Michael has Asperger’s Syndrome (autistic spectrum disorder) and as a result has poor interpersonal skills which make it difficult for him to communicate with other people and/or make friends. He doesn’t like making eye contact and talks in a rather staccato, high pitched voice which is at odds with his size – he is a well built, 6 foot tall, 19 year old.

Though of average intelligence, Michael didn’t have any formal qualifications but was keen to develop his passion for IT into some sort of employment opportunity. He enrolled on an ‘Access to IT’ course that included a range of modules: English & Communication Skills; Maths; Integrated Applications; Using Presentation Graphics; Using the Internet; Systems Analysis; Website Development; Visual Programming; and Computer Hardware and Networking.  

Although much of the course was dedicated to individual work, which suited Michael really well and was his preferred choice of working, some of the modules (English and Maths) had a substantial element of group work for both course work and final assessment.  Because of his disability, Michael found the group work really difficult to manage as he didn’t get on well with his peers. They found his behaviour odd and didn’t really know how to respond to him. Some of the girls found him a bit overwhelming and didn’t like the fact that he stood so close to them.  They approached the teacher to complain about this behaviour and to say that they were worried that including him in their group might adversely affect their grades. 

Michael’s teacher met with him to discuss both the academic and pastoral issues and to check how he felt about the situation. Michael was unaware that he was standing too close to the girls. They were kinder to him than the boys and he thought he was just being friendly. The teacher explained to Michael about appropriate physical boundaries and described what would be more appropriate behaviour. Michael agreed that the tutor could explain some of the difficulties associated with his disability to his peer group so that they would understand and be more accepting of him. 

Since the purpose of the module was to develop and test the student’s literacy skills rather than their interpersonal skills, it was agreed that Michael could be set an alternative assignment that did not require his active participation in the group but would test the same competencies as demanded of everyone else. 

The teacher then met with the rest of the group to explain some of the difficulties associated with Asperger’s Syndrome and ensure that they understood that the accommodation to the course work had been made to meet Michael’s needs and not to address their complaint.

Remember, the experience of disability is highly individualised, and people with the same impairment may have very different needs when it comes to making adjustments to practice. It is really important to have a discussion with the disabled person themselves about what their particular needs – and solutions – might be.