Dynamics in the Development of the Education System for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Russia: Results of the 2021 National Monitoring

The results of the national monitoring of the education system of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), conducted in 2021 by the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation in the cooperation with the Federal Resource Center for Organization of Comprehensive Support to Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (FRC of MSUPE), are presented. The total amount of students with ASD in 2021 increased by 18% compared to 2020 and amounted to 39,117 individuals. The majority of children with ASD (71%) study at the levels of primary, basic and secondary general education. A much smaller proportion of ASD development at risk children is covered by early intervention — 1.5% of total number. The minimum number of adolescents and adults with ASD are included in the system of secondary vocational and higher education: 1.1% and 0.033%, respectively, of the total number of individuals with ASD in Russia. Monitoring revealed difficulties in the including children with ASD in the system of inclusive education. The proportion of students with ASD included in the inclusive educational model «Resource Class» is 7.5%. Homeschooled students with ASD make up 36% of the total number of students with autism. However, there is a positive trend in the availability of specialists for students with ASD: 98% of students with ASD receive psychological support; 74% — speech therapy; 66% — special teachers support; 70%f — social care teacher; tutor support — 33%. Tutor support remains the most urgent problem. In 52 subjects of the Russian Federation, 60 regional resource centers have been created, which require consulting and methodological support from the FRC of MSUPE.

1. Vseob”emlyushchie soglasovannye usiliya po lecheniyu vsego spektra narushenii, svyazannykh s autizmom [Comprehensive and coordinated efforts for the management of autism spectrum disorders]: Report no. EB133/4 by the Secretariat: 133rd session / World Health Organization: Executive board. Gen ve, 8 April 2013. 9 p.
2. Organizatsiya deyatel’nosti regional’nogo resursnogo tsentra po organizatsii kompleksnogo soprovozhdeniya detei s rasstroistvami autisticheskogo spektra: Metodicheskie rekomendatsii [Organization of a regional resource center’s activity in providing comprehensive support for autistic children: Guidelines] / Federal resource center of the Moscow State University of Psychology and Education. Moscow, 2017. 11 p.
3. Prikaz № 115: Ob utverzhdenii Poryadka organizatsii i osushchestvleniya obrazovatel’noi deyatel’nosti po osnovnym obshcheobrazovatel’nym programmam — obrazovatel’nym programmam nachal’nogo obshchego, osnovnogo obshchego i srednego obshchego obrazovaniya [Order no. 115: On the approval of the Order of organizing and providing education in accordance to general education programs for elementary, basic and middle general education] / Ministry of education of Russia. 22 March 2021. 14 p.
4. Prikaz № 373: Ob utverzhdenii Poryadka organizatsii i osushchestvleniya obrazovatel’noi deyatel’nosti po osnovnym obshcheobrazovatel’nym programmam — obrazovatel’nym programmam doshkol’nogo [Order no. 373: On the approval of the Order of organizing and providing education in accordance to general education programs for preschool education] / Ministry of education of Russia. 31 July 2020. 13 p.
5. Khaustov A.V., Shumskikh M.A. Organizatsiya obrazovaniya obuchayushchikhsya s rezul’taty Vserossiiskogo monitoringa 2018 goda [Organization of Educational Process of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Russian Federation: Results of all-Russian Monitoring 2018]. Autizm i narusheniya razvitiya [Autism and Developmental Disorders (Russia)], 2019, vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 3—11. DOI:10.17759/autdd.2019170301
6. Khaustov A.V., Shumskikh M.A. Dinamika v razvitii sistemy obrazovaniya detei s rasstroistvami autisticheskogo spektra v Rossii: rezul’taty Vserossiiskogo monitoringa 2020 goda [Dynamic Changes in the Development of the Educational System of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Russia: Results of the 2020 All-Russian Monitoring]. Autizm i narusheniya razvitiya [Autism and Developmental Disorders (Russia)], 2021, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 4—11. DOI:10.17759/ autdd.2021190101
7. Mezhvedomstvennyi kompleksnyi plan meropriyatii po razvitiyu inklyuzivnogo obshchego i dopolnitel’nogo obrazovaniya, detskogo otdykha, sozdaniyu spetsial’nykh uslovii dlya obuchayushchikhsya s invalidnost’yu, s ogranichennymi vozmozhnostyami zdorov’ya na dolgosrochnyi period (do 2030 goda) [Interdepartmental comprehensive plan of activities for the development of inclusive general and supplementary education, children’s recreation, creating special conditions for students with disabilities, for the long term (until 2030)]: no. 14068п-п8 / Government of Russia; appr. By T.A. Golikova. 22 December 2021. 40 p.
8. Mezhvedomstvennyi kompleksnyi plan meropriyatii po povysheniyu dostupnosti srednego professional’nogo i vysshego obrazovaniya dlya invalidov i lits s ogranichennymi vozmozhnostyami zdorov’ya, v tom chisle proforientatsii i zanyatosti ukazannykh lits [Interdepartmental comprehensive plan of activities for increasing accessibility of professional and higher education for people with disabilities, including professional orientation and employment of said people]: no. 14000п-п8 / Government of Russia; appr. by T.A. Golikova. 21 December 2021. 44 p.