"The presence of (students with) autism in the same classroom with other students can cause new problems if everyone in the school in question, particularly the teachers, are not prepared to conduct an inclusive education system," Deputy for Special Child Protection at the Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry Nahar said at a webinar, accessed online from here on Wednesday.
He said that teachers who are not equipped with knowledge and skills for handling students with autism could face some challenges during the learning process.
"Teachers are prone to experiencing additional problems if their efforts to provide (learning) opportunities to students are not (supported) with knowledge and skills about autism," he said.
Inclusive schools would look at children with autism as a burden in the absence of comprehension regarding autism and lack of competency among teachers in dealing with them, he noted.
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Nahar said that could still be the case, despite inclusive schools being an alternative choice for formal education for children with autism.
Thus, it is necessary for inclusive schools to make sure children with autism get special treatment according to their needs, he stressed.
Educators at such schools need to remember that inclusive schools are not merely meant to accept kids with special needs, he said. They must also know how to meet each child’s needs, he said.
Teachers need to consider some things to be able to assist children to achieve their best potential in processing information. These include an understanding of children's learning patterns, making children aware of the meaning of each information, and linking the information received by children in a class with everyday life, he added.
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Translator: Anita P D, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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