Aflæsning og praksis: – Specialpædagogisk arbejde med børnehavebørn med autisme

The study investigates how different understandings of autism affect the educational work in kindergarten and its consequences for children. The research question is: How do educational staff work with young children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder?

The study shows that the kindergarten teachers’ understanding of what autism is has a major impact on how they meet children with autism. The results show that kindergarten staff face complex challenges in working with autistic children, particularly related to balancing between the children’s individual challenges and their social inclusion in kindergarten. The staff’s ability to experiment with different inclusion approaches is of great importance in promoting the children’s social skills, inclusion and well-being.

The study is based on participatory observation in four Danish kindergartens where there were one or more children with an autism diagnosis. The observations spanned over the course of ten days in each kindergarten, and field notes were written focusing on interactions between the children and the adults. In addition, the researchers participated in meetings and interviews with kindergarten staff, parents and external professionals. From each of the kindergartens, four to six interviews were also conducted with the kindergarten staff focusing on the educational work and how it was adapted to support the autistic children’s development.

Danneskiold-Samsøe, I., & Kjær, B. (2023). Aflæsning og praksis: – Specialpædagogisk arbejde med børnehavebørn med autisme. Forskning i Pædagogers Profession og Uddannelse, 7(1), 10.