Students with autism in an alternative classroom during COVID-19 pandemic: experiences shared by special educators in India

Abstract

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the students with Autism faced difficulties in teaching-learning due to campus closures. The special schools opted for alternative classrooms i.e. online mode. Due to certain specific and unique characteristics, the learning experiences of students with autism would be different from neurotypical students. Objectives: To know about the challenges and facilitators of the alternative classroom through the teacher’s narratives. Method: The virtual interviews recorded by 15 special educators from special schools in Kolkata city and its outskirts, selected using purposive sampling were analyzed through inductive thematic analysis. Results: The generated themes reveal the challenges of setting up and adapting to the online classes faced by special educators, students, and their parents. The study findings also inform about the advantages gained during the pandemic such as parental involvement for better learning in a safe space. Conclusion: A combined mode of teaching might be appropriate for the future to bring out the best in the learners.

Keywords:

• alternative teaching-learning
• autism
• students
• special educators
• challenges
• advantages

Compliance with ethical standards

The study was ethically approved by the Research Advisory Committee (RAC) of the University of Calcutta, India. An audio-recorded informed verbal consent, as well as electronic informed consent, was taken from every participant. Participation was voluntary and no monetary reward was involved to take part in the study. The researchers had committed to maintaining complete anonymity and confidentiality of personal information to all participants.

Data collection process

Data saturation and appropriateness of the sample size

15 participants were selected for the interview, with maximum possible diversity within the range of inclusion criteria. After the completion of 15 interviews, it was observed that most of the research questions were answered and no new themes were generated hence, to avoid redundancy further data collection was stopped. Furthermore, during COVID very few schools could afford the program of alternative teaching-learning rest were closed, therefore the population of the study is itself very limited (Field et al. 2020, Low 2019).

Data analysis

As all the teachers were fluent in English, so the interviewer used English as the language of communication.

Data were extracted manually by two independent researchers in consensus from the transcripts and summarized to investigate the narrations of all participants within the common thematic framework, within-case, and between-case analyses. A six-phase thematic analysis method was used (Braun and Clarke 2006, 2012). In the first step, the researcher transcribed the data, then read and re-read each transcript to note down the initial ideas. In the second step, initial codes were generated and the data from all respondents were collated. In the third step formation of themes from the gathered codes were extracted. The fourth step included the refinement and revision of themes In the fifth step, the finalized themes were named and the final step consisted of producing the report (Braun and Clarke 2006, 2019).

Results

All participants (teachers) were engaged in teaching students with autism online since April 2020 and had developed a comprehensive opinion on this alternative new method of teaching by the time of the interview. The teachers have shared their experiences and opinions on the online system of teaching in regard to the students with autism they were engaged in or served. Two broad themes and sub-themes were extracted from the narratives (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Step-by-step data collection procedure is shown in the flowchart.

The challenges perceived by the special educators

The challenges identified by the special educators could be further divided into 4 sub-themes (Table 2).

Table 2. Themes related to challenges.

Initial attitude towards alternative Teaching-Learning

Difficulties to take the first step

All the special educators had the common consensus (n = 15) that due to the prolonged school closures commencing classes online remained the sole option for them. Some (n = 7) of the special educators felt that an alternative mode of teaching for special children would be a fiasco. They already find difficulties teaching students with autism inside a traditional classroom and in a virtual set up the complexities would be two-fold. Though teaching students with autism is a hard task others tried to remain very positive to set up the new trial with the hope that ‘something is better than nothing’ (n = 5).

The optimism and extreme efforts on the part of the teachers helped to overcome the initial perception about alternative classes for students on the spectrum.

I being a member of the teaching committee decided to start taking classes, as the regular schools had already been conducting classes online. ASD students are highly dependent on others, so I had sufficient doubts in my mind yet took up the call to begin something new even if it was challenging. (T₁)

My decision to support online classes overcoming initial stigmas happened when parents were calling us for help… However, I was convinced that online classrooms will not give results of teaching-learning as expected in traditional classrooms. (T₂).

Atypical characteristics of autism might hinder the learning process

The major concern for all the teachers was the atypical characteristics of students (viz., violent outbursts, extreme stubbornness, hyperactivity) with autism, it was a common opinion that special students other than autism might still adjust well in comparison to autism (n = 11). All the cynicism and dilemma were majorly due to behavioral and social interaction issues were common in the majority of the students with autism.

Challenges related to initial preparation

Rescheduling the classes

The teachers were anxious and held several discussions among them about routine rescheduling, class timings, class size, and teaching modules (n = 9). They had to decide about the video call app and other related software as none of the teaching faculty was fully accustomed to the usage. The next phase of preparation included a discussion with parents to decide on the final class schedules. Parents were the class assistant of the students hence, the routine should be such that they can attend classes along with their children (n = 3).

Mostly mothers accompany, sometimes the father. Mothers have household work/office work and therefore, the routine must be according to their convenience. The parents have to take care of the other children as well. Overall, we had to keep in mind that the class timings were comfortable for the parents, teachers, and students. (T₃)

I also took classes on Sundays when both the parents are working. The school kept classes from 6 pm or 8 pm so that the parent can join. All measures were taken to initiate the process of cloud classroom teaching. (T₄)

Preparing for alternative classes: Parents

Clear instructions were given to the parents about the teaching-learning process and requirements as reported by the teachers (n = 12). In the beginning, it was confusing and chaotic for all. Neither the parents nor the teachers were technologically literate enough to accommodate efficiently in the online classroom, especially since many parents had to be personally tutored by the teachers regarding technology and the teaching-learning materials as they (n = 6) had to play the role of a shadow teacher. This phase took up a considerable time until the parents learned about the previously mentioned tasks well.

There are parents from different walks of life. Many had smartphones and computers but they did not know how to use a google or zoom meeting. They had trouble using the features of the app during classes. So, we took sessions with the parents to teach them the app. (T₄).

Arrangement for the classes by parents was a challenging task as described by the teachers (n = 8). Many parents did not have an extra phone that could be assigned to the students for the classes. Moreover, the parents had to prepare the basic Teaching-learning materials (TLMs) that were required to start the classes (n = 9). None of them had the core concept of developing the TLMs as they were provided by the school to the students. Initially, the teachers helped each parent personally to overcome the obstacles.

Some parents had to buy a smartphone for their child when they realized that it was necessary. Even they had to buy some materials like gym balls, vibrators, and brushes for sensory training. We taught them to make some with household products. Other than that, charts, etc. had to be made by the parents. (T₂)

The teachers stated (n = 12) that they observed parents struggle with the technology initially when the classes had started. They were unable to enter classrooms and had problems using various features such as the mute and unmute options. Besides, the parents had to teach their children to use these devices and applications and the students faced trouble due to their lack of technical proficiency of the parents. One participant reported that parents always spoke together in the class when there was any doubt leading to a commotion. The teacher added that efforts had to be given to orient the parents to become user-friendly with the technological devices for appropriate use.

Arrangement of alternative classes: Special educators

The setting up experience differed from teacher to teacher. The teachers above 40 years of age were relatively less technologically savvy in comparison to teachers from the millennial generation. Teachers said (n = 5) that they all faltered, in beginning, to set up a cloud classroom. The areas of difficulties were; a) using a computer/phone to make a video call, b) arranging video conferences, c) using the features of the online conference app, d) learning to use documents/power point and other applications, f) coping with new TLMs which are software generated.

I never used computers and smartphones to teach. I could use WhatsApp, FB, YouTube, and phone calls that were previously on my phone but so many additional features made me spend hours learning them. I had to take my daughter’s help every day during classes to learn. (T₄)

One participant mentioned how she has purchased a whiteboard, and tripod to record videos and take live classes similar to the way she did it in her traditional classroom and opted to use less modern technology. One participant reported that the Internet data package costs increased during this time and were not reimbursed by the school making it a personal expense for the teachers.

Many of the teachers (n = 5) stated that they felt discomfort teaching in front of their parents. The continuous vigilance of the parents and the mannerisms to teach would be judged by the parents. All these aspects made them uncomfortable and extra conscious.

The parents are always looking at us. Frankly, I felt a bit shy also to teach in front of them. Have to be careful about the words I use and the way I behave. I don’t know how they will judge me and my teaching…. (T₆)

Preparing the students for alternative classes

All the participants (n = 15) narrated how they had to explain to the students with autism about online classes while simultaneously preparing them mentally for virtual classes. The students were getting restless in-home confinement and the break from their routine of Monday to Friday school had also created disturbances. Though meeting the teachers was a respite for them but understanding the difference between virtual and regular classes was tough. All the teachers in the first few days have given enormous efforts to normalize them in the new alternative world of learning.

I have a severely autistic student, Shyam. Every day in my class he used to come and hold my hand before the commencement of the class. He was conditioned that way. When he saw me online he was desperate to touch me. I had to teach him to touch my hand through the screen. Initially, he was confused and could not understand the screen …but now he realizes that I am online. (T₅)

Often in the beginning students refused to come to online classes as the virtual environment was abstract to them and they were not habituated to the new structure of classes. The teachers also reported the students’ eagerness to go to campus and how they were not much excited about online classes.

The student-centric difficulties

This could be further subdivided into behavior-centric difficulties and levels of severity-related difficulties.

Behavior-centric difficulties

Eight participants reported that every child had different kinds of troubles and they had to deal with child-specific problems. The teachers had to devise ways to help the parents handle the problem behavior that developed during online classes. One participant said that making the students wait during online classes is a major problem. The students ask for immediate attention. The participant has observed a sharp decline in the patience level of their students. The teachers said that earlier if there were any behavior issues during the lesson time they knew how to modify and calm the child down but in the virtual mode, they observe the problems but cannot actively help rather are restricted to only providing instructions to parents. Parents became the mediator and formed a crucial aspect of teaching-learning.

In a traditional classroom, if a student got violent for any reason, I tried different techniques to calm the child down. I used to take the child for a walk…. But now my hands a tied completely…I just wait and see if there is any problem, even if I guide the parents, it is not enough as they are neither formally trained nor have the experience …. (T₁).

The participants said that often some students tend to escape from class. They either do not consider online classes to be formal classes or take the advantage of homeschooling.

The teachers reported that although the students with autism are attending sensory and speech training classes there is difficulty to provide proper training in the online mode. The parents cannot provide all the facilities at home but yet they all are trying their best to support the needs of the students.

We have taught the parents to make some sensory training materials but that is not equivalent to the items available in school. For example, a bubble jar cannot be provided at home, similarly, room temperatures cannot be controlled well, as all parents cannot afford air conditioning. (T₉).

Severity-related difficulties

Only students with high-functioning autism can attend classes independently and therefore all other students need continuous help from some family member, and this shall remain the same as has been opined by one of the teacher. All other teachers second this opinion.

Few participants reported (n = 11) that as they cannot teach directly it has become very challenging for them to distinguish between transient learning and real learning. The teachers often observe very quick pick up of skill by the student (especially ones with moderate to severe category) but after some time often that leads to impermanent learning. The teachers said that the reasons could be excessive prompting from the guardian, lack of practice later on, or even it could be due to speedy learning promoted by parents and teachers over virtual mode.

Technology-related difficulties

Many teachers stated (n = 9) that most of the students in the class cannot properly operate their smartphone and often makes errors. The teachers and parents are trying to teach them but often they cannot enter the right passcode or do not understand if they face any network issues.

…though shifting from classrooms is difficult for them but they can now easily mute/unmute the sound and speak appropriately. Even I personally feel that at least in my class even the non-verbal relatively severe students are also learning slowly how to use the technology, I can see the change…there are some students in my class who have ID along with autism and can do so many things with the phone…they click pictures, can make WhatsApp groups, small videos and many more. You know this is the uniqueness of autism. You cannot judge one student with another…therefore, each student must be studied exclusively. (T₈).

The participant teachers have noted that addiction to mobile phones is a new phenomenon among the young ones. Some students are proficient in the use of the devices and now that they have the access to the phones often after class hours they are using phones and teachers have devised ways to curb it.

Proper conditioning is required for the students. I have a student who is addicted to YouTube videos and games. I have asked the parent to keep only two hours for these devices in the visual activity chart. So, the student would know that the phone must be used within a time frame. (T₂)

Challenges related to homebound teaching-learning

Distance mode-related challenges

The participants informed (n = 6) that the quality of attention given to the students is much inferior. From a distance, through a screen, it is very hard to provide attention to the class. Few teachers (n = 5) reported that understanding the current mood of the students is very crucial because if the students are not in the right frame of mind, they might not be attentive and perform poorly even in the things they are good at doing so judgment made virtually becomes risky.

Many of the teachers had a common opinion (n = 5) that there is a lack of hands-on teaching. Every work is more time-consuming, evaluation of students’ work, preparing official documents, and even arranging classes. One teacher has reported that the burden of work is more because often at late hours also they attend the parents’ call and sometimes separate classes have to be taken due to the flexible schedule norm followed by the schools.

I get phone calls from parents at 11 pm also. I know they are helpless, that is why I never get annoyed. But feel that work is more than earlier days. (T₁₀)

Home confinement generated additional challenges

Furthermore, many students faced behavior issues due to home confinement and temporary stoppage of sensory therapy, and counseling, and even if these were provided, the students were not much satisfied. One of the teachers reported that complaints of obsessive behavior were reported by multiple parents. Another participant reported that the students were over-eating. Problems of anxiety, restlessness, and sadness were also observed.

I had a student who had developed tendencies to doodle on the walls of the rooms. The parents allowed it but after a while got obstinate with getting the walls painted. Finally, the parents gave in and freshly painted the walls…this kind of behavior was not present earlier. (T₇)

Social and communication deficiencies

Teachers have stated (n = 5) that lack of socialization is a major drawback for students with autism impacting their teaching-learning as well. Students with autism require specialized training in socialization aspects by experts or specialists who have a comprehensive understanding of the area. On campus, they met several people including teachers, friends, and other staff. They were compelled to communicate at certain times and this helped the students to get conditioned in social interaction/situations. Unfortunately, the students are barely communicating with anyone other than the assigned teachers and family members. Neither they are going out in the locality nor coming to school, which has created a barricade between them and the world.

Parental involvement-related challenges

Incorrect prompts from parent

All participants noticed that often there are prompting-related problems. The parents do not realize when to use verbal prompts and when to use body prompts. It is important to know the distinction. Further, the parents tend to provide clues so that the student responds quickly and correctly but that is extremely unfavorable.

The parents do not understand when to give body prompts and when to use verbal. I know that the child can work with body prompts but the parent ends up providing verbal prompts. Sometimes we wait for a long before providing any prompts as independent learning and living is also a moto of teaching. (T₁)

The participants (n = 12) also complained that they can understand that the home assignments are done with extra assistance provided by the parents. The participants claim that they are very well aware of the abilities of every student so that they can evaluate easily seeing the quality of their responses.

The mental state of parents affects the teaching-learning

Participants (n = 6) reported that they think the parents’ mood affects the child’s learning. If they are depressed and sad, the efforts they put is not optimum. These participants also think the COVID-19 pandemic had brought additional stress to different families, hence, some parents are less patient by nature and get annoyed by their child’s behavior.

I saw once that when I was speaking with a boy regarding his problem with learning, the father was standing with a stick, he thought he won’t come in the frame. I was aghast! Similarly, some parents often scold their child. Maybe parents also have issues in life but it affects their overall development. The ASD students are very sensitive. (T₂)

The participants (n = 8) also think that some parents are over-burdened with work i.e. office work, and household chores, and above them they need to take care of the children. One participant said that special schools were a sort of respite to the parents which was not possible during the pandemic when teaching-learning was shifted to online mode from home which needed extra attention and efforts of parents the whole day.

One participant mentioned the problem of comparison between one student with autism with another by the parents during online classes when they observe anyone performing better than their children they often get either depressed or further pressurize their children to do better. Failure to understand that each student is unique and making them independent based on their own abilities and way should be the priority.

Two participants disclosed that they are worried about the increasing bonding between parent and student because it can have a negative impact on the student as well. The parents are only occupied with their own child/ren and hence, they only think about them and give them excess attention.

The facilitators identified by the special educators

The benefits of alternate classrooms

Parental attention and improvement

The teachers (n = 15) reported that the most striking advantage is the extra and undivided attention the students are receiving from their parents during the COVID times. The parents mostly have high motivation to achieve the learning goals, are highly involved in the learning process, and put enormous efforts to improve their child’s learning skills. Overall, the students are performing well with the guidance of their parents.

The teachers mentioned (n = 6) that they have asked parents to utilize the time to teach household skills. Earlier the schools had functional life skill classes and now during COVID, the parents are teaching that under the guidance of the special educators. As life skills are taught with home materials with which the students are familiar with so they are better trained to work at home.

Now the students are filling water bottles which are at their home from their water filter unlike doing activities from a stimulated setup. So, they are learning from the exact situations and environments and it is a great advantage. (T₁)

Temporal and spatial freedom of special educators and students

The participants stated (n = 10) that neither the students are commuting nor the teachers, this saves time for the teachers to take extra classes if needed and the students can also learn many additional tasks. The schedule of the classes is flexible and often one-to-one classes are taken as opined by one participant. Another participant revealed that they can opt for a more customized curriculum because the parents are directly tutoring and providing undivided attention and the teachers are like overseers. So flexible teaching is possible during this COVID alternative teaching-learning mode, unlike traditional classrooms where a group of students mostly studies together.

All students have taken their quarterly and yearly examinations through online alternative modes. The teachers had sent the assignments to the parents, they generally supervise the task and send it to the teachers.

I send worksheets online to the parents… When the students solve the paper, I have asked the parents to make a video of it and send it along with the photographs of the answers. This way I can see how they solved it and whether anyone prompted answers to them or not. (T₇)

Better adaptability with online technology

Technological adaptability

The participating teachers reported (n = 14) that presently they can observe improvement in the adaptability of the online method by the students with autism. More students are proficiently using electronic devices eventually. All the students can use the simple features of the apps.

Successfully taken examination from home

Four teachers have stated that students from her class have enrolled in the Open Basic Education (OBE) program online. And many students have taken their OBE examination as well. Even fared well in yearly assessment

Improved participation in groups and social programs

The teachers said (n = 9) that the students are conscious of the virtual classroom and have understood the need for it. They can respond better than earlier. Currently, all the students properly participate in the group activity classes as well, for instance, yoga, games, art and craft and vocational training classes, and many more. The closure of the schools did not prevent the students from participating in the festivals (such as Rabindra Jayanti, Holi, Christmas, etc). They dressed up accordingly in their house and shot videos of them celebrating and commemorating the special days which was exciting and a completely new experience for all.

Students have rehearsed with us online. We taught elocution, dance, music, and painting through live classes. Then the parents helped to practice and learn the tasks. Then the parents on a particular day dressed them up and shot videos of their acts. (T₂).

Innovative teaching aids and ideas

The new teaching-learning materials

Teaching-Learning Materials are the backbone of learning in special education. The schools are equipped with different charts, flashcards, sensory training rooms, speech therapy rooms, playgrounds, and many more, and none are possible to replicate in a home stated by most of the teachers (n = 12). Nevertheless, all the experienced teachers have put their minds to creating homemade TLMs. Participants reported that they made videos of different tasks with elaborate explanations to show to the students. As also reported by many (n = 14) participants that video modeling is a very useful method. Another participant said that as the students are conditioned to hear their voices, so audio recordings are also helpful to provide instructions. All the teachers have claimed that they have used software to make worksheets and PPTs. One participant informed that they had innovated new games for the students and had sent the soft copies to the parents.

Instead of plasticine play dough, I have asked parents to use flour dough and color them. It is easily available and safe for use. (T₁)

I mostly teach vocational education and in schools, we taught them currency, shopping, billing, and discounting as well as given job training like baking, sewing and many more. We made fake currency notes, and modeled ATMs to teach them, then we also took them out to banks to provide real-life experiences but now I cannot do any such thing…So I have asked parents to make an artificial place marketplace in their homes. During live classes, the parents take out vegetables and spices from their pantry and place them on the table. Then I try to teach them shopping, paying the price with paper notes…it is tougher but has certain advantages also they are learning what is needed in their homes. (T₆)

The participants (n = 5) said that customized TLMs are also made according to the need of the students.

Developing new skills related to COVID-19

The participants reported (n = 12) that students were asked to wear school uniforms for live classes. They further added that students also brought bags, lunch, and water with them. It was also mandatory for them to have masks on their face. Before meals, they were made to use sanitizers. The teachers also mentioned that students were provided classes to teach them about coronavirus and its consequences in simple words.

The positive aspects of parental participation

Informal parental training

The participants informed (n = 15) that they had taken many classes just with their parents to explain to them the concept of teaching students with autism. The teachers had to teach the parents the process of making TLMs, prompting, and conditioning methods so that within the walls of the house they can provide the needed help and guidance. The participants (n = 15) had even arranged for many workshops online to enhance the knowledge of the parents on tutoring. The participants stated that they have sent relevant study materials to their parents to boost their understanding. Moreover, during regular live classes, the teachers continuously guided the parents by observing their activities with the students and correcting them when necessary. One participant disclosed that even during off days if a parent calls, help was provided. All participants claimed that online classes have led to very good parent training.

Better achievement of goals

All participants concluded that they observed an improvement in the achievement of the learning goals of their students with autism. The performance of many students was better and they learned quicker than in the pre-COVID period as reported by teachers (see Table 3)

Table 3. Themes related to facilitators.

Many students have done well but not all, like high-functioning students, are independent and so they could do better in group classes…many severe students did not receive hands-on training which they should have got, but overall I am satisfied. (T₁)

Participants reported that parents as shadow teachers provided 1:1 tutoring, three participants claimed that parents after having training on teaching students with autism made the students practice more, and made innovations and alterations from their intuition which turned out to be effective.

Most of the participating teachers opined that re-opening of school campuses is important because certain elements of on-campus teaching are important but during the pandemic, the additional merits have also been found in the online structure of schooling and to continue with the system both the teachers and parents agreed that hybrid method would be beneficial (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Facilitators and challenges identified by the special educator..

I agree hybrid format could be good…four days of on-campus classes and one-day online class might help. I can teach things that are related to home activities and parents can continue to be involved. This could be a great way! (T₇)

Discussion

Although all the participants began the cloud classroom with reluctance their opinion changed over time. Autism has always been regarded as a complex disorder with acute problems in areas of communication and when the traditional classroom shifted online it was obvious for the special educators to doubt its potential success. Nevertheless, the teachers’ attempt to try the new alternative method of teaching shows the flexibility in the approach of teachers. This opens a new dimension of teaching-learning for students with autism and can go a long way.

Challenges

The experiences surrounding the genesis of alternative classroom

Most of the participants tried to be optimistic in the beginning but none of them expected that the performance of the students might improve. This also shows the stigma related to online learning which always remained in the academic (Kizilcec et al. 2019), it was perceived from the beginning that the output of students with Autism would be unsatisfactory. As described by the participants the initial preparation for the teachers was difficult (Degli Espinosa et al. 2020). They had to plan the new model of teaching based on their existing resources and the demographics of the students. The teachers at every step have to collaborate with parents, a new kind of adjustment that was never a part of traditional teaching-learning. The planning of a schedule was generally thought to be an easy task but on the contrary in the online classroom, was a complex one. The teachers must accommodate factors like at what time the parents are comfortable accompanying the student, whether can they give enough class hours to the students, and if group class was taken the class should be scheduled as per the will of all the parents (Degli Espinosa et al. 2020). This made the task of the teachers difficult and tedious. The teachers also had to mentally prepare the parents to bring their students to the class. The process of thorough training of the parents started from this stage. The teachers also informed how parents arranged for the online classes and that needed to purchase different items, making TLMs other things that required the guidance of the teachers. It could be opined that the teachers played many new roles during the campus closure ranging from teaching the students the targeted curriculum to training parents, upgrading their knowledge, and being an overall support system for the families of students with autism (Hurwitz et al. 2022).

Participants have informed how they had to convince and condition students to attend online classes. The students initially were unaware of the requirement of the change and often refused to come to the classes. Students with autism have a characteristic of ritualistic behavior (Mirenda et al. 2010) and their tendency to routine behavior and reluctance to change (Ruzzano et al. 2015) was a matter of worry for parents as well as teachers. Slowly after multiple counseling and efforts from teachers and parents, the students got adjusted to the cloud classroom and also could differentiate between the concept of virtual and traditional classes.

Some teachers and parents lacked digital competence, (Ferrari et al. 2012, Novella-García and Cloquell-Lozano 2021) this was a common problem during the pandemic and shows the need for individuals to overhaul their soft skills. Technological backwardness can be a major drawback for online education which is technology-dependent.

The individual behavior issues impacting alternative teaching-learning

Firstly, addressing child-specific challenges (Lindsay et al. 2013) in a classroom had been customary but handling the same problems online is impossible for the teachers and mostly needs parental help. Secondly, the participants reported that most of the students in their class are not independent and now they have come up with new types of problems with understanding and communication due to the virtual setup, and the distance between the teacher and the student here is forming a barrier in learning.

The students tend to escape from classes. This is possible due to homeschooling and students are comfortable in their home space and cannot understand that an online classroom is similar to a traditional classroom. The increased behavior issues among students have created problems while taking classes. The mood of the students directly affects their learning.

Technological exposure to students with autism

Earlier the students were dissuaded from using phones, and occasional training on computers was given in schools but now as they are taught to use them there is a tendency to an attachment to the devices. Autism and strong attachment to objects are common and therefore addiction to devices could be a serious issue and reports of phones and computers were recorded (Kawabe et al. 2020, Normand et al. 2021).

Hindrances of taking vocational training classes online

The participants have reported that they feel a lack of hands-on learning that is detrimental in nature. Certain vocational classes and functional academic classes need direct face-to-face coaching and physical contact. Moreover, physical contact has been an important element of psychological health (Field et al. 2020).

Increase in school drop-outs

The increased drop-out is another problem (Khan and Ahmed 2021). The new method of teaching did not appeal to many parents. Especially as the burden of teaching is on the parents, paying school fees was not justified to many. Further, the economy of the country has been sinking due to the prolonged lockdown which led to job losses and salary cuts. These also have influenced the decision of the parents.

Differences in parenting styles and their influence on learning

How well a parent would teach depends on the capability of the parent but what is needed to be noted is that every parent is highly motivated to do the best for their child. There are occasional complaints from teachers that the parents provide additional prompts, and make haste while making the child do the home assignments. It could be said that different parents have different parenting styles (Ren et al. 2020) and some do feel that extra assistance would help the ward which is the opposite in reality. However, it is the general culture of Indian families that mothers are highly involved in child-care and fathers too are extremely concerned about the performance of the child (Sahithya et al. 2019). There are instances of parents comparing the performance (Parsons et al. 2009) of their child with other students in the class as they can observe others. This develops a feeling of competition among them. They fail to cherish the concept of neurodiversity.

Therapy related issues

The teachers reported that sensory and speech therapy is very difficult to provide online, in general, there are reports of teachers facing several challenges whether in the special or mainstream education systems (Gudmundsdottir and Hathaway 2020, Kim and Asbury 2020). This must be true because the therapists use several sophisticated pieces of equipment for the students which are unavailable in the online structure. The students, therefore, lag behind in this section of training.

Facilitators

Parents and their efforts to replace a teacher

Needless to say, according to many reports the parents accompanied the students and provided added attention (Cahapay 2022, Heyworth et al. 2021) but as the parents are not formally trained a lacuna will be formed. It is also a matter to note that the ability, education, and mental state of the parent would interfere in the teaching-learning. The participants have reported that often the parents’ involvement has led to quick but temporary learning. This is again due to the lack of formal training of parents and also parental psychology underneath at the back of the mind to see their children perform better.

Parental training for the present and future need

The parents played the most significant and dynamic role during the pandemic (Heyworth et al. 2021) as found in other studies. They have received education and training on teaching students with autism from special educators. Earlier long duration of hand-on-training or parents could not be arranged by the institutions. The training took place organically in a naturalistic setup without paying any extra cost. This would give a lifelong benefit to the parents

Successfully learned the COVID precautionary activities

The approaches taken to teach and condition students about COVID-19 and its precautions were remarkable. The students learned about the importance of wearing masks, and sanitizer while doing class. The students then try to remove the face masks during the live class the teacher reprimands the students and conditions it as a necessity (Sivaraman et al. 2021).

Emergence of new teaching aid due to the incorporation of ICT in alternative classes

Video modeling and audio modeling have always been successful ways of teaching students with autism and that has been rigorously used during online classes. The parents and the students could re-watch multiple times and learn at their pace. Though these new methods have supported learning no alternative is available to provide attention to all the students equitably. The teachers cannot see all the students on one screen and often attend to students one after another, so the teachers think that the quality of their attention is compromised in online mode. This is a technological barrier and cannot be immediately solved but with advancement in the science of ICT, the future could be better.

Other benefits

The students enjoyed certain benefits as well like lack of commutation, saving energy and time for the students and cost of the parents, more customized learning materials and goals, they received extra class at times, and lots of attention and hard work from their parents. These factors are interrelated and were effective for the students. The participants stated that students were learning household skills better because instead of a simulated situation (Corbeil 1999) in the classroom they are practicing in a real-life situation. It could be said that learning at home would help them to do similar activities with more ease, satisfying the main aim of the functional skills development goal.

All the participants started the cloud classroom with reluctance their opinion changed over time. Autism has always been regarded as a complex disorder with acute problems in areas of communication and when the traditional classroom shifted online it was obvious for the special educators to doubt its potential success. Nevertheless, the teachers’ attempt to try the new alternative method of teaching shows the flexibility in the approach of teachers. This opens a new dimension of teaching-learning for students with autism and can go a long way.

Conclusion

The study aimed to explore the condition of alternate teaching-learning of learners with autism during the COVID-19 outbreak when the unprepared special education centers set their sail for a voyage to the unexperienced arena of online teaching-learning with the hope that although it seems impossible a try is a must. The study brings out the plights of the teachers involved in teaching and also the new facilities they discovered in online teaching which were not explored earlier. The special educators in India were not accustomed to it prior to the pandemic but it was a learning experience for them. There is a lack of studies on special educators from South East Asian countries and from a low-income country perspective is even rare. Nevertheless, the study found how technology can rescue us and enhance teaching-learning, and the involvement of parents was no less than a boon. It also shows that even learners with special needs like autism learn from a virtual environment as they were not much included in the scope of online learning prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Future directions

Hybrid learning has been proposed by educators for neuro-typical students but it seems to be equally beneficial for the neurodiverse group as well. It could be used as both a supplementary method for catastrophe and to complimentary method during regular classes. This would help the Indian special schools come out of orthodox ideas and embrace the era of digitalization.Teachers and therapists should try to find more innovative ways for online therapy. The success rate of speech and sensory therapy is relatively less.

Proper parental training through multiple workshops and some one-to-one training programs for child-specific needs can address many of the challenges experienced by parents resulting in a better environment for learners with autism.

The online system of teaching-learning could provide support to people with autism in rural areas where there is a dearth of special school facilities, as it allows connectivity and access to any trainer in any part of the globe to their learners in remote areas where services are sporadic or completely absent and bridges the gap between learners and providers.

Limitations

During the pandemic several government schools were closed officially, i.e. classes were not held online therefore, the teachers of these special schools occasionally helped students with autism over the phone, but those challenges are not covered in this study. Moreover, many schools in rural areas could not afford to provide services to the students and so these problems and facilitators hold true for only the urban setup and cannot be generalized for the whole of India, since there is a socio-economic difference between urban India and rural India.

Acknowledgements

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the participant-people with autism for their agreeableness to voluntarily participate in the study, for their willingness, and for trusting us to share the 1^st hand account of their learning experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. We would like to thank all those who generously helped with the recruitment process.

Compliance with ethical standard

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

The study was ethically approved by the Research Advisory Committee (RAC), University of Calcutta.

Informed consent

Written consent was undertaken from each of the participants.

Data availability requirement statement

This is to state that all raw data is available with the author and can be retrieved on request at any point in time during or after the review process.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.