ABSTRACT

An increasing number of pupils are diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum, the majority of whom are in mainstream schools and academies. An educational provider has a duty to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled students are not discriminated against. A child or young person has special educational needs (SEN) if they have a learning difficulty or disability that calls for special educational provision to be made for them. A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability. Special educational needs and provision can be considered as falling under four broad areas: Communication and interaction, cognition and learning, social, mental and emotional health, sensory and/or physical. Children and young people with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including Asperger's syndrome and Autism, have difficulty in making sense of the world in the way others do.