Education Ministry ramps up autism support amid rising cases

The Ministry of Education Transformation is ramping up its efforts to interact with and teach children with autism amid calls for more in-class assistance from parents, an official has said.

As Barbados recognised World Autism Awareness Day on Thursday, education officer responsible for special needs, Michelle Gooding, said the ministry has, for the past few years, increased training programmes for educators to help them identify and teach children with autism.

“So we’ve been doing a lot of training, especially in the early years, because the numbers are really on the rise. There are some who are diagnosed, and there are children who are coming into the classrooms who are not yet diagnosed. So once schools identify them, they will refer them to us here at the Ministry of Education.”

The latest training programme was focused on nursery school teachers with students aged three  to four years old, and teachers in special units. The special units range from five to 12 years old.

“The Erdiston Teachers Training College also has the introduction to special needs education, and here at the ministry, in our summer professional development series over the last three or four years, we’ve done training specifically for autism, especially with teachers in the early years.”

She highlighted a recent collaboration with the University of North Carolina, which introduced structured teaching approaches for autism.

“We recently concluded training with the University of North Carolina and their training program for all teachers. We had one teacher from each nursery school and from our special units again in understanding how to teach children with autism.”

The programme, called the Early Learners Structured Approach to teaching children with autism, focuses on classroom organisation and structured routines designed to meet the needs of children on the spectrum.

The ministry also continues to work closely with the Albert Cecil Graham Development Centre for multidisciplinary assessments and interventions, said Gooding: “We can refer to them and over there they will see the multidisciplinary team — the developmental paediatrician, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech therapy, audiology, as well as psychologists there.”

The education ministry has also recorded a significant proportion of referrals linked to autism, with nearly a quarter of cases falling within that category, she said. “Last year, for the 2024 to 2025 academic year, 24 per cent of our referrals were children with either diagnosed or suspected to be on the spectrum.”

In response to rising demand, the ministry has expanded its psychological support capacity.

Gooding said: “We have expanded our team in student support services, where we now have three additional psychologists, which enables us to do more assessments so that children can get early diagnosis and early intervention.”

Additional support is also being provided in classrooms through aides, assistants and volunteers.

“In our nursery schools, we have nursery aides, and we have school assistants in the schools. Each school has a number of school assistants, and principals will deploy them where they are needed. In our special schools and units, we have some inclusion classes … where the principals will deploy the school assistants to support the children in those classes. And in some of our special units, we have parent volunteers.”

The increase in cases of autism being identified reflects both improved awareness and a growing number of undiagnosed children entering the system, according to the education specialist.

“The numbers are really on the rise,” said Gooding. “There are some who are diagnosed and there are children who are coming into the classrooms who are not yet diagnosed. So once schools identify them, they will refer them to us here at the Ministry of Education.”

Some students are only identified later in primary or secondary school, requiring additional intervention and targeted support.

“Coming off the referral process, you would have an intervention plan. It might mean forwarding it to the psychologist for assessment and diagnosis, or a recommendation for speech therapy. We work with speech therapists and behaviour therapists externally.”

Over the past five years, the ministry has expanded inclusive education provision in schools such as St Christopher’s Primary School, Milton Lynch Primary, and Bayley’s Primary School, creating autism-specific and inclusive classrooms.

“Creating inclusive and autism-specific classes where children receive intervention while remaining part of the wider school,” said Gooding.

In response to concerns raised by parents of non-verbal students, the official said the ministry is piloting new communication tools to improve classroom participation.

“PECS—the Picture Exchange Communication System—for nonverbal children. We are also piloting augmented devices and buzzers so children can communicate their needs. We are trying to support children and encourage parents to engage with the ministry because support is available.”

The ministry is urging parents who suspect their children may have autism to come forward early so assessments can be carried out and support provided while children are still within the system.