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Category: Inclusion and Mainstreaming

Who to Include? Who to Exclude?

Who to Include? Who to Exclude?

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Many autistic people suffer in mainstream schools.  They can be bullied and victimized, isolated and ostracized.  They can experience the distress which comes from being in an environment that is hostile to their senses.  Their mental health can suffer.  Some autistic people, in the schools, do not learn the subjects being taught in their curriculum, but helplessness and fear. There are at least two major responses to this problem.  One group – those who could be called “full,” “universal,” or…

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Social Learning in Mainstream Schools

Social Learning in Mainstream Schools

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In previous posts, I have argued that the mainstream school can be – rather than an inclusive environment – a place where autistic children are victimized and isolated.  It isn’t always, but it often is. However, we often hear the idea that autistic people should be mainstreamed because exposure to neurotypical peers can improve their social skills (e.g., Lynch & Irvine, 2009, p. 848, Roberts & Simpson, 2016, p. 1086; Sansosti & Sansosti, 2012, p. 924).  In theory, because neurotypical…

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Isolation in Mainstream Schools

Isolation in Mainstream Schools

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I have already posted about what is perhaps the most obvious disadvantage of the mainstream school – bullying.  But there is another problem which is at least as important, and probably much more so.  It is more subtle and insidious, but certainly no less damaging.  It is the problem of social isolation. There is ample research to demonstrate that autistic people in the mainstream are isolated.  Autistic children often lack friendships and may find themselves reduced to the peripheries of…

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An Autistic Critique of the Mainstream School

An Autistic Critique of the Mainstream School

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Isn’t inclusion a wonderful idea?  Imagine – a group of students, together in a local community school.  Each student is different from the others, but all are equal.  Each student has their own interests and passions, but all are meaningfully included as full participants in their school community.  Each student has their own abilities and needs, but all students are having their needs met.  That image is inclusion.  Seems very close to perfection, doesn’t it? Inclusion is a beautiful idea. …

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