ERIC Number: EJ1393223
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2047-3869
EISSN: EISSN-2047-3877
Inclusivity for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Parents' Reflections of the School Learning Environment versus Home Learning during COVID-19
Hill, C.; Keville, S.; Ludlow, A. K.
International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, v69 n4 p546-554 2023
Whilst attendance in mainstream school helps encourage inclusivity, these environments are recognised as being particularly challenging for young people with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The COVID-19 pandemic brought a novel transition as young people moved from school to home-learning. This study compared the experiences of parents of children with ASD and co-occurring health difficulties of school-learning environments with their home-learning environments during COVID-19 lockdown. An interpretative phenomenological analysis was conducted on semi-structured interviews from six parents of children (aged 8-15 years old) with ASD. Four superordinate themes were generated: Interactions between Health, ASD and Learning Environments; School Support and Managing Health Needs; Seeking Solutions; and Learning from COVID-19 Lockdown. The study highlighted the impact of ASD and co-occurring health difficulties on learning where parents found ways to provide positive home-learning environments which could be used and/or transferred back into school environments. These results hold real-world implications where educators could treat sensory and ASD friendly environments as standard and include genuine adjustments for children with ASD and additional needs. A flexible home-learning approach using parental knowledge around environmental adjustments that support learning, wellbeing and a sense of inclusion should be prioritised for children's overall development and wellbeing in these unprecedented times, and beyond.
Descriptors: Inclusion, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Students with Disabilities, Parent Attitudes, Educational Environment, Family Environment, COVID-19, Pandemics, School Closing, Student Needs, Health Needs, Accessibility (for Disabled), Parent Role, Well Being, Foreign Countries, Child Health, School Role
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A