The Ministry of Education (MOE) Malaysia introduced the inclusive education programme as

one of the initiatives to provide equal education to all children, regardless of characteristics
and learning abilities. The programme has been implemented in selected primary, secondary
and post-secondary government schools in Malaysia(Bandu&Jelas,2012), which is attended
by students with special educational needs together with other pupils in the same class.
LeeKeokCheong(2018) stated through the IEP, students are able to adapt to the mainstream
students to improve their daily life skills. However, teachers encounter various challenges as
students are of different academic abilities. Studies conducted by(omar;zuki) discovered that
the main obstacle of inclusive classroom is due to the autistic children’s cognitive impairment
in learning. In other words, teachers cannot teach at the same speed in an inclusive
classroom. The learning speed between the mainstream students and autistic students is
different. The general instructions given by the teacher is not understood and cannot be
followed by the autistic students(zuki). Teachers have to contribute extra attention and
guidance to the autistic students, other than handling a large class of mainstream students.
Murnie()also reported that the failure of a teacher to control the class during lessons has
caused the occurrence of aggresive behavioural problem from an autistic student. Hence, it
is only through the collective efforts by every stakeholder in order to eliminate the barriers in
providing inclusitivity for the children with disabilities.

Lee Keok Cheong. (2018). Pendidikan Inklusif. Oxford Fajar Sdn.Bhd.

Bandu S.H. & Jelas Z.M. (2012). The IEP: Are Malaysian teachers ready? Procedia- Social
and Behavioural Sciences 47, 1341-1347.

Zuki N.H.M. & Rahman S. (2016). Challenges Malaysian Teachers Face in the Inclusion of
Autistic Students in the Normal Classroom. Journal of Education and Social Sciences
4.

Murnie H. (2014). Perlaksanaan program inklusif bagi pelajar pendidikan khas bermasalah
pembelajaran di program intergrasi. Laporan Projek Sarjana, Fakulti Pendidikan,
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

Omar S.R. & Sulaiman A. (2018). Implementation of inclusive education programme for
special education need students with learning disabilities in Malaysia. International
Journal of Civilizational Studies and Human Sciences 1(4).
http://www.bitarajournal.com
Additionally, deficits in language development are another characteristic of autism. Studies
proved that autistic children show severely delayed language acquisition in both respective
and expressive skills(). Specifically, normal children usually generate their first word at the
age of 8-14 months, autistic children generally do not produce their words until around 38
months(). They may also experience language loss after initially developing some words().
Autistic children have limited language skills for social interaction than the normal children.
()stated that their attention issues are affected and make them difficult to elicit reliable
responses during lessons. Similarly, the authors found that autistic children often lose
interest to study and interfere the lessons. The authors suggested that positive
reinforcement would be a practical way to change the autistic children’s negative behaviours.
Contrarily, several studies proposed that due to the poor language skills, autistic children
often tune out of conversational exchanges and tend to ignore voices around them(). It can
be said that different behaviours are shown with different autistic individuals, so there would
not be any specific strategy to cater every situation.

Weismer S.E., Lord C., Esler A. (2010). Early language patterns of toddlers on the autism
spectrum compared to toddlers with developmental delay. Journal of Autism
Developmental Disorders 40, 1259-1273.
Hudry K., Leadbitter K., Temple K., Slonims V. & McConachie H. (2010). Preschoolers with
autism show greater impairment in receptive compared to expressive language
abilities. Journal of Autism Developmental Disorders 45(1), 681-690.

Howlin P. (2003). Outcome in high-functioning adults with autism with and without early
language delays: Implications for the differentiation between autism and Aspenger
syndrome. Journal of Autism Developmental Disorder 33(1), 3-13.

Watson L.R., Baranek G.T., Crais E.R., Reznick S.J., Dykstra J., Perryman T. (2007). The
first year inventory: Retrospective parent responses to a questionnaire designed to
identify one-year olds at risk for autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental
Disorders 37(1), 49–61.

Mody M. & Belliveau J.W. (2013). Speech and language impairments in autism: Insights
from behaviour and neuroimaging. North America Journal of Medicine and Science 5(3),
157-161. https://doi.org/10.7156/v5i3p157

Klin A. (1991). Young autistic children's listening preferences in regard to speech: A possible
characterization of the symptom of social withdrawal. Journal of Autism and
Developmental 21(1), 29-42.
Hall D., Fletcher P. & Auger E. (1992). Specific Speech and Language Disorders in
Children: Correlates, Characteristics and Outcomes. Whurr Publishers.
Mody M. & Belliveau J.W. (2013). Speech and language impairments in autism: Insights
from behaviour and neuroimaging. North America Journal of Medicine and Science 5(3),
157-161. https://doi.org/10.7156/v5i3p157
Teachers are responsible to meet the learning needs of autistic students. Proper classroom
management is vital for both the teachers and students as to maximize the learning
outcomes. Teachers may use visual teaching aids to augment and enhance instructions to
foster autistis learners’ independence. As autistic learners have difficulties in processing
and understanding language, visual strategies can assist with daily routines and help
manage behaviour(Rao&Gagie,2006). (Bell)also opined that autistic children are able to
retain and process information better if it is presented in a visual format, instead of auditory
input. The use of visual supports notably assists the autistic children in strengthening the
sense of world around them. Visual strategies are in the forms of pictures, icons and
photographs as to make abstract concepts more concrete and acceptable to autistic
children. Flashcards are extremely useful for autistic children to expand their basic
vocabulary. Teachers may display the flashcards to the students by pointing and saying the
name of the objects to introduce them new words. Colourful images in the flashcards attract
the attention of autistic children. As the autistic children become increasingly familiar with the
flashcards, teachers may start to match the images to real life objects so that the learners
will know even when the objects appear in different colours or shapes in the real world, it is
still the same item as the flashcards show. Hence, it is certain that visual teaching aids boost
the autistic children’s learning performances.

Furthermore, teachers should encourage collaboration among the autistic learners to

facilitate their communication skills. (word)posit that the ability to cooperate is vital for
learners with specific learning needs in preparing them for greater independence.
(Johnson)suggest that Jigsaw strategy, is an effective means of promoting cooperative
learning in inclusive classrooms. Students are able to participate fully as Jigsaw strategy is a
process by which each student in a group is given his or her own responsibilities within a
group work situation which must be completed for the whole group to succeed in completing
a task(word). Teachers are to assign individualised tasks for each student in the groups. For
example, the autistic child who is good at drawing may be allocated to a drawing task while
others who excel in using technology appliances may search for more information of the
specific topic on the internet. Each group member gives contribution and work towards the
common goal. The Jigsaw approach prevents the autistic learners from being socially
excluded and allows them to interact with others upon completing tasks together to gain self-
confidence. Research also proved that the Jigsaw-based cooperative learning impacts the
autistic learners academically and socially(9). Therefore, cooperative learning assists the
autistic learners to thrive in schools despite facing challenges.
Rao, S.M., & Gagie, B. (2006). Learning through seeing and doing: Visual supports for
children with autism. Teaching Exceptional Children 38, 26-33.

Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (1999). Making cooperative learning work. Theory Into
Practice, 38(2), 67-73.

Bell N.M. (2005). Using Social Stories to Improve Socially Appropriate Behaviours in
Children with Autism. A Master’s Thesis. The Florida State University College of
Communication.
https://fsu.digital.flvc.org/islandora/object/fsu:175854/datastream/PDF/view

Slavin, R. (1996). Research on cooperative learning and achievement: What we know, what
we need to know. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 21, 43-69.

Scott K. (2019). Teaching the hidden curriculum of group work for students with autism
spectrum disorder. Open Education Studies 1(1).
https://doi.org/10.1515/edu-2019-0008

Rose R., Howley M. (2003). Structured Approaches to the Inclusion of Pupils with Autism
Spectrum Disorder in Group Work. Paper presented at the European Conference on
Education Research. University of Hamburg.
Firstly, this article focuses on an important topic within the behavioural problems of the
autistic students. However, this study does not provide adequate information about the
personalities and self-concept of the autistic children that probably may affect the
functionality of the positive reinforcements to change their behaviours. Personality is defined
as an individual’s unique and relatively consistent patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving.
(HockenburyandHockenbury 2003), while self-concept refers to how one evaluates and
judges himself, either in a positive or negative way(yahaya). According to Freud, It is
suggested that the human mind consists of three main elements which include Id, superego
and ego. Id is driven by the pleasure principle which means people are motivated to obtain
pleasure and avoid tension while ego is the main component of personality charged with
dealing with the reality(hocker). McCauler()has opined that autism people have low Theory
of Mind abilities and they are less likely to contemplate the intentions behind their aggressive
or unusual acts. Generally, autistic children act according to their Id without considering the
consequences. They tend to have their source of energy mainly in their internal world. For
example, it is mentioned in the article that the negative behaviour of the autistic child has
disrupted the lessons. The autistic children will not realise that their behaviours have caused
inconvineince due to their imbalance ego.

Besides, given the communication impairment experienced by the autistic children, it is

unsurprising that they have negative self-concept. Autistic people had significantly lower
personal self- esteem, and higher depression and anxiety(bath). According to Yahaya et al.
(2009), this type of individual will always have no satisfaction, not happy, will easily sulk and
be displeased. However, many autistic children have special interests. Television, objects
and music are being most commonly endorsed interests(nowell). Engaging in special
interests helps autistic children to enhance attention and social skills. Autistic people shared
that they felt positive emotions, including enthusiasm and happiness when actively engaged
in their special interests(winter). It is important for the parents and teachers to view their
interests as strengths to boost their confidence and improve their communication skills.
These interests are essential for the autistic people to relieve stress and reduce the sense of
anxious and depressed for a healhtier well-being. Although the personality of the autistic
people may appear to be very negative and passive due to their deficits in communication,
they should be treated equally and given the same opportunity as others.

Hockenbury D. & Hockenbury S. (2003). Psychology (3rd ed.). Worth Publishers.

Nowell K.P., Bernardin C.J., Brown C. & Kanne S. (2020). Characterization of special
interests in autism spectrum disorder: A brief review and pilot study using the special
interests survey. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorder.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04743-6
Yahaya A., Ramli J., Boon Y., Ghaffar M.A. & Zakariya Z. (2009). Relationship between self
concepts and personality and students’ academic performance in selected secondary
schools. European Journal of Social Sciences 11(2).
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/11785198.pdf

Winter-Messiers M.A. (2007). From tarantulas to toilet brushes: Understanding the special
interest areas of children and youth with Asperger Syndrome. Remedial and Special
Education 28(3). https://doi.org/10.1177%2F07419325070280030301

Sha’arani N. & Tahar M. (2017). Tantrum behaviour modification for autism student at
secondary school using social stories technique. Journal of ICSAR 1(2).
http://journal2.um.ac.id/index.php/icsar/article/view/360

McCauley J., Haris M., Zajic M., Swainlerro L., Oswald T., Mclntyre N., Trzesniewski K.,
Mundy P. & Solomon M. (2017). Self-esteem, internalizing symptoms, and theory of
mind in youth with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent
Psychology 48(3). https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2017.1381912

Cooper, K, Smith, LGE & Russell, A 2017, 'Social Identity, Self-Esteem, and Mental Health in Autism',
European Journal of Social Psychology, vol. 47, no. 7, pp. 844-854. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.2297

This study on social deficits has played a vital role in the inclusive education programme in
Malaysia as it would be handy in assisting to provide constructive teaching modules to the
autism students. It is important to understand that the authors do no try to persuade the
readers that positive reinforcement through praise and reward is a superior solution or the
only way to modify the problem behaviour of autistic children. The authors provide flexibility
and allow readers to look for other creative solutions to alleviate the challenging behaviour of
autistic children as they show various characteristics differently and intervention should be
provided depends on their needs. Consequently, although significant results were noted in
the study, there are limitations to these findings such as the sample was small, the study
was only conducted on an autistic student aged 16. To fully understand the effectiveness of
interventions towards the autistic children, it would be better to study a group with an
adequate number of autistic children across a wide age range. While providing important
insights about the unusual behaviours of autistic children, the study has not yet investigated
the role of age in a sample that spans from childhood through adolescence with autistic
individuals, to prove the efficacy of the interventions in improving their behaviours.
Therefore, it is inappropriate for the writers to use only a sample as their sole form of
research.

Social reciprocity deficits are the hallmark of autism. Their social skills deficits include poor
eye contact and reduced opportunities to share emotional experiences or empathize with
others(osterling,schreiber). These missed opportunities result in impoverished maturation of
socio-emotional abilities. In other words, they are unable to exhibit the characteristics in the
human norms of humankind, manners or values and do not possess the skills to build
effective relationship. Crying, shouting and rolling over the floor are some common
uncontrollable tantrum behaviours shown by the autistic children when their needs are not
met(sharahani). The autistic child in the article fails to express himself well and thus shows
negative behaviours due to his impairments of socio-emotional skills. Nevertheless,
Debeer()states that autistic individuals often gain compensating skills through education or
experience and eventually improve their socio-emotional skills as Vygotsky(1978) claims that
children may develop better through social environment. The symptoms of autistic
individuals could be modified through social experiences. All in all, parents, teachers and the
society play a pivotal role in supporting them to enhance their socio-emotional skills.

Sha’arani N. & Tahar M. (2017). Tantrum behaviour modification for autism student at
secondary school using social stories technique. Journal of ICSAR 1(2).
http://journal2.um.ac.id/index.php/icsar/article/view/360

Osterling J, Dawson T (1994) Early recognition of

children with autism: a study
of first birthday home videotapes. J Autism Dev
Disord 24: 247–257.
Osterling J, Dawson T (1994) Early recognition of
children with autism: a study
of first birthday home videotapes. J Autism Dev
Disord 24: 247–257.
Schreiber C. (2010). Social skills interventions for children with high-functioning autism
spectrum disorders. Journal of Positive Behaviour Interventions 13(1), 49–62.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1098300709359027

Osterling J. & Dawson T. (1994). Early recognition of children with autism: A study of first
birthday videotapes. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorder 24, 247-257.

Begeer S. (2005). Social and Emotional Skills and Understanding of Children with Autism
Spectrum Disorders. Virjie Universiteit.