The majority of children with autism are in mainstream schools and with an estimated autism prevalence rate of 1 in 100 children, all schools should expect to teach children with autism and have the understanding, training, resources and specialist support to do so. However, teachers do not receive any mandatory training in Additional Support for Learning (ASN), despite having legal duties to adapt their teaching and approach to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs (SEN). In fact, over 70% of schools are dissatisfied with their teachers’ training in autism. Only 30% of parents of children with autism in mainstream education are satisfied with the level of understanding of autism across the school.
What we’ve done
Following pressure from the NAS through our 'make school make sense' campaign, the demand for a resource pack for teachers was taken forward through the Scottish Government’s Autism Toolbox which is designed to help local authorities and schools plan and deliver services for children with autism.
We continue to demand mandatory training in ASN, including autism, for all teachers.