Practitioners' perspectives and experiences of supporting bilingual pupils on the autism spectrum in two linguistically different educational settings

Dados Bibliográficos

ID11160754
AutoresKatie Beatrice Howard (0000-0002-5731-6490, University of Cambridge Cambridge UK, autor correspondente), Napoleon Katsos (0000-0002-4722-674X, University of Cambridge Cambridge UK), Jenny L Gibson (0000-0002-6172-6265, University of Cambridge Cambridge UK)
Ano2021
Volume47
Fascículo2
Páginas427-449
Data de publicação2021-04-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoBritish Educational Research Journal (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0141-1926 • E-ISSN: 1469-3518
EditoraWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/berj.3662
OpenAlexW3044725186
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas12
Referências citadas42

With greater linguistic diversity in educational settings around the world as a result of international migration, and a rise in autism diagnoses, educators are more frequently teaching children who are both neurodiverse and linguistically different to their peers. The aim of the present study was to uncover the perspectives and experiences of educational practitioners who provide support for bilingual learners on the autism spectrum in two linguistically different educational settings: England and Wales. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 13 practitioners (5 teachers, 4 teaching assistants, 3 special educational needs coordinators and 1 speech and language therapist) working in mainstream schools. Data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), which seeks to illuminate participants' lived experience. Three superordinate themes were extracted from the data: (1) perspectives on bilingualism in autism; (2) comparisons across two linguistically different settings; (3) creating inclusive learning environments. The results demonstrate that practitioners had concerns about the feasibility of bilingualism for some autistic pupils, and argued that exposure to two languages may have a negative impact on their development. Future research should focus on finding effective ways to identify and support learning needs among bilingual pupils to ensure that children who are ‘doubly different’ from their peers not only have access to educational provision, but also have opportunities to harness and celebrate their differences

Autism · Autistic spectrum · Developmental psychology · Diversity (politics) · Educational psychology · Inclusion (mineral) · Interpretative phenomenological analysis · Mainstream · Mainstreaming · Neuroscience of multilingualism · Pedagogy · Qualitative research · Sociology · Special education · Special Educational Needs · Superordinate goals · Autism Spectrum Disorder Research · Family and Disability Support Research · Language Development and Disorders · Psychology · Social Psychology