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Education of pupils with childhood autism
JANTOŠOVÁ, Petra
Legislation currently enables developing teaching methods for every child with special needs taking into account the child's specific possibilities and capabilities. The choice of suitable individual teaching methods and techniques for every child is a major factor of success in education and is equally needed in the education of pupils with childhood autism. The theoretical part of the Bachelor thesis deals with childhood autism in context of autistic spectrum disorders, childhood autism being one of them. The thesis describes the characteristics of this disorder and its variable, not autism-specific features, mentioning diagnostics with regard to teaching pupils suffering from childhood autism and describing a family with an autistic child and its role in education. Increased attention is paid to the possibilities in teaching pupils with child autism within the existing system of education and, above all, to educational methods used with children suffering from this disorder. The aim of the practical part of the thesis was to establish what methods are included in teaching pupils with childhood autism. Another objective was to check the educational techniques applied with this group of pupils in a family setting. A qualitative research has been chosen as the method of gathering information. Data was collected via semi-structured interviews conducted across a selected sample of respondents. Interviews were conducted with two respondent groups using predefined questions. The first group consisted of selected special education teachers educating pupils with childhood autism and the second group was comprised of selected parents whose children suffer from this disorder. The results of the thesis contain processed interviews with selected respondents from both groups, subsequently supported by a well-arranged table. The results of the research provide information about what methods are used to teach pupils with childhood autism in a school and a family setting. The thesis also presents opinions of specialists and parents of autistic children regarding educational techniques and their practical usage and application. The results of the research are subsequently compared mutually and also against specialised information sources. The research performed as part of this thesis revealed that structured teaching is the most frequently included technique in teaching pupils with childhood autism, with each pupil individually, depending on his possibilities and capabilities. Further application of educational methods in teaching pupils with childhood autism matches with what can be found in literature and the theoretical part of the thesis. Apart from structured teaching, educators use methods like global reading when working with this group of pupils, plus elements of problematic behaviour therapy and social skills training, Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), computer software and pictograms. Interviews with parents confirmed that structured teaching is also the most frequently applied technique in a family setting. Parents choose methods according to their children's needs and try following their emotions and what they consider best for their child. Families as well as schools use structured learning on an individual basis as per the child's needs and parents also use the global reading method and computer software. Families, at the same time, commonly use the elements Son-rise method in combination with alternative teaching of Maria Montessori which may be seen as a certain difference to the application of educational methods at schools. No major differences between the family and the school setting have been identified with respect to educational methods used in teaching pupils with childhood autism. This Bachelor thesis provides and insight into the application of teaching methods by families and schools where pupils suffering from childhood autism receive their education.
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