Author: Graham Forbes
Forbes, Graham, 2024 Inclusion of Autistic Students in High School: 'Wired Differently, Not Weirdly Different'., Flinders University, College of Education, Psychology and Social Work
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Inclusion of autistic students in mainstream schools has been steadily rising over the past two decades, but very few studies have asked autistic students whether they have felt included. This study examined the lived experience of five autistic students aged 17- 18 who had just graduated from a mainstream high school. A phenomenological research approach used semi-structured interviews to explore the degree to which they felt safe, accepted and understood at their school. These phenomena were considered as essential conditions to enable them to competently engage with academic study and school activities. The narratives from these interviews revealed that the students said they did not feel safe due to bullying and other forms of peer aggression based on non-acceptance of their differences by peers. They said they felt more tolerated than accepted by staff and peers, needing to hide their differences in order to ‘blend in,’ and there was inadequate understanding of their unique requirements. Sub-themes emerged of primary school experiences that were reported by participants as being unsupportive and traumatising in some circumstances. All participants said they recognised that they were negatively seen as ‘weird’ throughout their schooling, and the support, assistance and interventions offered in high school were valued but unintentionally further stigmatised them. They said that a lack of understanding of autism and their individual requirements left them feeling that they were on the outer, not protected from aggression based on non-acceptance of differences, and experiencing environments and teaching practices that did not accommodate their sensitivities or adequately facilitate them to perform at their best. The implication of the research is that current practices and supports for autistic students may not result in the students feeling included as equals in mainstream school settings. Their perception of the absence of understanding and acceptance of neurodiversity leaves them open to being negatively defined as weirdly different and ‘lesser’, rather than merely ‘wired differently’ and deserving to be equally valued and respected. Embracing neurodiversity requires a school-wide autism awareness program and the implementation of organisational and pedagogical changes that address autism issues in ways that are non-stigmatising and beneficial for all students. This research confirms the importance of regularly seeking to understand the lived experiences of autistic students.
Keywords: autism inclusion, autistic high school students, inclusion in mainstream schools, lived experience of autistic students
Subject: Education thesis
Thesis type: Masters
Completed: 2024
School: College of Education, Psychology and Social Work
Supervisor: Dr. Bev Rogers