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Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

Gepubliceerd in:

16-08-2022 | Original Paper

“I Was Like a Bird Without Wings”: Autistic Women’s Retrospective Experiences in General Schools

Auteur: Mati Zakai-Mashiach

Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders | Uitgave 11/2023

Abstract

Autistic individuals’ experience of the inclusion process is poorly understood, especially that of female pupils. This study retrospectively explored the views of autistic women who were included in general schools throughout childhood and adolescence, from elementary to high school, to understand their unique experiences and learn more about their needs in general schools. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, data were thematically analyzed, and key issues emerged pertaining to each educational level. The women described a complex journey within the general education system. Their responses highlight the need for greater attention to autistic females' patterns of behavior in research and practice. Implications and recommendations for educators and schools are provided, and directions for future research are outlined.

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Consistent with the practice common among autistic self-advocates (Brown, 2011), identity-first language was used throughout this article.

I eschewed the use of functioning-level descriptors because of the autistic community’s declaration that this term can be a misleading descriptive shortcut that can create a false impression that they do not need additional support (for a fuller rationale for this choice see Bottema-Beutel et al., 2020 and Kenny et al., 2016).

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Zakai-Mashiach, M. (study 2) (in print). The views of autistic individuals about their inclusion experiences in school - A retrospective study

Titel: “I Was Like a Bird Without Wings”: Autistic Women’s Retrospective Experiences in General Schools
Auteur: Mati Zakai-Mashiach
Publicatiedatum: 16-08-2022
Uitgeverij: Springer US
Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders / Uitgave 11/2023
Print ISSN: 0162-3257
Elektronisch ISSN: 1573-3432
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05717-6

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