectrum Disorder in Inclusive Settings. Intervention In School & Clinic, 46(5), 273-
279. doi:10.1177/1053451210395382
Humphrey, N., & Symes, W. (2013). Inclusive education for pupils with autistic spectrum
disorders in secondary mainstream schools: teacher attitudes, experience and
knowledge. International Journal Of Inclusive Education, 17(1), 32-46.
doi:10.1080/13603116.2011.580462
King-Sears, M. E., Swanson, C., & Mainzer, L. (2011). TECHnology and Literacy for
Adolescents With Disabilities. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 54(8), 569-
578. doi:10.1598/JAAL.54.8.2
Loreman, T., Deppeler, J., & Harvey, D. (2011). Inclusive Education: Supporting diversity in
the classroom (2nd ed.). Crows Nest, Australia: Allen & Unwin.
NSW Department of Education and Training (NSW DET) (2016). Annual Report 2016. NSW
Government. Retrieved from
https://data.cese.nsw.gov.au/data/dataset/nsw-department-of-education-annual-report
Ravet, J. (2011). Inclusive/exclusive? Contradictory perspectives on autism and inclusion: the
case for an integrative position. International Journal Of Inclusive Education, 15(6),
667-682. doi:10.1080/13603110903294347
Reupert, A., Deppeler, J. M., & Sharma, U. (2015). Enablers for Inclusion: The Perspectives
of Parents of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Australasian Journal Of
Special Education, 39(1), 85-96. doi:10.1017/jse.2014.17
Saggers, B. (2015). Student perceptions: Improving the educational experiences of high
school students on the autism spectrum. Improving Schools, 18(1), 35-45.
doi:10.1177/1365480214566213

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