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Facilitators and Barriers to Inclusion of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Parent, Teacher, and Principal Perspectives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 September 2020

Jennifer Stephenson ,
Leah Browne ,
Mark Carter ,
Trevor Clark ,
Debra Costley Open the ORCID record for Debra Costley [Opens in a new window] ,
Jon Martin ,
Katrina Williams ,
Susan Bruck Open the ORCID record for Susan Bruck [Opens in a new window] ,
Louise Davies  and
Naomi Sweller
Jennifer Stephenson*
Affiliation:
Macquarie University, Australia
Leah Browne
Affiliation:
Macquarie University, Australia
Mark Carter
Affiliation:
Macquarie University, Australia
Trevor Clark
Affiliation:
Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect), Sydney, Australia
Debra Costley
Affiliation:
Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect), Sydney, Australia
Jon Martin
Affiliation:
Jon Martin Training and Consulting, Australia
Katrina Williams
Affiliation:
University of Melbourne, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, and Royal Children’s Hospital, Australia
Susan Bruck
Affiliation:
Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect), Sydney, Australia
Louise Davies
Affiliation:
Autism SA, Adelaide, Australia
Naomi Sweller
Affiliation:
Macquarie University, Australia
*
*Corresponding author. Email: jennifer.stephenson@mq.edu.au
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Abstract

The inclusion of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is increasing, but there have been no longitudinal studies of included students in Australia. Interview data reported in this study concern primary school children with ASD enrolled in mainstream classes in South Australia and New South Wales, Australia. In order to examine perceived facilitators and barriers to inclusion, parents, teachers, and principals were asked to comment on the facilitators and barriers to inclusion relevant to each child. Data are reported about 60 students, comprising a total of 305 parent interviews, 208 teacher interviews, and 227 principal interviews collected at 6-monthly intervals over 3.5 years. The most commonly mentioned facilitator was teacher practices. The most commonly mentioned barrier was intrinsic student factors. Other factors not directly controllable by school staff, such as resource limitations, were also commonly identified by principals and teachers. Parents were more likely to mention school- or teacher-related barriers. Many of the current findings were consistent with previous studies but some differences were noted, including limited reporting of sensory issues and bullying as barriers. There was little change in the pattern of facilitators and barriers identified by respondents over time. A number of implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed.

Keywords

autism spectrum disorderinclusionschoolbarriersfacilitators
Type
Original Articles
Information
Australasian Journal of Special and Inclusive Education , Volume 45 , Issue 1 , July 2021 , pp. 1 - 17
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2020

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Footnotes

†

This manuscript was accepted under the Editorship of Michael Arthur-Kelly.

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