Thesis On Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) - Assignment Solution

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological disorder that affects the ability of a person to interact and communicate with other people and the surrounding environment (Iovannone, Dunlap, Huber, & Kincaid, 2003). Individuals with ASD tend to have impaired communication skills; their patterns of behaviour are either restricted or repetitive, and they face many challenges when it comes to social interaction. Given that the diagnosis of ASD is made through behavioural observations and developmental assessments, it becomes very difficult to recognize it in the formative years (Yell, Drasgow, & Lowrey, 2005). Some individuals with ASD might report enhancement of overall skills and adaptive behaviour as they move into adulthood, while others might develop mental health disorders (Levvy & Perry, 2011). Wolff (2004) noted that autism remains “a fascinating condition, perhaps the most prolifically researched of all child psychiatric disorders”, highlighting the complex nature of the disorder.

Education is an integral part of Australia’s socioeconomic and political environment, and every child has a right to receive quality education. It is recognized as a basic human right that is well-supported by the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) in Australia (Dempsey, The impact of the Disability Discrimination Act on school students with a disability in Australia, 2003). The DDA of Australia has a strong focus on promoting equity in the education sector through social inclusion, while positively impacting the education of disabled people. However, Australian school environments and education curricula are quite challenging to students diagnosed with autism (Anderson & Boyle, 2015). Current services in Australia are constrained by funding limitations, as well as the unavailability of trained workers to work with students diagnosed with ASD (Chown & Beavan, 2012). Due to these daunting challenges, people with ASD and their families struggle to smoothly navigate the transition phase from primary school to secondary school on their own (Makin, Hill, & Pellicano, 2017). 

Autism Asperger’s Advocacy Australia (2017) revealed that the number of children with ASD continued to grow at a substantial rate until 2016. Around 78,951 ASD children were found to get carer allowance that was 9.4% more than that of ASD children in 2015. With 16.5 children being diagnosed with ASD every day, the issue of ASD became a serious concern for health and education providers in Australia. Data from Australia Bureau of Statistics (2015) suggested that the increasing ASD diagnoses,diagnoses were mainly due to mild or moderate disabilities in children that make it challenging for school going schildren to gain cognitive and communication skills (Drmic, Szatmari, & Volkmar, 2018). ABS (2015) also highlighted the poor outcomes for autistic children in the education and employment industries. In 2015, the ABS reported that almost 97% of autistic students faced educational restrictions, while 84% of school-going students reported facing difficulties at their place of learning (ABS, 2015). Regardless of the various causes interventionsof made by Government for ASD in students, the continued rise in ASD students indicates that the support services provided by education department are insufficient (Karola, Julie‐Ann, & Lyn, 2016). Hence, the government of Australia is required to expand their services, to ensure that all students with ASD are able to receive education within inclusive classrooms appropriately.  

The Australian government has been focusing on supportive, inclusive culture in schools through policy guidance and proper funding (Mackenzie, Cologon, & Fenech, 2016). Teaching excellence and strong leadership are expected to enhance the efforts made by the government, towards meeting the individual needs of students with ASD. Inclusive culture can be achieved, by providing strength-based learning so that the sensory needs of autistic students are met efficiently in the school environment (Mackenzie et al., 2016). In 2015, the ABS reported that almost 97% of autistic students faced educational restrictions, while 84% of school-going students reported facing difficulties at their place of learning (ABS, 2015). In mitigating these issues, the government of Australia agreed to adopt a new funding model that enabled autistic students, to access targeted funding so that their social, emotional and learning needs could be met. timely. 

The school environment and mainstream curricula have presented major challenges for students exhibiting ASD in Australia. Especially young children with ASD face significantly greater risks of school exclusion, because they are at their formative stage of interacting with and experiencing the world (Partlo, 2018). As a result, they require a lot of attention through the creation of an inclusive school culture and environment that provides for the learning needs of students, while also allowing them to attain their potential. To date, in Australia 81% of young students with autism do not complete post-school qualifications. According to Newman et al. (2011), young people with autism are much less likely to engage in employment, education or high-level training. An awareness of the challenges faced by young students and the skills that they exhibit, can assist teachers and educational providers in addressing these needs within an inclusive environment based on diversity. Complex behaviour is much more frequent in children with ASD, and has become the biggest challenge for educators to ensure that the emotional, social and behavioural needs of these children are met within education contexts (Koegel, Matos-Freden, Lang, & Koege, 2012).