Year
2023Credit points
10Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unitPrerequisites
NilUnit rationale, description and aim
There is a growing awareness of the educational support needs of students on the autism spectrum and the unique challenges that school environments can present for these students. The need for increased teacher self-efficacy in supporting students on the autism spectrum has been identified, making it critical that teachers are given the opportunity to develop expertise in the provision of flexible and individually tailored approaches to educational programming for students on the autism spectrum.
This unit provides students with the opportunity to examine current literature and practice in relation to program planning for students on the autism spectrum. Students will investigate, inclusion, the social model of disability, attitudes and assumptions, terminology, learning impacts, professional collaboration, recent developments in supporting students on the autism spectrum, identification of student capabilities and needs, strength-based approaches, differentiation, planning, assessment, evaluations, and future directions in relation to program planning for students on the autism spectrum.
The aim of this unit is to give students the opportunity to increase and use their knowledge of the educational support needs of students on the autism spectrum, principles of inclusion, and application of differentiation to develop flexible and individually tailored approaches to educational programming.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:
LO1 - Describe the historical development of inclusive education and the social model of disability as they relate to students on the autism spectrum (GA4, GA8, APST (HA)1.1, 1.3, 1.6, 7.2)
LO2 - Demonstrate understanding of the educational support needs of students of the autism spectrum (GA4; APST (HA) 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.6, 4.1, 4.3, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3)
LO3 - Apply knowledge gathered from the literature about differentiation and individually tailored approaches to educational programming for students on the autism spectrum (GA6, GA9; APST (HA) 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.5, 1.6, 3.1, 3.2, 3.5, 4.1, 4.3, 4.4, 7.2, 7.3)
LO4 - Demonstrate reflective analysis in relation to program planning and assessment procedures (GA4, GA5; APST (HA)1.2, 1.5, 3.6, 7.1)
Graduate attributes
GA4 - think critically and reflectively
GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession
GA6 - solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account
GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information
GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media
AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS - HIGHLY ACCOMPLISHED
On successful completion of this unit, students should have gained evidence towards the following standards:
1.1 Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students Select from a flexible and effective repertoire of teaching strategies to suit the physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students |
1.2 Understand how students learn Expand understanding of how students learn using research and workplace knowledge |
1.3 Students with diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds Support colleagues to develop effective teaching strategies that address the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds. |
1.5 Differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities Evaluate learning and teaching programs, using student assessment data, that are differentiated for the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities. |
1.6 Strategies to support full participation of students with disability Work with colleagues to access specialist knowledge, and relevant policy and legislation, to develop teaching programs that support the participation and learning of students with disability. |
3.1 Establish challenging learning goals Develop a culture of high expectations for all students by modelling and setting challenging learning goals. |
3.2 Plan, structure and sequence learning programs Work with colleagues to plan, evaluate and modify learning and teaching programs to create productive learning environments that engage all students. |
3.5 Use effective classroom communication Assist colleagues to select a wide range of verbal and non-verbal communication strategies to support students’ understanding, engagement and achievement. |
3.6 Evaluate and improve teaching programs Work with colleagues to review current teaching and learning programs using student feedback, student assessment data, knowledge of curriculum and workplace practices. |
4.1 Support student participation Model effective practice and support colleagues to implement inclusive strategies that engage and support all students. |
4.3 Manage challenging behaviour Develop and share with colleagues a flexible repertoire of behaviour management strategies using expert knowledge and workplace experience. |
4.4 Maintain student safety Initiate and take responsibility for implementing current school and/ or system, curriculum and legislative requirements to ensure student wellbeing and safety |
7.1 Meet professional ethics and responsibilities Maintain high ethical standards and support colleagues to interpret codes of ethics and exercise sound judgement in all school and community contexts. |
7.2 Comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements Support colleagues to review and interpret legislative, administrative, and organisational requirements, policies and processes. |
7.3 Engage with parents/carers Demonstrate responsiveness in all communications with parents/carers about their children’s learning and wellbeing. |
Content
Topics will include:
- Inclusive education, the social model of disability and autism
- Attitudes and assumptions
- Terminology
- Learning impacts experienced by students on the autism spectrum
- Importance of professional collaboration
- Recent developments in supporting students on the autism spectrum
- Identification of student capabilities and needs
- Strengths-based approaches
- Differentiation
- Planning, assessment, and evaluations
- Future directions in relation to program planning for students on the autism spectrum.
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit is delivered in online mode and the use of LEO is integral to the unit in exploring concepts and testing understandings and propositions. Strategies used may include lectures, online tutorials, discussion forums, engagement with the literature, self-directed learning, critical reflection against relevant professional standards, case studies, dialogue and interrogation of concepts, theories and practices, and the application of learning to current professional contexts. This mode provides opportunities for students to engage with unit materials in a flexible and self-directed format allowing synchronous and asynchronous discussion with peers.
This is a 10-credit point unit and has been designed to ensure that the time needed to complete the required volume of learning to the requisite standard is approximately 150 hours in total across the teaching period, comprising directed tasks and self-study. There is an expectation of students working with these materials for a minimum of three hours per week. Students will engage with the online materials which include self-paced tasks that will enable them to reflect on their understanding of this area, research readings and assignment preparation. An emphasis is placed on students as adult learners with responsibility for their own learning and who are capable of problem solving. The learning in this unit is enquiry-based, learner-focused and student-centered.
Assessment strategy and rationale
To demonstrate sufficient achievement against the learning outcomes and to achieve a passing grade in the unit, it is a requirement that all assessment tasks must be submitted. In order to pass this unit, students are required to achieve a minimum of 50% in all assessment tasks. All assessments will be conducted in accordance with ACU guidelines relating to student conduct and ethics in this area.
To successfully complete this unit, students need to complete and submit two graded assessment tasks. The assessment[SW1] strategy used allows students to demonstrate their knowledge related to educational program planning for students on the autism spectrum. In order to demonstrate the learning outcomes, students are required to complete two tasks. The first task involves a review of the literature. This task provides students an opportunity to articulate the historical development of inclusive education and the social model of disability in relation to autism. The second task is a case study analysing the learning needs of a student on the autism spectrum. This task allows students to apply knowledge gathered from the literature about differentiation and individually tailored approaches to educational programming for students on the autism spectrum and demonstrate reflective analysis in relation to program planning and assessment procedures.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes | Graduate Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment Task 1 1A: Drawing on the social model of disability, students will describe the historical development of inclusive education with reference to key historical, political, and legislative events. 1B: Students will demonstrate their understanding of the range of characteristics of ASD, the barriers typically experienced by students with ASD, and the impact of these barriers on learning in school settings. | 50% | LO1, LO2 | GA4, GA6, GA8 |
Assessment Task 2 Case Study Students will undertake an analysis of student learning strengths, needs and goals. Using a given scenario students will then develop an individually tailored approach to educational programming for a student on the autism spectrum. | 50% | LO3, LO4 | GA1, GA5, GA6, GA9 |
Representative texts and references
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2016). Student diversity. http://acara.edu.au/curriculum/student-diversity
Ashman, A., & Elkins, J. (Eds.). (2019). Education for inclusion and diversity (6th ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia
Beamish, W., Clark, T., Bruck, S., Taylor, A., Robinson, A., Gallagher, E., & Harper-Hill, K. (2021). Models of Practice for Teachers of Students on the Autism Spectrum. In Supporting Students on the Autism Spectrum in Inclusive Schools (pp. 58-73). Routledge.
Clark, M., Adams, D., Roberts, J., & Westerveld, M. (2020). How do teachers support their students on the autism spectrum in Australian primary schools?. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 20(1), 38-50.
Foreman, P., & Arthur-Kelly, M. (Eds.). (2017). Inclusion in action (5th ed.) South Melbourne, Vic: Cengage Learning.
Graham, L. (2020). Inclusive education for the 21st century: Theory, policy and practice. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen and Unwin.
Hyde, M., Carpenter, L., & Dole, S. (2017). Diversity, inclusion and engagement (3rd ed.). South Melbourne, Vic: Oxford University Press.
Jordan, R., Roberts, J. M., & Hume, K. (2019). The SAGE handbook of autism and education. London, UK: SAGE Publications Ltc.
Saggers, B., Klug, D., Harper-Hill, K., Ashburner, J., Costley, D., Clark, T., & Carrington, S. (2018). Australian autism educational needs analysis–What are the needs of schools, parents and students on the autism spectrum.
Woods, R. (2017). Exploring how the social model of disability can be re-invigorated for autism: in response to Jonathan Levitt. Disability & Society, 32(7), 1090-1095.