The Ideal and the Reality: A Critical Analysis of Inclusive Education for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in China

Yangyang Jin

doi:10.54097/m8kh8v19

Authors

Yangyang Jin

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54097/m8kh8v19

Keywords:

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Inclusive Education, Learning in Regular Classrooms (LRC), Special Education, Policy-Practice Gap, Disability Studies.

Abstract

In China, policy stipulating inclusive education for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is sharply at odds with the stark realities of its implementation. This paper argues the resulting discrepancy is no mere operational failure but a symptom of profound structural contradictions, a thesis it explores by situating China’s ‘learning in regular classrooms’ (LRC) model within the context of global, rights-based norms. At the core of this disconnect lies a foundational schism in philosophy: China’s pragmatic, access-driven tradition versus the West’s rights-centric ideal. This philosophical divide precipitates a cascade of systemic issues, from a policy-practice fissure upon school entry and chronic deficits in resources and teacher training, to the friction of a 'parallel' school system whose very structure impedes, rather than facilitates, genuine integration. The paper therefore concludes not with simple remedies but with a call for foundational reform, arguing that for China to achieve authentic inclusion, it must undertake a paradigm shift in its special education ethos—moving decisively from a framework preoccupied with access to one fundamentally built on quality and individual rights.

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