An analysis of educational dialogue as support for learning for young pupils with autism in mainstream schools

ABSTRACT

Dominant deficit-focused discourses of autism have supported the use of specialised practices within education. This is despite the fact that recent micro-level research provides evidence of overlooked interactional competence in autistic children and problematises the idea of their unavailability to ordinary teaching methods. The aim of this pilot project was to investigate processes of teaching and learning for two autistic pupils identified as doing well in their respective mainstream primary schools. The study used a participatory design in which practitioners were invited to be co-researchers and contribute to the gathering and analysis of recorded information about interaction. Transcription conventions used in conversation analysis were applied to moments of interaction that were identified by co-researchers as significant. The analysis demonstrates that practitioners showed a strong preference for a dialogic teaching approach to extend pupil thinking, for example, following the pupil’s lead in interaction, asking rather than telling and taking an interest in the pupil as a person. Pupils demonstrated their ability to respond effectively to this, including participating in interaction at a structural level of cooperation and providing preferred responses with minimal pauses. Practitioners used talk flexibly, to support topic learning in relation to lesson content, but also to support areas of social-emotional learning that are seen as important for pupils on the spectrum.

KEYWORDS:

• Autism
• inclusive pedagogy
• dialogic teaching
• conversation analysis

Acknowledgements

The first author would like to thank all the practitioners and pupils who participated in the study and gave generously of their time and commitment. Without their trust and support, this study would not have been possible. Pseudonyms are used in line with participants’ preferences.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Carmel Conn http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4395-8302

Notes on contributors

Dr Carmel Conn is a senior lecturer in the School of Education, Early Years and Social Work at the University of South Wales in the UK.

Mererid Lewis is a Year 1 class teacher at Ysgol Treganna, a Welsh-medium primary school in Cardiff, UK.

Siwan Matthews is a special educational needs teacher at Ysgol Treganna, a Welsh-medium primary school in Cardiff, UK.