Inclusive schools for children with autistic spectrum disorder: an appraisal on built environmental challenges of existing schools

Abstract

Majority of the school-aged children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are excluded from education, globally. And those who are engaged in education, are being educated separately confronting social segregation. Education is a fundamental human right that highlights the importance of promoting inclusive schools, enabling education for differently abled children in typical schools. This study investigates the appropriateness of the built environment and available facilities of existing local schools imposed on students with ASD. Thus, four schools were evaluated; two with autistic students and two without them. A photographic survey was conducted as the methodology to evaluate the presence of the relevant spaces and their qualities. Five types of spaces were identified of which 12 spatial qualities were examined in each school. The results of the study demonstrate that the built environment of both existing special and mainstream schools consist a significant level of required spatial availability in three of the identified spatial categories while the availability of relaxing and treatment spaces to facilitate students with ASD are considerably low. Thus, the findings insist on the necessity of improvements in local school environments focusing on crucial space categories to educate students with ASD by making the schools inclusive.