“I liked school, but school didn’t like me”: Autistic young adults’ reflections on their mainstream primary school experiences

Abstract

A substantial literature indicates that autistic children and young people are much more likely than their non-autistic peers to have difficult school experiences and poor educational outcomes. However, how autistic people describe and make sense of their school experiences has received less attention from researchers, especially in relation to primary school, the period of formal state education in the United Kingdom for children from the age of five to eleven years old. Furthermore, little is known about how early school experiences impact on the lives of autistic adults, particularly in terms of identity development. Using thematically analysed data collected from focus group and one-to-one interviews, this study aimed to contribute towards this gap in the literature by documenting the subjective accounts of six autistic young adults. The findings show that the participants’ primary school experiences were characterised by routine invalidations and hostilities from peers and school staff which led to anxiety about social acceptability. These early negative experiences had long lasting implications in terms of self-concept and general wellbeing. Recommendations for teacher training and education policy are discussed. Lay Abstract We know from previous research that lots of autistic children and young people have difficult school experiences. But we know less about what these experiences feel like for autistic people, especially in relation to the primary school years. We also know very little about what autistic adults remember about their primary school experiences and how such experiences affect their sense of identity. Our study aimed to address this gap in the research by asking a group of 6 autistic young adults about their experiences of mainstream primary school. We held a focus group discussion for 5 participants and 1 participant chose to be interviewed instead. They told us that they were regularly bullied by peers and teachers for being different. They also told us that the impact of these early negative experiences was still being felt in adulthood. These findings suggest that autistic children's school experiences may be improved by focusing on changing school cultures and attitudes to be more welcoming and accepting of autistic ways of being. We briefly discuss ways in teacher training and educational policy might play a role in this.

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