In 2021, 3,000 students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) dropped out of school, according to the HELP Autism Association, which started a pilot project in partnership with the Bucharest District 6 City Hall, the General Directorate of Social Assistance and Child Protection (DGASPC), to transform two schools into inclusive schools for children with SEN.
Inclusive Schools pilot project in Sector 6
The pilot project, carried out by HELP Autism, the largest organization dedicated to the cause in Romania, DGASPC Sector 6 and the City Hall of Sector 6, began on October 1, 2023 and was carried out over 12 months, in two phases. The first phase focused on identifying intervention needs for teachers, and the second on implementing the necessary interventions on 4 pillars: teachers, student body, parents and community, but also on ensuring an inclusive classroom climate. Middle School No. 59 and Middle School No. 311 are the first certified inclusive schools in Romania to benefit from this project and where 87% of students with SEN have autism disorders.
Mădălina Biță, HELP Autism therapist
Mădălina Biță is a clinical psychologist, consultant and ABA (applied behavioral analysis) therapist and is one of the therapists of the HELP Autism Association involved in the pilot project Inclusive Schools in Sector 6. She has been working with children with diverse minds for 15 years and has had the opportunity to get involved in projects that aimed at integrating children with SEN into mainstream schools or kindergartens. Part of the projects consisted of supporting workshops and counseling hours for teachers. These experiences gave Mădălina a comprehensive vision of the process of integrating children or adolescents with SEN into mainstream education.
About Mădălina Biță's motivation and journey in the profession of therapist
Mădălina was a student when she met her first child with autism. As she encountered other cases, she discovered that no two people with autism will ever be the same because they present a unique set of abilities and difficulties. So, she could talk about the motivation that comes from the fact that she was and still is constantly challenged to find the best strategies, but also that each case offers her the element of novelty and stimulates her to develop or perfect her professional skills. Upon deeper analysis, she understood that the motivation comes from the impact that her work has on the quality of life of the direct beneficiaries and their families.
Therapist Mădălina Biță states that the biggest challenge and also one of the most important objectives for specialists and families in working with these children remains the social integration of the autistic person. To achieve this objective, therapists consider the formation of various skills such as communication, theory of mind, management of emotions and problematic behaviors, modeling socially appropriate behaviors. All these skills, and more, will influence the way the autistic person experiences social contexts and the perception of other participants, having an impact on self-esteem and quality of life.
The needs of students with autism in the Romanian educational system
What are the specific educational and emotional needs of children with autism in the school environment?
Mădălina Biță: The needs are unique depending on the particularities. We often recommend a facilitator, shadow in specialized language, to accompany the child with autism in school or kindergarten. The shadow is a specialist with a very important role, he will provide help in academic activities, support the socialization process and model appropriate behaviors.
Adapting the curriculum according to the student's learning potential is part of an effective educational process and involves modifying the content, teaching processes, methods used, teaching materials, allocated working time, and the assessment or teaching process.
Teacher training is necessary to equip students with useful concepts and techniques to facilitate the inclusion process. Implementing strategies such as motivation or focusing on positive behaviors ensures a positive association with the school environment and teaching staff, while self-esteem will increase. Visual support provides structure and predictability, working to prevent anxiety, disruptive or inappropriate behaviors.
Informing and educating peers reduces bullying incidents, increasing empathy, socialization opportunities, and collaboration between children. Team training is a beneficial process for acceptance, understanding, and awareness of the fact that each person has different abilities and can contribute.
With the necessary knowledge, neurotypical children will find explanations for certain behaviors that their autistic peer may exhibit, such as strong reactions to sensory stimuli. Inclusive principles will be promoted as the understanding of neurotypical people in relation to the specifics of the autism diagnosis increases.
Sensory integration disorder is a change in the way the brain processes and responds to certain sensory stimuli. A large percentage of autistic people have this disorder. In the school environment, various behaviors can be observed such as hyperactivity, various tics, talking loudly during class, lack of attention to teaching, screaming, aggressive or self-aggressive behaviors, emission of various sounds, etc. In these cases, it is necessary to accommodate the needs, through small personalized modifications, such as the use of headphones when certain sounds that may be disturbing are about to be heard.
How should school programs be structured to be inclusive and meet these needs?
Mădălina Biță : Inclusive practices involve accessibility measures and ensuring the necessary support. A successful educational environment is characterized by the active involvement of children and the demonstration of appropriate behaviors. Creating groups or clubs based on common interests will stimulate the child with autism's skills such as collaboration, conversation and involvement in activities with peers. Sensory-friendly environments, specialized intervention, and training of teaching staff and the community are essential in the inclusion process.
How would you generally describe the experience of a child with autism in the Romanian educational system?
Mădălina Biță : This experience often comes with difficulties of a sensory nature, in understanding the curriculum or in relating. I believe that it is of great importance to prepare the child in advance through specialized intervention so that he or she has a minimum of necessary skills in the school environment, but also to ensure the constant support of specialists. The better the child understands what is expected of him or her, the more comfortable he or she will feel in a certain environment. As behaviors become more socially appropriate, neurotypical people will be more open to interaction. It is becoming increasingly necessary for neurotypical people to know about the specifics of a diagnosis, to develop empathy and appropriate ways of interaction. In the educational system, we have been talking a lot in recent years about accommodating needs, through actions that are often simple, but extremely useful for the neurodiverse person.
What teaching methods or strategies work best to support these children's learning?
Mădălina Biță: Many children with autism learn visually, it helps them more to visualize information than just hear it. Visual cues facilitate understanding, communication or memorization and can be written words or pictograms.
Motivation influences the effort a person is willing to put in to achieve something and is essential in improving the learning process. Using motivation, different strategies can be implemented such as behavioral contingencies, behavioral contracting, tokens or the Premack Principle . The focus on the positive by teachers has an effect on the involvement, collaboration and self-esteem of the student and can be through expressing gratitude, specific praise or celebrating improvements.
Communication is recommended to adapt to the child's level of understanding and to be simple, short to be easier to understand. We often observe difficulty in correctly perceiving nuances such as irony, jokes or metaphors, which people with autism interpret in a literary way. It is therefore advisable to avoid this type of expression.
The minimalist decor of the classroom eliminates visual stimuli that act as distractions, and the sensory boxes containing teaching materials are important resources that will help the child adjust. Implementing a routine and prior warning of changes reduces anxiety and provides predictability, making transitions easier to accept.
The role of teachers and peers in the life of an autistic student
How should teachers approach the relationship with a student with autism to facilitate their integration and success in the classroom?
Mădălina Biț ă : The role of the teacher is very important in the integration of the child with SEN. He or she must take into account the needs of all children in the class, encouraging the team in an empathetic way to accept and include children with diverse minds. By identifying the strengths of each member of the class, it will be possible to organize activities or projects that highlight their skills. Starting from the idea that collegial relationships are beneficial for all children in the class, the stimulation and creation of an inclusive environment is achieved by the teacher, by promoting and normalizing neurodiversity.
What role do classmates play in the integration process of these children?
Mădălina Biță: Normalization is a process that happens gradually, starting from the model provided by teachers and reference adults. By normalizing the specific symptomatology and particularities of the person with autism, acceptance will be achieved. It is necessary to inform colleagues about neurodiversity and explore this concept through questionnaires, videos or other informative materials on the basis of which discussions and debates appropriate to the level of understanding can be proposed. Having the necessary information, children will develop important personal skills, such as empathy and understanding of diversity, which will have an impact on the bullying to which children with autism are prone. When neurotypical students know about the specific difficulties of neurodiverse colleagues, about similarities and differences, they are more likely to understand the reasons behind the observed behaviors and develop empathy. Inclusion involves creating relationships between children, the encouragement of which can be supported by engaging in activities together or by identifying common interests, on the basis of which there can be activities and discussions.
How can teachers manage cases where bullying or marginalization occurs towards these children with autism?
Mădălina Biță: These situations can be avoided by providing a role model, promoting empathy, respect and creating opportunities for connection between team members. Teachers, in collaboration with parents, have the responsibility to label bullying events as unacceptable. Educating children is extremely important in order to have the necessary resources to stop bullying.
The problems that parents of students with autism encounter
What are the main difficulties faced by parents of children with learning disabilities when it comes to school integration?
Mădălina Biță: Parents find it difficult to find specialists to collaborate with in order to accompany their child to kindergarten or school. There are also situations when bullying or marginalization events occur, which have negative effects on both the child and the parents. Often, relatives avoid communicating the diagnosis precisely because of negative experiences in the past, the reactions of rejection and labeling that they have experienced.
What type of support should parents receive to facilitate their children's integration and progress in the school environment?
Mădălina Biță: The support of teachers, the community (other students, their parents) and specialists. Each of these people has an important role in the integration process, collaboration being essential.
About therapy and the influence of the educational environment
Is there a correlation between difficulties encountered at school and progress or stagnation in therapy sessions?
Mădălina Biță: Managing problematic behaviors must be constant and applied correctly, taking into account the functions of the behaviors. When the child receives inappropriate consequences, the behaviors will be reinforced, they will increase in frequency, both in the school environment and outside it, including in therapy sessions. Therefore, training of teachers and guidance provided by the behavior analyst becomes necessary.
To what extent can problems encountered at school (marginalization, misunderstanding of their needs, etc.) negatively influence the therapy of a child with autism?
Mădălina Biță: These events impact the child who can develop anxiety, depression and low self-esteem. School is an environment where children acquire cognitive skills, but also socialize, practice deficient social skills, make friends. In an environment where there is marginalization, the child will lack the opportunities they need to develop or strengthen social or conversational skills.
What should collaboration between teachers, therapists, and parents look like to maximize children's development?
Mădălina Biță: Collaboration between teachers, therapists and parents is for the direct benefit of the child to streamline the learning and integration process. The specialist working with the child must periodically observe him in the school environment to identify his difficulties, make recommendations or take over certain aspects in individual therapy. Teachers can contribute by applying personalized methods and techniques, but also by communicating in two directions, with parents and specialists. Family involvement is associated with good academic results and fewer dysfunctional behaviors.
Solutions and recommendations
What solutions do you think could be implemented in the short and long term to improve the integration of children with learning disabilities in schools?
Mădălina Biță: Training teachers on the diagnosis and characteristics of children with autism, the functions of behaviors, their underlying needs, and the prevention and management of disruptive behaviors significantly helps integrate children with autism into the community. Community training (colleagues and parents) and collaboration with specialists in applied behavior analysis are essential for real, successful integration.
What legislative or educational policy measures do you believe should be taken to ensure the real inclusion of these students?
Mădălina Biță: Current legislation encourages the enrollment of children with autism in mainstream education. However, for successful integration, inclusive policies in schools are needed, the promotion and normalization of neurodiversity, and specialists to provide the necessary guidance.
What impact can relationships with peers and teachers have on the self-esteem and social skills of these children?
Mădălina Biță : Often, the attention of those around them is focused on the difficulties that the child with autism has and their interests or abilities are lost sight of. In increasing self-esteem, a good starting point is to identify the strengths of the child with autism to be highlighted through activities or projects. The focus on the positive of teachers is precious for forming a positive image of oneself. School is a socially stimulating environment. The child can practice when opportunities for interaction are created, team activities and projects are organized, or the cultivation of relationships based on common interests is encouraged.