Children with autism in the Greek educational system: ongoing challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic

Sotiria Mitroulaki; Maria Samakouri; Aspasia Serdari

doi:10.1192/bji.2023.5

Children with autism in the Greek educational system: ongoing challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic

BJPsych Int. 2023 Aug;20(3):68-70. doi: 10.1192/bji.2023.5.

Authors

Sotiria Mitroulaki¹, Maria Samakouri², Aspasia Serdari³

Affiliations

¹ Special Educator, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical School, Democritus University of Thrace, Dragana, Alexandroupolis, Greece. Email: sotiria6@hotmail.com.
² Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Medical School, Democritus University of Thrace, Dragana, Alexandroupolis, Greece.
³ Associate Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical School, Democritus University of Thrace, Dragana, Alexandroupolis, Greece.

Abstract

The inclusion of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in typical educational settings has only recently gained momentum in Greece, responding to the recommendations of the international conventions. Reform of special education legislation spotlights the inclusion of children with autism in mainstream schools. The principal goal is to accept the diversity and heterogeneity of all students. This paper presents the educational policy for children with ASD in Greece and comments on teachers' perceptions of inclusion. School closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic had an adverse impact on children's lives and created a new environment with different demands for educational inclusion.

Keywords: COVID-19; Inclusion; autism spectrum disorder; education; policy.

Publication types

Review