‘The right path of equality’: supporting high school students with autism who type to communicate

Abstract

The inclusion of students who type to communicate has been researched and strategies to accommodate such students have been recommended, but little information has been gathered about the students’ perspectives and daily school lives. This study utilises classroom observations and qualitative interviewing to explore the experiences of three high school students who type to communicate and the systems in place to support them. The study privileges and focuses on the ways that their school personnel honour the voices of those students as contributors to the construction of the spaces they enter and ways in which their active participation is supported.

Keywords:

• inclusive education
• disability
• special education
• autism
• augmentative and alternative Communication (AAC)

Notes on contributors

Casey Woodfield is a doctoral candidate in the Inclusive Special Education Program in the Department of Teaching and leadership at Syracuse University. She is also a Research Assistant at the Institute on Communication and Inclusion.

Dr. Christine Ashby an Associate Professor in the Department of Teaching and Leadership of the School of Education at Syracuse University. She is also the Director of the Institute on Communication and Inclusion.

Notes

1. We use the terms ‘typing to communicate' and ‘facilitated communication' interchangeably in this manuscript. Both refer to a method of communication access useful for some individuals who do not demonstrate reliable verbal speech and who receive a variety of physical, communicative and emotional supports from a facilitator to enable typed communication. There are a variety of ways that individuals who type to communicate using FC have been referenced in both literature and in practice, including ‘FC Users;’ ‘supported typers,’ ‘AAC users,’ ‘individuals who type to communicate.' While we recognize and respect the rights of individuals, families/supporters/allies and researchers doing this work to self-select terminology, for consistency we have chosen to maintain the use of “students who type to communicate” within this manuscript.

2. All names are pseudonyms. For clarity, student participants are referred to by first names only, while family and educational staff are referred to as Mr or Ms (surname).

3. Prioritized curriculum classes are taught by a teacher, certified in special education, highly qualified in the academic content area. While all of the students qualify for special education services, the curriculum is in line with the general education standards and the students take the same exams at the end of the year as their non-disabled peers. These classes are referred to as prioritized in that the teachers do not cover the full spectrum of content, focusing instead on the core necessary for success on degree requirements.

4. Time spent in resource sessions involves one on one work time outside of class time for students and their TAs to follow up on class notes, complete assignments, start on homework or test administration. It is not a replacement for time in class, but acts as a support before or after it.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported in part by grants from the John P. Hussman Foundation and the Syracuse University School of Education.