Debate: Remote learning during COVID‐19 for children with high functioning autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

The COVID‐19 pandemic has illuminated preference of children with autism spectrum disorder of near average to above average intelligence (high functioning autism – HFA) for remote learning. While many children with HFA excel at the academic curriculum, the majority struggle with the so‐called hidden curriculum, which includes such things as social rules and societal norms. Explicit teaching of the hidden curriculum is often lacking in mainstream education classes and can be a tremendous stumbling block for children with HFA. The result is often anxiety and depression which can be exacerbated or sometimes even caused by the intense demands for sociability and flexibility required in most mainstream educational settings. Remote learning, while not a legitimate option until now, has provided these children with an opportunity to flourish at home and improve not only their grades but also their mental health. While remote learning or hybrid models may continue to be appropriate for some children, understanding of the hidden curriculum is necessary beyond the school years. Both mental health and academic proficiency will flourish to the degree we are able to make the hidden curriculum more explicit to children with HFA.

As the COVID‐19 pandemic has highlighted many healthcare disparities all over the world, it has also underscored a number of salient issues regarding the struggles of children with autism and intellectual disabilities (Constantino, Sahin, Piven, Rodgers, & Tschida, 2020). However, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) of near average to above average intelligence, often labeled as having ‘high functioning autism’ (HFA) have also been significantly impacted. While most children have missed the social stimulation of school during the COVID‐19 pandemic, many children with HFA in our clinic have reported preferring remote learning, which has not been a legitimate option until now. Accordingly, many children with ASD are now resisting the transition back to in‐person learning, and some parents are selecting remote learning if able and given a choice.

While children with HFA may excel at the formal, academic curriculum, the majority struggle with the ‘hidden curriculum’, which refers to the unspoken or implicit values, behaviors, procedures and norms that exist in educational settings (Alsubaie, 2015). Understanding the ‘hidden curriculum’ is a prerequisite for success in most mainstream schools. For example, Stephan is an 8‐year‐old boy with superior intellectual functioning and ASD in a third grade, general education class. During a science lesson about marine life, Stephan’s teacher referred to Manatees as being primarily plant eaters. Stephan, who has a special interest in sea creatures, immediately interrupted his teacher to inform her that she was incorrect. Over the giggles of his classmates, he was reprimanded and told that he was being rude and disrespectful. Stephen was confused, as he was only trying to help. He cried inconsolably when he got home. Children like Stephan often report feeling as though there is a rule book to which they are denied access. Confusion, demoralization, and alienation are unfortunate but common side effects of such a lack of understanding of the ‘hidden curriculum’ in school.

Symptoms of ASD include deficits in comprehending the subtle or less concrete social rules that comprise the ‘hidden curriculum’. Social rules, unlike academics, cannot be directly taught as they are fluid and ever‐changing in nature. Cognitive flexibility, and executive functioning skills, which are all hidden curriculum prerequisites for success in general education, are typically lacking in children with HFA. Explicit teaching of the hidden curriculum is typically neglected in mainstream classrooms and this is a tremendous stumbling block for children with ASD. The result is that many such children often suffer from anxiety and depression, which is exacerbated or sometimes even caused by the intense demands for sociability and flexibility required in most mainstream, public school settings. These factors have clearly driven much of this population’s preference for remote learning during the COVID pandemic.

Over the past 6 months, many children with HFA have told us they enjoy learning from home for a variety of reasons. They do not need to worry about whom to sit with at lunch, or be annoyed by the frequent changing classes, or have to tolerate the aversiveness of the school bell ringing, or the smell of the cafeteria. They report feeling liberated by not having to try so hard to fit in with the neurotypical world while trying to thrive academically. The anxiety, demoralization, and depression that have plagued them when in school have dissipated. Ironically, then, COVID‐19 has allowed many children like Stephan, who are oftentimes silently suffering, to flourish at home in ways that they could not do while in the regular classroom setting. We speculate that by eliminating the demands of the elusive, ‘hidden curriculum’, such children now expend their emotional and cognitive resources on the formal curriculum, which has resulted in improved grades and improved mental health. The following example illustrates this point.

Jack, a 10‐year‐old boy in general education with HFA, was referred because of his terrible ‘meltdowns’ after school. He loves learning but because of his social deficits and lack of understanding of the hidden curriculum, has great difficulty during unstructured periods of the day such as lunch, recess, and gym. Jack spent a great deal of energy camouflaging his symptoms in school. With remote learning, he no longer exhibits outbursts at the end of the day and reports feeling as if he was ‘made for the pandemic’ due to the lack of stress he has experienced in remote learning. Similarly, Chloe, a high school junior with a perfect GPA but no friends, was referred for extreme anxiety within the context of HFA. It became evident that the social demands at lunch were overwhelming. She had even eaten her lunch in the girl’s bathroom because she had no one to eat with. She is learning more from home, as her difficulty fitting in is no longer a stressor.

The COVID pandemic has provided a natural experiment and demonstrated that at least some cognitively intact children with ASD have performed well during remote learning. The question is how to support the mental health of children with HFA while exposing them to the hidden curriculum which they will need in order to navigate life beyond the school years. Remote learning may continue to be appropriate for some high school students but not if it thwarts their long term goals (i.e., college, career interests). Continued immersion in and exposure to in‐person learning may be necessary to build resilience and competency in both the formal and hidden curriculum but not at the expense of mental health. Hybrid models show promise as they promote both relaxed learning from home and exposure to the larger social demands in school. These models have their own caveats unless routines are clearly elaborated as children with ASD do best with predictable routines. Ironically, the social distancing necessary for in‐person learning may inadvertently assist children with HFA as the social rules will be concrete and specific, and thus more easily understood.

Teachers and administrators in general education settings, where these academically proficient children are often found, need to have a greater appreciation of the struggles that high‐functioning children with ASD experience in trying to navigate the general education system. Both mental health and academic proficiency will flourish to the degree we are able to make the hidden curriculum more explicit to children with HFA.

The COVID‐19 pandemic has dramatically changed the manner in which education is delivered across the globe through the use of technology for remote learning. Clinical observation and anecdotal evidence suggests that a significant number of children with HFASD prefer remote learning for a variety of reasons. These finding suggest the need to systematically study the effects of various educational formats on the achievement and mental health, not only for children with HFASD but for all children. The area of remote learning will certainly require additional scholarly research in the future.

Ethical information

No ethical approval was required for this article.