Progress

Phase 1:

While noting that within the UK itself, there are variations in policy and practice in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the findings from the review of the ‘state of the art’ of autism practice and education in Greece, Italy and the UK revealed some key similarities and points of divergence between the three countries.

In general terms, an ethos of inclusion is embraced and the unique educational needs of autistic children are recognised in all three nations. Further, there are similarities in the diagnostic processes in Greece, Italy and the UK and some correspondences in the ways in which autism is conceptualised.

However, important differences are evident in terms of how these principles and attitudes are realised both in practice and through the educational structures of each country in the context of Special Educational Needs (SEN). Indeed, there is currently a varying commitment in all three countries to tailoring pedagogy to the specific needs of autistic pupils and this is coupled with key structural differences in the deployment of school staff, as well as differing perspectives on the relationship between therapy and education. Moreover, while in the UK there is a presumption of mainstream education, there are very few special schools in Italy. In Greece, on the other hand, the education of autistic children is spread between mainstream schools, special schools and outpatient centres, some of which are relatively unregulated. Further, while Individual Education Plans (IEPs) are enforceable by law in Italy, this is not the case in Greece. Indeed in the UK, IEPs are no longer technically used (SEN and Disability Code of Practice, 2014).

Following this tranche of the research project which utilised predominantly secondary data, the team entered the second part of Phase 1, which involved primary data collection through questionnaires, focus groups and interviews (see Methodology section). The core findings were as follows:

• In Greece, professionals working with autistic children in outpatient centres are currently better qualified and more confident (in relation to autistic pupils) than teachers in mainstream schools;
• In Greece, the inclusion of autistic children in mainstream settings will be facilitated by bridging the gap between private and public educational provision;
• In Italy, teachers may have received a high level of SEN training, but they consider that there is a gap between their knowledge and how to realise this in practice;
• In Italy, teachers would benefit from employing a the principles of community of practice in order to build confidence and reduce anxiety about working with autistic pupils;
• The entire TAE team needs to adapt the AET training materials in a flexible and culturally relevant manner in order to meet the training needs of teachers in Italy and Greece;
• Inclusion in a European context needs to shift from a presentation of autism as a series of deficits to a conceptualisation of autism as a form of difference.