Educational Discourse and the Autistic Student: a Study Using Q-Sort Methodology
Educational discourse and the autistic student: a study using Q-sort methodology by Damian Elgin Maclean Milton A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Reference Number: ERN 13-0875 Autism Centre for Education and Research School of Education College of Social Sciences University of Birmingham September 2015 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. Abstract With some notable exceptions (e.g. Jones et al., 2012), current guidance regarding best practice for the education of children on the autism spectrum often reflects a medical / behavioural model approach that seeks to remediate perceived deficits (Cumine et al., 1998; Hanbury, 2005; Hewitt, 2005; Worth, 2005; Hagland and Webb, 2009). Such advice can be contrasted with that given by autistic writers (Sainsbury, 2000; Lawson, 2010) often situating itself within a social model of disability. This study utilised Q-sort methodology (n = 60), followed by qualitative interviews (n = 6) to investigate the ideology and priorities of differing stakeholders, including autistic adults, parents of autistic children, practitioners and academics working in the field, and those occupying multiple positions, regarding the education of autistic pupils of secondary-school age.
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