Diagnostic Profile And Educational Needs Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: Perspectives On Long-Term Support And Inclu-sion (ICF-CY)

Over the years, research has demonstrated that individuals with autistic spectrum disor-ders are a heterogeneous group. In recent years, the concept of inclusive education has provided additional insight into the possibilities of working with children with ASD in mainstream schools. The purpose of this study is to outline the specific strengths, capaci-ties, and opportunities for supporting children and students with ASD in mainstream schools. The Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health for Children and Youth (ICF-CY) indicators were used as a basis and applied to different forms of ASD diagnosis, looking for more detailed individual profiles and differences by gender, age, and between different diagnoses, and according to specific difficulties and areas where children and students do not have difficulties. The study comprises 164 children and students, aged 3-19 years. The results highlight the strengths and resources of a large number of the re-spondents with ASD, outlining their resources in communication, language mastery and thinking. From one-fifth to more than half of the respondents do not encounter challenges when the environment and context are supportive.