Abstract/Summary

The majority of identified autistic children in the English state school system are educated in mainstream settings. However, many autistic children and young people in such settings have difficult school experiences and impoverished educational outcomes. Historically, the debate around how to improve outcomes for this group of pupils has centred on identifying ways in which autistic learners can better adapt to the school environment rather than considering the ways in which teachers, educators, and policymakers might adapt their assumptions, beliefs, and practices. In this chapter, I review some of the key literature and employ a combination of relevant theory and my own empirical research with autistic young people to make the case for why difficult conversations between staff in schools are necessary to urgently address the stigma and prejudice which surrounds neurodivergent pupils.