Strategies for teaching children with autism, sensory disability and physical disability (Davis & Florian, 2004)

- Children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD)

This term covers a range of pervasive developmental disorders which include ‘classic’ autism (often in association with additional learning difficulties), for instance:

• Asperger syndrome which is sometimes referred to as ‘high functioning autism’;
• Heller’s and Rett’s syndromes (these two being degenerative conditions that may exhibit autistic features (e.g. see Dempsey and Foreman, 2001); and pervasive developmental disorder (PDD-NOS). Children in this group are seen as displaying deficits in three key areas, atypical communication and social development, adherence to ritualistic behaviour, plus a resistance to change (Howlin, 1998), with variable age of onset. Figures for incidence and prevalence vary widely because of the variety of labels used in different studies.

- Teaching approaches used with children with ASD

• There are a wide variety of comprehensive and specific teaching approaches used with children with ASD, and very few are used in isolation. According to Drudy (2001), Jordan et al. (1998) and Siegel (2000), current methods include: applied behaviour analysis (Lovaas therapy), aromatherapy, art therapy, behaviour modification (for teaching skills or managing behaviour), computer assisted learning, daily life therapy, diet, drama therapy, EarlyBird, facilitated communication, floor time (the Greenspan approach), Geoffrey Walden approach, Hanen programme, holding therapy, Makaton signing and symbols, massage, the Miller method, music therapy, musical interaction therapy, option method, picture exchange communication system (PECS), sensory integration, Sherborne movement, social stories, speech and language therapy, treatment and education of autistic and communication handicapped children (TEACCH).
• Jordan et al. (1998) report that an eclectic approach is usually adopted and practice is influenced by the experience and expertise of staff and of visiting professionals (i.e. speech and language therapists, educational psychologists).
• For many of the approaches above there is limited or no research evidence relating to their effectiveness. Examples include aromatherapy, art therapy, option method, and holding 15 therapy. Some teaching approaches have been researched and reported as having no beneficial effects. These include facilitated communication and auditory integration training (Drudy, 2001). Other approaches have a research base with mixed results. These include sensory integration and daily life therapy (Drudy, 2001; Jordan et al., 1998). Finally, there are two main approaches that have (a) been subjected to research, and (b) provided promising outcomes. These are applied behaviour analysis (ABA) and treatment and education of autistic and communication handicapped children (TEACCH).

Sensory and/or physical

The children referred to in this strand are varied in terms of their impairments and, indeed, in their educational needs. They include many children whose needs can be met with a little adaptation by a mainstream class teacher. However, there are others whose needs are highly complex and who may require some input from a highly qualified specialist teacher.

Many different terms are used in the literature and there are considerable differences internationally. For instance, in the USA the term ‘hearing impaired’ is rarely used and the term ‘hard of hearing’ is preferred. The terms ‘deaf’ and ‘hearing impaired’ may indicate a ‘political’ distinction, particularly where ‘deaf’ is used. Indeed, the capitalisation of ‘deaf’ to ‘Deaf’ is often used to imply identification with a Deaf community that has its own linguistic and cultural identity. For the purpose of simplification, the following terms are used here to describe the children in this strand: visually impaired (VI), hearing impaired (HI), multi-sensory impaired (MSI), and physically disabled (PD).

Although, each of these categories carries with its implications for the specifics of effective teaching strategies and methods, within any one sub-category (e.g. HI or MSI) there is also wide variation in the educational needs of the children and wide variation in the detail of specialist teaching approaches reported.

Physical impairments can also be related to medical conditions. Epilepsy, for instance, is an important chronic medical conditions affecting children. Until comparatively recently children with epilepsy were either excluded from mainstream education, or were educated in settings supported with highly elaborate, medical assistance in place. Even now, children often experience restricted curriculum and social access to facilities in mainstream schools (Parkinson 2002, Tidman, Saravavan and Gibbs 2003). However, there is a dearth of evidence-based literature that explores best practice in assessment, access to learning and the curriculum for this group. Neither have there been any recent studies on the effects epilepsy may have on disruption to education, which may affect children to varying degrees, both short and long term (Closs, 2000).