The new profiles that are transforming classrooms

A decade ago, inclusion in the classroom was an aspiration. Today, it's the measure of an education system's quality. Catalonia begins the 2025-2026 academic year with 1,326,352 students, according to sources from the Department of Education and Vocational Training. Despite the overall decline in enrollment, the number of students requiring specific support has increased: 335,746 from preschool (E3) to the fourth year of secondary school (ESO), almost 9,000 more than the previous year. Of these, 43,366 are students with special educational needs (SEN-A) – students with developmental disorders or disabilities – and within this group, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is one of the fastest-growing profiles.

This is a long-standing trend: data from the 2023-2024 academic year shows 19,199 cases of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). And according to the Catalan Ombudsman's report on inclusive education in Catalonia, diagnoses have increased by 111% between 2017 and 2023, an unprecedented increase in the Catalan education system.

"There are now more diagnostic options, which contributes to the progressive increase in ASD," explains Llúcia Viloca, a child psychiatrist and founder of Carrilet, one of the pioneering centers for autism care in Catalonia. The improvement in detection, from pediatrics to CDIAP (child development and early intervention centers, which assess children from 0 to 6 years old), has made it possible to identify profiles that previously went unnoticed. But Viloca also warns that, in parallel, "at the moment there is an overestimation of ASD, and within the spectrum itself there are significant differences and developments that will need to be better understood in the future."

On the other hand, Viloca points to the excessive use of screens in early childhood as a possible factor, which "can affect relational development and cause a certain disconnection."

Paradoxically, the increase in diagnoses and social awareness coexists with a system that still suffers from certain shortcomings in diagnosis, training, and resources. Specifically, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), due to its impact on communication, relationships, and sensory regulation, has become one of the profiles that most clearly tests the current limits of the inclusive model.

New and more subtle profiles

However, Viloca highlights how these cases have evolved, given that "before, children with ASD arrived late, without treatment, and with significant impairments, and now, thanks to the Early Intervention and Development Centers (CDIAP) and the good coordination between services, we detect them earlier." But new profiles are also emerging: children "much more verbal, with good language skills but with difficulties in relationships, reciprocity, or executive functions, which are often confused with giftedness or ADHD, for example." In fact, the report from the Catalan Ombudsman (Síndic de Greuges) indicates that there are still students with special educational needs in classrooms who have not been identified.

Given this large increase, Viloca also emphasizes that schools and support centers must be closely coordinated with families, who in these situations have many support needs.

When diagnosis and support don't arrive on time

The Education Department highlights a significant increase in resources, and lists some of them: "The increase in teaching staff, the creation of intensive support for inclusive education (SIEI) and intensive support for hearing and language (SIAL), the increase in physiotherapists, the creation of the educational guidance officer role, the increase in the number of educational service professionals such as EAP and other prominent ones, the increase in the monitoring service, the incorporation of speech therapists into educational services, the creation of comprehensive support classrooms (AIS), to name a few."

But despite this increase in resources and the improvement in early detection, the response is not always quick enough. "The CDIAPs and CSMIJs (child and adolescent mental health centers) areforce"We're overwhelmed, despite the increased budget. There's still a lot of demand that we can't meet," Viloca explains.

For their part, the EAPs—the psycho-pedagogical guidance and support teams that attend to and assess students with needs in schools—"do not have the availability to be sufficiently present in schools to provide adequate support," the Ombudsman's report states. This gap "can be especially critical in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), where intervention can radically alter the prognosis," Viloca warns. When support arrives late, emotional, social, and academic difficulties accumulate.

The public system assumes the burden of autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

More than 69% of students with ASD are enrolled in public schools, a higher proportion than that of students with special educational needs (SEN) as a whole. This concentration is particularly high in urban areas and schools with complex needs, which have more students and fewer specialized resources.

The department highlights the increase in teaching staff with 1,672 new positions, as well as the reduction in class sizes in the final years of preschool (age 3) and the first year of secondary school (age 1 ESO). The majority of preschool (age 3) classes (over 95%) have 20 students or fewer, and in the first year of secondary school, 97% of classes have a maximum of 30 students. However, "a secondary school classroom with 30 students is too many, especially with that number of students with special needs," warns Viloca.

Is teacher training sufficient to address the more individualized needs of these students? "Every year, training programs are offered by central services, as well as regional training programs tailored to the needs of each area," explains the Department of Education. They highlight training in learning disorders, complexities related to autism, giftedness, grief, and Catalan Sign Language.

"Teachers are very dedicated, and there has been significant improvement, with teachers now able to identify a child with ASD before a diagnosis," Viloca points out. This is important because, from a psychological perspective, teachers "must have a deep understanding and sensitivity to the child's characteristics at each stage, as well as the differentiated approach to teaching." In this regard, she highlights the importance of the CEEPSIR (Centers for Special Education Support and Inclusive Education), which offer teacher support, and the AIS (Comprehensive Inclusive Education Support Classrooms), where external professionals work in the regular classroom. "It's a significant initiative, in which professionals intervene in the classroom, offering psychological support and treatment for children with ASD and other behavioral disorders, thus uniting Education and Health." 

However, the Síndic de Greuges report warns that families often complain about deficit-focused approaches, which risk stigmatizing children and hindering their integration.

Furthermore, it is also essential that teachers receive support to address sometimes very complex needs. In this regard, the work of the Primary Care Teams (EAP), the Special Education Support Centers (CEEPSIR), and the Intensive Support Services for Inclusive Education (SIEI), currently 993 in public schools, is gaining importance. "This represents an increase in human resources for inclusion in the mainstream classroom," say sources from the Ministry of Education, highlighting, in particular, the significant rollout of SIEI Plus, which, with student-teacher ratios of 4 to 1, integrates professionals such as speech therapists and physical therapists into mainstream settings.

Viloca agrees on the importance of this for children with significant disorders who cannot be in a regular classroom, because "every child must be given the opportunity to receive support from school to develop psychologically, intellectually, and socially." However, in this regard, she laments that in many cases these children also lack access to a therapeutic environment in schools, with healthcare professionals who, despite not being part of the teaching staff, could provide intensive individualized attention.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have become a useful indicator for measuring the state of the inclusive education system. Progress is evident, with earlier diagnoses, greater awareness, and goals on the horizon for new improvement initiatives, such as strengthening tutoring and personalized support to enhance individualized attention at all educational stages. However, the limitations of a system that has yet to resolve certain bottlenecks are also apparent.