PROBLEMS OF SOCIALIZATION OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS IN ALMATY

PROBLEMS OF SOCIALIZATION OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS IN ALMATY

Nurgul Eleusizova

Doctorol Candidate, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University,

Kazakhstan, Almaty

ABSTRACT

This article is devoted to the generalization and systematization of the theory and application of socialization to children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Typical problems of autistic childrenare considered, which are associated with social adaptation and integration. An attempt was made to divide the problems of socialization of children with ASD into two categories: clinical, psychological, pedagogical problems and institutional problems. The first category includes problems directly related to the defective structure of the ASD, and the second category includes problems arising from the specific circumstances of the functioning of social institutions. Attention is focused on the fact that the most active research and development is carried out in the field of solving problems of the first type which makes it possible to develop programs for correcting developmental disorders for children with ASD. At the same time, the institutional issues that are the subject of debate are still extremely relevant and practically insoluble.

АННОТАЦИЯ

Данная статья посвящена обобщению и систематизации теории и применения социализации у детей с расстройствами аутистического спектра (РАС). На основе научных исследований рассматриваются типичные проблемы аутичных детей, которые связаны с социальной адаптацией и интеграцией. Предпринята попытка разделить проблемы социализации детей с РАС на две категории: клинические, психолого-педагогические проблемы и институциональные проблемы. К первой категории относятся проблемы, непосредственно связанные с дефектной структурой РАС, а ко второй категории относятся проблемы, возникающие из конкретных обстоятельств функционирования социальных институтов. Акцентировано внимание на том, что наиболее активные исследования и разработки проводятся в области решения проблем первого типа, что дает возможность разрабатывать программы коррекции нарушений в развитии детей с РАС.В то же время институциональные вопросы, которые являются предметом дебатов, по-прежнему чрезвычайно актуальны и практически неразрешимы.

Keywords: autism spectrum disorders, socialization, adaptation, disabilities, support, correction, training, development, social skills, communication, integration, inclusion.

Ключевые слова: расстройства аутистического спектра, социализация, адаптация, ограниченные возможности здоровья, поддержка, коррекция, обучение, развитие, социальные навыки, общение, интеграция, инклюзия.

Today, according to various sources, there are about fifty-nine thousand children with developmental disabilities in Kazakhstan (0.6% of the total number of children). The number of children with autism spectrum disorders is growing especially rapidly. Numerous scientific studies confirm the fact that all children with ASD have features of socialization, which manifests itself in their daily life in a family environment, and especially when they are in educational institutions. Such children do not fit well into the training regimen, require an individual approach, constant encouragement and support, they do not know how to communicate with other children and cannot independently adapt to unexpected changes in lifestyle. This often puts the autistic child at risk of emotional breakdown and chronic maladjustment [1].

The variety of manifestations of autistic disorders determines the variety of options for predicting the further development of the child himself in ontogenesis and the degree of his success in society. Obviously, the prognosis will be as favorable as possible if a child with ASD is provided with full support from early childhood. Full support implies a comprehensive approach to accompanying the process of development of a child with ASD, which, in addition to early diagnosis and targeted correction, implies the creation of conditions for the inclusion of a child with developmental disabilities in the social space of healthy people and successful adaptation in it[2].

Today there is a pronounced contradiction between the modern requirements of the pedagogical community and the parent community to develop mechanisms for including children with ASD in the general educational environment and the achievements of science in the field of education management. In our opinion, the main reason for this situation lies in the uncertainty of the problems of clinical, psychological and pedagogical properties, the solution of which narrow specialists are called upon to deal with, and the problems of an institutional nature, the solution of which requires the development and adoption of decisions at the level of the functioning of health systems, education and social protection of the population[3].

As for the first category of problems, it should be noted that social interaction disorders occur mainly since children with ASD do not form even elementary social reactions and skills, such as an adequate emotional reaction to loved ones (they do not smile when a close person approaches them with a smile); they are not able to imitate the actions of loved ones. Children with autistic disorders are not capable of “general attention” (for example, they do not look where the other person is looking), they are not able to share interests and joy with loved ones, they do not know how to play games, share toys, they do not understand how to behave in various social situations; etc.[4].

Denial can be expressed in various forms - from the manifestation of indifference to the information of specialists about the presence of violations in the development of the child to categorical protests the examination and diagnosis. Regardless of the type of negative reaction, it is always associated with the loss of a significant amount of time and the delay in establishing an accurate diagnosis [5].

In addition to the difficulties with the differential diagnosis of ASD, it is necessary to highlight the problems associated with the provision of comprehensive care for children with autistic disorders and the families in which they are brought up. Unlike the United States and several Western European countries, where there are special regulatory legal acts dedicated to persons with autism spectrum disorders, in the current Russian legislation regulating the maintenance of children with disabilities, medical care and education, children with autism spectrum disorders are not classified as a separate category. Categories, their legal status remains uncertain; even though they require a special maintenance regime [6]. Rehabilitation of people with ASD in Kazakhstan is unsystematic: measures of rehabilitation and educational support are not provided for at all stages of ontogeny (in particular, there is practically no opportunity to receive professional education), work with families is carried out mainly by individual public-private organizations, and not in full, and many families do not have the opportunity to participate in such support [7].

As for the problems associated with the actual lack of inclusive environments for the socialization of children with ASD, it should be noted that in our country the topic of creating an inclusive social environment for people with disabilities has been very actively discussed in the last decade. Moreover, a certain experience in the use of inclusive technologies in the education system has already been formed[8].

Inclusive education is defined as “the process of development of general education, which implies the availability of education for all, in terms of adaptation to the different needs of all children, providing access to education for children with special needs” [9]. This means that the diversity of student needs must be provided by an appropriate continuum of services, the most important of which is the most favorable educational environment for students.

The theory of creating an inclusive educational environment for children with ASD is based on the postulate that regardless of the abilities and personal resources of the child, his need for a full-fledged education must be satisfied. Following this postulate, the Kazakhstan education system follows the path of joint education of children with disabilities (including children with ASD) and ordinary children in general education institutions. In other words, we are dealing with a substitution of concepts, namely: the concept of inclusion is replaced by the concept of integration[10].

The approach aimed at finding ways to involve children with special needs and opportunities in the general education space is integrative, but not inclusive. Inclusion is much more than just integration. With an inclusive approach, there is a transformation of the general education system itself, its adaptation to the needs of students and enrichment with methods and means to meet the educational needs of the contingent, this is a systemic and meaningful restructuring, in contrast to integration, which implies an external adjustment of the environment and the relative variability of the methodological component of education.

Consideration of the problem of creating an inclusive educational environment for children with ASD is also related to the decision of the age at which the inclusion of a child with special educational, communicative, social needs will be most successful[11].

Specialists in the field of developmental and special psychology have established that the organization of inclusive education and the upbringing of children with special educational needs will be most successful and effective at the stage of preschool education (of course, provided that special children continue to move along the path of inclusion at subsequent stages of the education system). Orientation towards preschool age is explained, first, by the high plasticity of the psyche of preschoolers, who take any deviations in the development of their peers for granted (for example, as differences in eye color), and this, in turn, becomes the starting point for the formation of tolerance in healthy children to people with developmental disabilities; humanization of the children's community [12].

An important condition for the usefulness of an inclusive educational environment for children with ASD should be the special training of teachers of educational institutions. We must admit that practicing teachers are not ready to work with students with ASD.

Most educators of preschool institutions and schoolteachers are not sufficiently competent in matters related to the specifics of their physical, physiological, mental and social development [13]. Of course, all qualified teachers studied developmental psychology during their specialized education and have an idea of ​​the normative indicators of the development of children at different age stages of their development. However, training courses in special psychology and correctional pedagogy are not included in all curricula, and if they appear in the educational standard of the university, then their content is not adapted to the realities of today. The point here is that when studying the basics of special psychology and pedagogy, the development of knowledge about the characteristics of children with disabilities is not tied to the practice of everyday work to implement the requirements of the State Educational Standard.

In addition, teacher training programs do not provide for a full-fledged study of the theory and methodology of inclusive education. Ultimately, all this provokes a gap in ideas about what the modern education system requires from the teacher, which contributes to the creation of a barrier-free environment and equal opportunities for everyone, and how to implement these requirements in the usual daily practice of teaching and raising children with special educational needs, and teachers are morally and professionally not prepared to create an inclusive educational environment and implement an inclusive approach[14].

Based on the foregoing, the following conclusions can be drawn:problems of socialization of children with ASD should be divided into two categories: clinical, psychological, pedagogical and institutional;the problems of the first category are quite well studied in the theoretical aspect and sufficiently developed in the field of applied research, while the problems of the institutional plan are studied today, for the most part, only at the level of ascertaining the very fact of their existence;there are multiple obstacles to timely differential diagnosis of ASD, systemic rehabilitation and creation of an inclusive social environment for children with ASD, which require intervention at the level of making and implementing managerial decisions within the framework of the functioning of institutions of social assistance, healthcare and education.

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