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Educating Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in China and Finland pp 107–138Cite as

Teaching Methods and Practices for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Finland

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Part of the book series: New Frontiers of Educational Research ((NFER))

Abstract

This chapter introduces teaching methods and practices for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Finnish comprehensive school. The chapter begins with a short introduction to curricula that give the overall guidelines for teaching. After that, learning theories and teaching methods that are commonly used in Finland are discussed. The predominant learning conceptions in Finland are empiristic and rationalistic approaches, such as behaviorism and cognitive science. Therefore, the practices stemming from these approaches are introduced. Structured teaching, often simply referred as structuring, which is based on the Training and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH) method is discussed, in particular, as it is the most commonly used method in the instruction of children with ASD in Finland. A special emphasis is also on the introduction of variation in the use of structuring in supporting the overall learning as well as the communication and interaction of children with ASD. The chapter also introduces the use of technology and home-school collaboration as means to enhance the learning of children with ASD. Finally, two fictional case stories illustrate the education and typical schooldays of children with ASD in Finland.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    As there is very little research on teaching children with ASD in Finland, two surveys, one for teachers teaching children with ASD and another one for parents of children with ASD, were conducted on the education of children with ASD in Finnish comprehensive schools in 2016 at the University of Eastern Finland. This chapter utilizes the findings of the surveys. The data were collected by electronic surveys. Both parents and teachers had a separate questionnaire concerning various aspects of school arrangements for children with ASD. As there was no inclusive national register of the education of students and/or children with ASD, the selection of survey participants was conducted by using convenience samples. The parent survey was distributed in cooperation with The Finnish Association for Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. In total, 89 parents participated in the survey, and 72 of them were qualified for our research as they had comprehensive-school-aged children. The teacher survey was distributed in cooperation with various municipalities, cities, and social media. In total, 28 teachers responded to the questionnaire, and 27 of them qualified for the research. Both surveys were created in cooperation with professionals in special education and psychology. The surveys contained multiple choice and open-ended questions, and the data were analyzed by using qualitative and quantitative methods. Jenny Kinnunen and Mirva Poikola conducted the study, and the main results were reported in their Master’s thesis in Special Education at the University of Eastern Finland in 2017.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland

    Mirva Poikola & Eija Kärnä

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  1. Mirva Poikola
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  2. Eija Kärnä
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Correspondence to Eija Kärnä .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

    Xiaoyi Hu

  2. School of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland

    Eija Kärnä

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Poikola, M., Kärnä, E. (2019). Teaching Methods and Practices for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Finland. In: Hu, X., Kärnä, E. (eds) Educating Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in China and Finland. New Frontiers of Educational Research. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8203-1_8

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