EFFECTIVE PREPARATION OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS FOR LEARNING IN AN INCLUSIVE EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT

This article presents an analysis of both Ukrainian and international scholarly sources devoted to the preparation of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) for learning within inclusive educational settings. The study identifies a lack of consistency among Ukrainian researchers regarding the understanding of the content and the implementation algorithm for preparing children with ASD for education in general secondary schools. Furthermore, it is suggested that there is an insufficient depth of conceptualization concerning the essence of this preparatory process. The purpose of the article is to provide a foundation for the effective preparation of children with ASD for inclusive education, grounded in a systemic approach and the principle of developmental regularity. The discussion is framed within the context of applying a systems-based perspective to structure the understanding of the transition process from preschool to school for children with ASD. The authors present a conceptual framework that identifies two strategic components in preparing children with ASD for general secondary education: internal and external resources. Internal resources refer to the child’s own capacities, including their psychophysical condition, experience of interacting within peer groups, prior exposure to the school environment, internalization of the social role of “student,” as well as learning behavior and cognitive engagement. External resources are categorized into two structural components. The first pertains to the potential of the educational environment, which includes the implementation of structured teaching and visual support strategies from the TEACCH program (at the stage of creating a supportive learning and developmental context), as well as the application of “Classroom Management” strategies to foster a developmentally appropriate environment for all educational stakeholders. The second external component concerns the capacities of the multidisciplinary support team. This includes continuity in collaboration with the previous support team, competence in developing effective support documentation, and a coherent approach to interdisciplinary support for the child both within and beyond the educational institution. The study concludes that the process of preparing children with ASD for formal schooling requires adherence to specific conditions that ensure a successful transition from preschool to school. These conditions include the development of an individualized transition plan (jointly created by the previous and current support teams), the use of “School Situation Modeling” techniques, and the provision of support during the initial stage of entering the educational environment, among others.