Facilitating the participation of students within the autistic spectrum in religious education curriculum

Abstract

Autism is a disorder which has recently become very topical since its diagnosis has been on the increase. In fact, recent research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that 1 in 68 children have been diagnosed within the autistic spectrum. This shows an increase from the previous estimation of 1 in 88. In Malta, most pupils diagnosed with autism attend mainstream schools. This dissertation will focus on autism linked with religious education. The topic of Holy Communion has been chosen to discover the understanding and facilitation of children within the spectrum which is currently taking place. As a result, two religious education lessons with regards to the topic of Holy Communion in year 2 were observed in two separate schools. The schools were chosen on the fact that they claimed to be inclusive, one of which is a Church school, whilst the other a state school. Furthermore, interviews were held with the teacher/LSA and parents of both children. Once the findings were all processed, these were analyzed in a thematic approach which resulted in the emergence of six themes. Afterwards, a discussion, justified through relevant literature, evolved based on the main themes in order to improve the facilitation of children within the autistic spectrum, which would help integrate and include them in our current mainstream classes. This study, therefore suggests a number of ways which will facilitate the learning related to the topic of Holy Communion, which will benefit pupils within the autistic spectrum.