PDF herunterladen
CC BY 4.0 · Journal of Child Science 2021; 11(01): e255-e261
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1735882
Original Article

Inclusive Education for Children with Special Needs and Autism: Status in the Schools of Puducherry, India

Sujitha Mukkiri
1   Department of Pediatrics, Child Guidance Clinic, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research, Puducherry, India
,
Preeti Kandasamy
2   Department of Psychiatry, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research, Puducherry, India
,
Mahadevan Subramanian
1   Department of Pediatrics, Child Guidance Clinic, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research, Puducherry, India
,
Venkatesh Chandrasekaran 
1   Department of Pediatrics, Child Guidance Clinic, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research, Puducherry, India
,
Shivanand Kattimani
2   Department of Psychiatry, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research, Puducherry, India
› Institutsangaben Funding None.
› Weitere Informationen
Auch verfügbar auf
   Lizenzen und Reprints

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting social interaction and communication. Children with autism are at risk of school exclusion because of the inherent problems in behavior and communication. This study was performed in Puducherry to determine whether inclusive education is practiced for children with ASD and to ascertain the difficulties faced by educators in the schools that enroll children with ASD. This study was performed in the mainstream (regular) and special schools of Puducherry between November 2018 and February 2019. The mainstream schools were contacted over the telephone, by e-mail, and by regular post, and the investigator contacted the special schools in person. Data were collected using a semistructured proforma. A total of 66 schools participated in the survey (60 mainstream and 6 special schools). Among 60 mainstream schools comprising 3,967 children, 18 (0.45%) were children with special needs (CWSN) and 2 (0.05%) had ASD. In the six special schools comprising 2,167 children, 1,844 (85%) were CWSN and 323 (15%) were those with ASD. Among the 60 mainstream schools, only 14 (23.3%) schools had provision for special educators, accounting for 42 teachers. Behavioral problems were commonly reported in special schools. Enrollment of children with ASD is negligible in mainstream schools compared with special schools in Puducherry. More studies are needed to explore the reason for the same and to explore the feasibility of providing access to disabled children in mainstream schools.

Keywords

autism - children with special needs - inclusive education

Authors' Contributions

S.M., P.K., and M.S. were involved in the initial planning of the PhD work. P.K. and V.C. conceptualized the survey. S.M. performed the survey with guidance from P.K., V.C., and S.K. P.K., V.C., and S.K. analyzed the results. The first draft was written by S.M. and revised by inputs from P.K., V.C., and S.K. All authors have reviewed the draft for intellectual content and approved the final draft.




Publikationsverlauf

Eingereicht: 02. April 2021

Angenommen: 07. August 2021

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
28. September 2021

© 2021. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany