Inclusive Education for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Elementary Schools in Vietnam: The Current Situation and Solutions

Cong Van Tran,Muc Minh Pham,Phuong Thi Mai,Tam Thi Le,Dan Trong Nguyen

doi:10.26822/iejee.2020358220

Abstract

In Vietnam, the number of children identified as experiencing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has rapidly increased. Inclusive education (IE) has been implemented with children with ASD for more than 20 years. The effectiveness with which IE has been implemented to date with children with ASD has previously not been assessed. In this study, we examined (a) the implementation of IE for children with ASD in elementary schools, (b) family and community participation in IE, and (c) factors affecting IE. A mixed-method research design was employed that included surveys and interviews. Surveys included multiple-choice questions on a broad range of IE practices. Ten professionals, community leaders, and school leaders, 263 teachers, and 114 parents of elementary-age children with ASD in Hanoi and Ha Giang participated in the study. Results revealed there were a number of children with ASD who were not attending elementary school. Where IE was implemented for children with ASD, teachers and families often did not receive adequate training and support, thus discouraging their efforts. Participants expressed a desire for more clearly articulated IE practices, training for teachers and families, and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Highlights

In Vietnam, the number of children identified as experiencing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has rapidly increased
Our study focuses on two main questions: What is the current situation of Inclusive education (IE) for children with ASD in Vietnam? and What do teachers, parents, administrators, and community administrators want to improve the quality of IE for ASD children?
We found the percentage of children with an individualized education plan (IEP) in rural areas (64.9%) was lower than those with an IEP in urban areas (80.9%)

Summary

Introduction

In Vietnam, the number of children identified as experiencing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has rapidly increased. We examined (a) the implementation of IE for children with ASD in elementary schools, (b) family and community participation in IE, and (c) factors affecting IE. Previous studies have shown children with ASD in inclusive classrooms have increased the development of social interaction in both communication skills and group activities (Runcharoen, 2014), and their untargeted verbal initiations greatly improved over baseline levels and often approximated the levels of their peers (Rotheram-Fuller et al, 2010). Do students with ASD benefit from being included in a general educational setting, but their typical peers benefit from being exposed to children with disabilities (Dybvik, 2004). Studies of IE for children with ASD focus on (a) the effects of subjective and objective factors on the ability to learn inclusively for children with ASD (subjective factors include childrens’ functional level, whether high functioning or low functioning autism, and the developmental history of each child; objective factors include education history, especially whether the child has had early intervention, and forms of IE; Eldar, Talmor, & Wolf-Zukerman, 2010; Zuki & Rahman, 2016); (b) effective IE measures (Davidson, 2015; Denning & Moody, 2013; Gavaldá & Qinyi, 2012; Simpson, de Boer-Ott, & Smith-Myles, 2003; Wilson & Landa, 2019); (c) the effect of IE on the development of the areas of school skills, communication, and social interaction (Lal, 2005; Ncube, 2014; Runcharoen, 2014); (d) comparing the effectiveness of IE to specialized separate education (Waddington & Reed, 2017); and (e) the significance of applying specific methods, such as music, applied behavior analysis (ABA; Lovaas, 1987), or treatment and education of autistic and related communication handicapped children (TEACCH; Schopler, Mesibov, Shigley, & Bashford, 1984) and the effectiveness of IE, which focusing on the long-term effectiveness in the development of children with ASD (Koegel, Matos-Freden, Lang, & Koegel, 2012; Wiseman, 2015; Panerai et al, 2009)

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Discussion

Conclusion