Australian educational needs analysis

Autistic students may present unique challenges to school systems and an inclusive approach to education requires teachers to address these challenges and support the unique needs of autistic students. Challenging and complex behaviours are more frequent in autistic children and without appropriate intervention these behaviours tend to persist across an individual’s lifespan. As a result, one of the biggest challenges faced by educators is ensuring that the high impact social, emotional and behavioural needs some autistic students experience can be successfully met within educational contexts.

The Autism CRC Australian Autism Educational Needs Analysis used a nationwide survey to obtain information about the educational needs of students on the autism spectrum from four key stakeholder groups including educators, specialists, parents, and students on the spectrum (11-18 years).

The aim of the survey was for key participants to identify, from their perspective, the educational needs of students on the spectrum (5-18 years) within school settings.

Key objectives of the project were:

1. To gain a comprehensive profile of the educational support needs of autistic students
2. To gain a comprehensive profile of the more individualised support needs of autistic students with high impact social, emotional and behavioural needs
3. To identify the needs of educators to effectively manage and support autistic students within educational settings and maintain a strong sense of school connectedness
4. To identify the needs of educators to effectively manage and support autistic students with complex needs within educational contexts and promote school connectedness
5. To describe the goals identified by parents, students and educators that form the basis of intervention and support of autistic students with complex needs
6. To identify information gathering, intervention processes and models of service delivery, involving a suite of technology platforms that can be successfully utilised to meet the effectively support the needs of the autistic students including those with complex needs and also meet the needs of the educational contexts.

Nationwide, in total there were 1,468 respondents who participated in the survey. A final report and executive summary outline the key findings of the research and identify some of the needs of school aged students on the spectrum which influence their learning, participation and engagement in educational settings. Knowledge from this survey has been used to develop educational resources.