Exploring the educational experiences of autistic young people accessing an autism specific classroom in a mainstream secondary school in Northern Ireland

Abstract

This exploratory single case study, aimed to explore the educational experiences of autistic young people (YP) accessing support in an Autism Specific Class (ASC) or specialist provision in a mainstream secondary school in Northern Ireland (NI). It also aimed to understand how their experiences related to their school and teachers’ current practice/provision and support for pupils in ASCs. A social constructionist epistemological stance was adopted where the school was the ‘case’, and qualitative research methods were employed across three phases of the study. The first involved semi-structured interviews with 11 autistic YP (aged 11-15 years) using participatory tools and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The second phase involved directive content analysis of school level documents then used to construct a contextual framework diagram mapping YP’s experiences and school provision/support. The final phase involved a focus group with teaching staff, using the framework diagram, to stimulate reflection and discussion on how YP’s experiences related to current practice, provision, and support in school. Themes developed from YP’s interviews suggested many strengths in ASC provision including strong staff-pupil relationships, friendships in class, as well as a sense of acceptance, belonging and inclusion. Challenges highlighted by YP included developing opportunities for social integration for ASC pupils and building stronger links between provisions and the wider school, including staff and pupils. Focus group data also connected tensions experienced by staff to tensions in the wider education system, specifically around managing expansion of provision in an already crowded school space. Implications for practice and directions for future research are also discussed.

Thesis is embargoed until 31 December 2025.

Date of Award	Dec 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Queen's University Belfast
Sponsors	Department of Education Northern Ireland
Supervisor	John McMullen (Supervisor) & Stephanie Burns (Supervisor)