Guest editorial

The Editors of this special edition (Professor Nicola Martin and Dr Damian Milton) have worked together extensively and have shared values when it comes to education. We are advocates of universal design for learning (UDL) and inclusive practice which encourages and supports everyone to fulfil their potential. In order for this to become a reality the culture of the setting, the people within it and all aspects of the environment need to be sensitive to the requirements of all learners. Autistic pupils and students are the focus of this publication but we want to avoid the danger of singling out people with this label very specifically because often what works for autistic learners works for everyone. UDL principles demand planning for diversity and belonging rather than problematising and othering some individuals, often because of ableist assumptions that difference is a nuisance to accommodate

The sensory school: working with teachers, parents and pupils to create good sensory conditions

Purpose: An alliance of schools and researchers formed a collaborative community of practice in order to understand and improve the sensory school environment for pupils on the autistic spectrum, and incorporate the findings into school improvement planning. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach: Representatives of special and mainstream schools in South London and a team of researchers formed the project team, including an autistic researcher. The researchers and a named staff member from each of the schools met regularly over the course of 18 months in order to work on an iterative process to improve the sensory experience pupils had of the school environment. Each school completed sensory audits and observations, and was visited by members of the research team. Parents were involved via meetings with the research team and two conferences were organised to share findings. Findings: Useful outcomes included: developing and sharing of good practice between schools; opportunities for parents of autistic pupils to discuss their concerns, particularly with someone with insider perspective; and exploration of creative ways to achieve pupil involvement and the idea that good autism practice has the potential to benefit all pupils. A resource pack was produced for the schools to access. Plans are in place to revisit the initiative in 12 months’ time in order to ascertain whether there have been long-term benefits. Originality/value: Projects building communities of practice involving autistic people as core team members are rare, yet feedback from those involved in the project showed this to be a key aspect of shared learning

Embracing the ethical possibilities of researching about autistic individuals' transition to post-school opportunities in South-West Queensland, Australia

This chapter elaborates the ethical challenges and possibilities arising from a qualitative case study to engage young autistic adults about secondary school transition practices that support a positive post-school quality of life. The challenges arise from the need to work within the parameters of the Ethical Conduct in Human Research (NHMRC, National Statement of ethical conduct in human research, updated 2018), while also addressing the individual research participants' strengths and needs with regards to agency, capacity and voice. A range of strategies designed to optimise strengths and minimise potential risks for participants, while addressing benefit, risk and consent, is presented