Daycare, school & education

In a British online parent survey (486 children with autism; parents volunteered themselves, so selection bias is possible), 43 percent of children missed at least 10 percent of school days in a month. The most common reason was not "truancy" but school refusal in the sense of staying away that is linked to emotional distress when attending school. It helps to understand the reasons precisely and to bring school, family and professionals together early rather than increasing pressure.

In detail: School avoidance and school absenteeism in autism

In a meta-analysis of 34 studies, the pooled share with experiences of being a victim was 67 %, and the risk was higher than for classmates without disability and with other disabilities. The numbers differed greatly between studies and come mainly from Western countries. Bullying is never the fault of the affected child (assessment by the editorial team).

In detail: Bullying and social situations at school

Disadvantage compensation (Nachteilsausgleich) is meant to enable pupils with autism to show their actual ability without lowering the subject requirements. The conditions are changed, for example through more time, a quiet room or a different form of assessing performance. Who decides and which documents are needed is regulated by each federal state itself; in Bavaria, depending on the type of school, the school head or the school authority decides, as a rule on application.

In detail: Reasonable adjustments at school