Listening to the Voices of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder – “When you are at school, you have to behave in a certain way”

Abstract

Models of special education that are diagnosis orientated mean that individuals with ASD are~seen as ‘different’ from their non-disabled peers. These views reproduce school practices in which those labelled disabled are likely to be treated as problematic rather than ‘coming from a different place’. This article explores the narrative of one Year 9 student with ASD and his understanding of his identity as a learner and his sense of belonging and friendships at school through a double hermeneutic approach. In it, the observations of the researcher and the professional relationship they both have, as well as the collaboration and engagement with the student at the time, are intertwined. The narrative reveals something of the continuous amounts of resilience and determination that students with ASD must draw on so to participate successfully in school life. The article suggests that mindfulness on the part of teachers is needed in daily interactions to fully support agency and well-being in this student group.