INCLUSIVE EDUCATION FOR THE 21st CENTURY - AUTISM IN THE CLASSROOM

Abstract

A society cannot be just if all children are not included and if children with disabilities are excluded, if their environment is not changed in a way that enables and supports their participation. All stakeholders should continue to maintain these multisectoral efforts so that children with disabilities are forbidden to fall behind. Mandal (2023) explains that the term autism derives from the Greek word ''autós'' meaning self and it was used by the German psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler to mean ‘morbid self-admiration and withdrawal within self.’ It is a developmental disorder that results from a disorder in the central nervous system. It is diagnosed according to different criteria for disturbances in social interaction, communication, interests, imagination and activities. The causes, symptoms, etiology, treatment, and other issues of autism are controversial. Blatt (2023) reminds that the concept of autism was coined in 1911 by Bleuler to describe a symptom of the most severe cases of schizophrenia. A child who is assessed based on his/her abilities will gain more self-confidence, will have better prospects for inclusion in education - starting from pre-school education and in everyday life. If one of the basic goals of education is to enable man to set his goals, to be self-determined and to realize his dreams, then education must provide equal access for all and provide access to the world of change, changes that set new requirements and open new opportunities. In almost all countries of Southeast Europe (OECD - Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, an international organization that works to build better policies for better lives), special schools, special classes and regular classes are found. In several countries, many of the schools are established at the same time, but they also have a residential character (home accommodation). North Macedonia is making immense efforts to bring inclusive practices into health, education and social protection. A new assessment model was also introduced, based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF - a framework for describing and organizing information on functioning and disability), primary education new law, which foresees the full introduction of inclusive education and the transformation of special schools into resource centers; cessation of placing children in large institutions for permanent care; introduction of screening for early detection of developmental delay; and expanding the range of community-based services that support families are some of the main determinants in efforts to ensure that children with disabilities take their rightful place in society. These inclusive changes in the legal framework imply changes in terminology, provision of financial conditions, but also changes in the scope and type of services that support education in the continuing education of teachers, provision of appropriate conditions and physical accessibility in schools, as well as in pre-school upbringing and education . A child who is assessed based on his/her abilities will gain more self-confidence, will have better prospects for inclusion in education - starting from pre-school education and in everyday life.