In accordance with Greek law, students with special educational needs and/or disabilities attend mainstream schools, unless an Interdisciplinary Assessment, Counselling and Support Centre recommends otherwise based on the type or severity of the disability. This paper presents quantitative data from the Greek Statistical Authority regarding the…

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to investigate the acceptance and support of neurodiverse people in society, with a focus on autism, and to use this to propose a framework to enhance inclusivity that can inform pedagogy within the education sectors. Design/methodology/approach: Three case studies from higher education have been presented…

Background/purpose: This study aimed to evaluate teachers' self-perceived instructional competencies in educating students with disabilities. Recognizing the pivotal role of educators in inclusive education, the research sought to determine the extent to which teachers believe they possess the necessary teaching skills for this student population.…

Background: Amongst the growing number of examples of inclusive dance programming, community-informed recommendations for inclusive dance are scarce. Our purpose was to develop recommendations for inclusive dance with dancers with the lived experience of autism, intellectual, or developmental disability, and the professionals who work with them.…

This study investigated the effectiveness of a music and dance program in relation to the inclusion of young autistic pupils in mainstream schools. Then, the study explored, through a qualitative methodology, pupils' perspectives toward their autistic peers. A story was used to support peer collaboration and inclusion in the group, music was used…

This study explores the autism knowledge and awareness of educators in Higher Education (HE) as well as their attitudes towards accommodating autistic students within their teaching. Semi-structured interviews were used to allow for in-depth investigation of this topic. Thematic analysis uncovered a striking dissonance between educators' positive…

The research objective of this qualitative study was to discern a new purpose for provision of support to autistic individuals that would thoroughly eschew harmful normalization, which was the traditional purpose of all types of support for hundreds of years. Clinical practice and special education are moving toward a neurodiversity-affirming…

Research has examined teacher attitudes, knowledge, and stigma towards inclusion of autistic children in mainstream schools. Less focus has been given to these beliefs among parents. This is problematic as parents are important in the implementation of inclusion and fostering a positive school environment. The current study examined differences in…

Schoolwide peer-mediated programs have long been advocated as an avenue for promoting inclusion, friendship, and learning for students with autism and other developmental disabilities. Such interactive programs faced complexities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. We surveyed representatives of 91 elementary and secondary schools implementing a…

There are an increasing number of autistic characters seen in film and television, and an increasing number of autistic individuals entering the workforce. At the intersection of media and employment, only a small proportion of autistic characters are played by autistic actors. This study examines the experiences of professional autistic actors…

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental condition, has become a major concern for both developed and underdeveloped countries since the condition is associated with significant caregiver, family, and financial burdens. Approaches to educating these children, especially in their preschool years, are burdensome and demanding for both…

Functional communication training (FCT) is a well-established, evidence-based practice used to address challenging behavior among individuals across settings, ages, and disability categories. However, the research is limited on the implementation of FCT in inclusive school settings for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The…

For undergraduate students interested in STEM fields, participating in a research lab with a faculty mentor is an important developmental step for their future careers. However, autistic college students often feel devalued in academic contexts in general and experience interactions with faculty members who know little about autism or how to be…

This paper aims to understand how teachers' attitudes are contributing to or hindering the educational inclusion of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Implicit and explicit measurement of the attitudes of fifty pre-service teachers towards ASD before and after a short-term training on Autism is presented. The explicit measure used was a…

This research aimed to analyze the insertion of Brazilian psychology into the context of school inclusion of people with autism spectrum disorder. To this end, an integrative review was carried out in two stages: (1) mapping of publications on ASD in different areas of psychology; (2) analysis of the approaches and modes of action adopted to…