Inclusive Education for Autistic Children: Helping Children and Young People to Learn and Flourish in the Classroom

This book presents original, empirical research that reframes how educators should consider autism and educational inclusion. Rebecca Wood carefully unpicks common misapprehensions about autism and how autistic children learn, and reconsiders what inclusion can and should mean for autistic learners in school settings.

Drawing on research and interwoven with comments from autistic child and adult contributors throughout, the book argues that inclusion will only work if the ways in which autistic children think, learn, communicate and exhibit their understanding are valued and supported. Such an approach will benefit both the learner and the whole classroom. Considering topics such as the sensory environment, support, learning and cognition, school curriculums, communication and socialisation, this much needed book offers ideas and insight that reflect the practical side of day-to-day teaching and learning, and shows how thinking differently about autism and inclusion will equip teachers to effectively improve teaching conditions for the whole school.


About the Author
Rebecca Wood is an ESRC postdoctoral Fellow at the Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre at King's College, London. She was project manager for the Transform Autism Education Project at the University of Birmingham and previously worked for several years as a mainstream school teacher before switching to autism education.