Erasmus+: ETTECEC – Early aTTention for the inclusion of children with autism spectrum disorder in ECEC systemEarly aTTention for the inclusion of children with autism spectrum disorder in ECEC systems

Key Action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Action: Strategic Partnership

Project Duration: 2. 10. 2017 – 1. 10. 2019

 

The project aims at improving the ECEC systems of the partner regions, making them inclusive and avoiding the segregation of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in „special schools“, allowing these children to be equally prepared to enter the education system. The specific objectives of the project are:

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• Allow preschool teachers to have the necessary knowledge and competences to be able to include children with ASD in the activities of the classroom;

• Reduce disparities in learning outcomes between children with and without ASD.

 

Although different initiatives exist at national level, the European dimension of this project will allow the sharing of good practices between pre-schools and specialised organisations in ASD from different EU regions, some more advanced than others, and the replicability and transferability of the project’s results to other EU schools.

 

The EU Strategic framework for Education and Training 2020 recognises Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC)’s potential for addressing social inclusion and economic challenges, and has therefore set a benchmark to ensure that at least 95 % of children aged between four and the starting age of compulsory education participate in the ECEC. This target also aims at addressing another one of the Europe 2020 headline targets on education: the decrease of early school leaving (ESL). For children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). ESL is even more of a problem.

 

According to the report „Support for children with special educational needs“, from the DG for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, these children tend to be less represented in ECEC, due to the lack of adapted environment. This need of inclusive education is reflected in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which in article 24.2 states that persons with disabilities should not be excluded from the general education system, posing the challenge of allowing education systems to be adapted to all students, providing them the support that they need. Research shows that in order to implement a successful inclusive education, ECEC teachers do not need direct knowledge and skills relating to certain specific types of disabilities, but rather the more general skills, competences and attitudes that are needed to deal with a variety of learners in the classroom.

 

The main activities of this project include preparing of online training for pre-school teachers based on the idenitified real-life classroom situations in which these competences would be useful and development of methodology templates for systemic peer observation and suport between teachers.

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At the end of the project three regional events will take place in Czech Republic, Slovenia and Spain in order to promote the project’s results to local authorities, organisations working with children with ASD, universities, training organizations and the civil society. In Belgium there will be organized international event to present the project’s results to the participants from different EU countries.

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The project is carried out in partnership with:

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Asociación Mi Hijo y Yo (Spain) http://asociacionmihijoyyo.org

 

Svetovalnica za avtizem, specialno pedagoska diagnostika, svetovanje in izobrazevanje, Maja Skrubej Novak s.p. (Slovenia) www.avtizem.net

 

PEDAGOSKI INSTITUT (Slovenia) www.pei.se

 

Schola Empirica (Czech Republic) http://scholaempirica.org/

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Fakultní základní škola a mateřská škola Barrandov II při PedF UK, Praha 5 – Hlubočepy, V Remízku 7/919 (Czech Republic) http://www.fzsbarr.cz

 

AUTISME-EUROPE AISBL (Belgium) www.autismeurope.org

 

 

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