A qualititative collective case study exploring the experiences of particular asperger syndrome learners in inclusive education settings.

• Main Author: Burke, Lauren.
• Other Authors: Mitchell, C.
• Language: en_ZA
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: Asperger's syndrome in children.; Autistic children > Education.; Theses > Psychology.
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10413/5160

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of particular Asperger’s learners in inclusive education settings. Five learners who had all been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome (AS) and who were between the ages of eight and 13 years were interviewed for this research. Each of the participants was interviewed once using a semi-structured interview schedule and was also asked to participate in three projective drawing tasks. Results indicated that the AS learners’ experiences of inclusion were dependant on four main factors: the pervasiveness of their special interests; their social experiences; the support that they received; and their academic self-concept. These findings were discussed in terms of the existing literature and policies on inclusive education. The implications of this research for the inclusion of AS learners and other special needs learners in inclusive education settings was also discussed.