Background: Despite inclusive education (IE) policies and legislation being introduced in South Africa (SA), learners with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are still placed in autism-specific public and private schools. Limited data are available on who makes use of the two different types of schools. Results may provide information on the profiles and education of learners with ASD in Gauteng schools. Aim: A quantitative, cross-sectional, comparative research design was used to compare the profiles of autism-specific public with autism-specific private schools and learners in Gauteng Province. Setting: The research was conducted in two autism-specific public and two private schools. Methods: Two survey questionnaires were used to collect data from four principals of two autism-specific public and two autism-specific private schools and 150 caregivers of learners attending the participating schools. Results: Results showed that because of their size autism-specific public schools make a significant contribution to the education of learners with ASD in Gauteng, compared to autism-specific private schools. Autism-specific public schools offer more therapy services than the autism-specific private schools, despite lower fees than autism-specific private schools. Significantly more black learners attend autism-specific public schools than autism-specific private schools. Regardless of the differences in population groups across the participating schools, the mean age when caregivers became concerned about their child’s development was similar across the two types of schools. Learners enrolled at the autism-specific private schools were diagnosed with ASD earlier than learners enrolled at the autism-specific public schools. Also, they commenced school earlier than the learners in the autism-specific public schools. Lastly, three of the four principals expressed a preference that learners with ASD be placed in autism-specific schools. Conclusion: The results highlight the need to raise awareness of ASD symptoms among parents with young children in all communities and to determine the barriers that hinder IE for learners with ASD in SA.

中文翻译：

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豪登省公立和私立自闭症学校的概况

背景：尽管南非（SA）引入了全纳教育（IE）政策和法律，但自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的学习者仍被安置在针对自闭症的公立和私立学校中。关于谁使用两种不同类型学校的数据有限。结果可能提供有关豪登省ASD学习者的概况和教育的信息。目的：采用定量，横断面，比较研究设计，比较了豪登省针对自闭症的公立学校与针对自闭症的私立学校和学习者的情况。地点：该研究是在两家自闭症特定的公立和私立学校进行的。方法：使用了两个调查问卷来收集来自两所自闭症专用公立学校和两所自闭症专用私立学校的四名校长以及参与该学校的150名学习者的照顾者的数据。结果：结果表明，与自闭症专用私立学校相比，由于自闭症专用公立学校规模较大，它对豪登省ASD学习者的教育做出了重要贡献。自闭症专用公立学校比自闭症专用私立学校提供更多的治疗服务，尽管费用比自闭症专用私立学校低。就读自闭症的公立学校比自闭症的私立学校要多得多。不论参与学校的人口群体有何差异，在这两种类型的学校中，看护者开始关注孩子的成长的平均年龄是相似的。在自闭症专用私立学校就读的学生被诊断出患有自闭症，比在自闭症特定公立学校就读的学生早。而且，他们比自闭症专用公立学校的学习者更早上学。最后，四位校长中的三位表示倾向于将患有自闭症的学习者安置在自闭症专科学校。结论：结果强调需要提高所有社区中有年幼子女的父母对ASD症状的认识，并确定阻碍SA中有ASD的学习者使用IE的障碍。在自闭症专用私立学校就读的学生被诊断出患有自闭症，比在自闭症特定公立学校就读的学生早。而且，他们比自闭症专用公立学校的学习者更早上学。最后，四位校长中的三位表示倾向于将患有自闭症的学习者安置在自闭症专科学校。结论：结果强调需要提高所有社区中有年幼子女的父母对ASD症状的认识，并确定阻碍SA中有ASD的学习者使用IE的障碍。在自闭症专用私立学校就读的学生被诊断出患有自闭症，比在自闭症特定公立学校就读的学生早。而且，他们比自闭症专用公立学校的学习者更早上学。最后，四位校长中的三位表示倾向于将患有自闭症的学习者安置在自闭症专科学校。结论：结果强调需要提高所有社区中有年幼子女的父母对ASD症状的认识，并确定阻碍SA中有ASD的学习者使用IE的障碍。