Australian educational needs analysis

Students described the difficulties they faced at school:

1. planning for assignments
2. working as part of a group
3. handwriting, in particular being neat
4. coping with change, e.g. changes in teachers or the timetable
5. coping with bullying or teasing
6. handwriting, in particular being quick enough to keep up
7. copying information from the board
8. doing homework
9. staying calm when other kids annoy me or when the classroom is very noisy
10. talking in front of the class and starting tasks
    
     

Students rated the things that they thought would help them at school:  

1. being able to use technology to support their educational needs in a variety of ways, e.g. to type or help with school work
2. being able to take a break and having time away from others
3. being reminded of pending changes
4. getting copies of things teachers wrote on the board
5. using special interests to do projects
6. help with organising themselves
7. receiving rewards for jobs well done
8. a quiet space to do assessment
9. one-on-one help from an adult

Additional qualitative comments from students identified four key themes about things they find most helpful, including:

1. empathic, patient teachers
2. social support and friendships
3. interesting work
4. a range of other adjustments, e.g. games, shorter days, quieter classroom, listening to music at school, and professional teachers rather than distance education from home
   
    

This project identified 10 key recommendations: 

1. Educational settings should support the social emotional wellbeing of students on the autism spectrum as an essential element of programming. This has been widely recognised as a protective factor for wellbeing and mental health, as well as a key to educational success.
2. Positive behaviour support is vital.
3. A flexible and individually tailored educational approach to programming and support for students on the spectrum is critical.
4. Educational approaches need to consider student preferences for support including:
   • using technology to support academic and learning needs
   • one-on-one support inside and outside the classroom
   • support for executive function skills, e.g. planning, organisation, and time management skills
   • social aspects of schooling, e.g. working as part of a group, getting along with others, and teasing and bullying
   • staying calm and being able to access time away when it is needed
   • additional support for tasks requiring handwriting
   • support for sensory needs support for times of transition or pending change.
5. Technology needs to be considered as an essential element of support. A range of technological supports have a place in supporting the needs of students on the spectrum across the whole school day.
6. The importance of school connectedness and supporting school connectedness in students on the spectrum has been recognised, and strategies to support and enhance connectedness need to be considered.
7. Support for students on the spectrum in educational settings needs to take into consideration the sensory experiences of the environment which may impact on learning, especially noise, touch, and staying still for long periods of time.
8. Supporting co-existing conditions experienced by students on the spectrum is essential, especially anxiety, depression, attention difficulties, learning and communication issues, and auditory processing needs. This is particularly important as they move into adolescence.
9. Future professional learning for educators and specialists needs to focus on teacher confidence and self-efficacy in supporting students on the spectrum.
10. Educator and specialist training needs to be delivered in a variety of ways, including using technology to support learning and development, e.g. face-to-face professional development training, seminars, professional support methods and coaching, and observations of others practice online.
    
     

Self-regulation

Self-regulation helps us control our impulses, regulate our behaviour, and stay calm.

Self-regulation is important for social emotional wellbeing, academic success, and social success.

Students on the autism spectrum often experience difficulties with self-regulation and may need explicit and specific teaching of these skills.

Executive function

We use our executive function skills to help us attend to relevant information in the environment.

These skills help us to effectively plan, organise, execute, and sequence tasks in an appropriate time frame. Students use these skills throughout the school day to manage the demands placed on them.

Students on the spectrum may have difficulties with executive function skills, which can affect their ability to manage the demands of the school day.

Supporting transition and impending change

People spend up to one quarter of their days transitioning between tasks.

For students on the spectrum, having to shift attention and a need for 'sameness' can make coping with transition difficult – because transitions require students to deal with new things and can take away from the predictability of the situation.

Supporting change and transition is therefore important for students on the spectrum.

Special interests

Students on the spectrum often have special interests – 'those passions that capture the mind, heart, time, and attention of individuals with ASD, providing a lens through which they view the world' (Winter-Messiers, 2007).

Teachers can help students on the spectrum to participate and engage in learning activities by incorporating students' special interests into learning activities.

Social emotional wellbeing support

Social and emotional wellbeing support is essential to successful inclusion of students on the spectrum.

Effective schools entwine social emotional competence and academic achievement. 'Integrating instructions in both areas maximises students' potential to succeed in school and throughout their lives' (Zins & Elias, 2006).

Responding to the social emotional wellbeing needs of students on the spectrum is critcal to ensuring they can manage the social and emotional aspects of the class and school environment. 

Handwriting

While handwriting plays an important role in school and communication, students on the spectrum can find it difficult. They can also find the following tasks challenging:

• being neat
• copying information from the board
• writing at speed for long periods of time

Ensure that handwriting tasks are well-supported for students by:

• considering how essential handwriting is to the task
• providing students with additional support
• allowing students to type
• providing copies of information
• providing a scribe
• using technology apps
• allowing students to take photos of information.

Visual supports

Visual supports are commonly used with students on the spectrum to support learning because they are a resource that, in contrast to auditory information, remains static.

As a result, visual supports can help to:

• increase predictability
• increase comprehension
• increase positive behaviour and participation
• support the shifting of attention
• reduce anxiety.

Technology

'Students on the spectrum have strengths in visual processing that can be promoted through digital tools. They may experience difficulties in communication, complex cues, and affective and social learning that can be supported with digital tools' (Cafiero, 2008).

While a range of digital tools is being rolled out to support these students, the Australian Educational Needs Analysis highlights that technology needs to be supervised and integrated with other approaches, and staff require adequate training in how technology can be used to support the needs of students on the spectrum.

Sensory support

There are seven main sensory systems that gain and process information, including:

• taste
• touch
• hearing
• smell
• visual
• vestibular (balance)
• proprioceptive (position and movement).

The sensory systems of students on the spectrum may be either over-receptive (too sensitive) or under-receptive (not sensitive enough).

As a result, their sensory needs may influence their ability to participate in classroom environments. Consider adjusting the environment to help support students' needs.