Appropriate and accessible education for all is, in essence, a matter of social justice.
Internationally this issue has come into focus increasingly over the past century
with the development of a series of statements and declarations on human rights,
which include the right to education for all, the rights of people with disabili-
ties, and the right to equitable and accessible education for people with disabil-
ities (see Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Education Needs
[UNESCO, 1994]; UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and
Optional Protocol [UN General Assembly, 2007]; World Declaration on Education for
All (UNESCO, 1990]).
The concept of inclusion in education worldwide advocates that students with
special needs can and should be educated in the same settings as their typically
developing peers with appropriate support services, rather than being placed in
special education classrooms or schools (Polat, 2011). For the majority of students
with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC),
their placement is within regular classes with regular students but with teachers
who often have limited experience or knowledge about their specific disability.
Of primary concern for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, however, is that
due to the very nature of their disability, placement in a regular class may result in
‘exclusion’ because the teacher, the classroom and the school are not meeting the
student’s individual social needs.
Research has discussed how the unique social impairments of students with
Autism Spectrum Disorder requires targeted intervention to support active social
engagement with others (e.g. Lindsay, Proulx, Scott and Thomson, 2014). However,
in discussing successful inclusive practice, the focus appears to be placed on stu-
dents’ achievement of academic outcomes as the measure of success. Given the
nature of Autism Spectrum Disorder as primarily a social disorder, success for
INTRODUCTION
Cathy Little