Can child-friendly tools support young, autistic children to better communicate about their well-being to help inform school provision?

• Published in: Early child development and care 2023-10, Vol.193 (13-14), p.1367-1384
• Main Authors: Rees, Elena, Tissot, Catherine
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: autism; Autistic children; child voice; Constructivism; Educational research; peer relationships; School environment; self-reporting; social inclusion; Social integration; Students; Well being
• ISSN: 0300-4430; 1476-8275
• DOI: 10.1080/03004430.2023.2247180

Pupils' wellbeing in school can impact their learning, yet research into this topic is often from adults' perspectives. From a constructivist approach (where knowledge is shaped by human experience), the lack of child view on their well-being in schools is a significant gap in the literature, particularly from underrepresented groups including autistic pupils. This article is a small-scale case study with three child participants aged 7-8 years. To capture child voice, research tools were created by the participants followed by discussions to understand the student's intention. Two key themes emerged as important to well-being: social inclusion and school environment. This study demonstrates how child-created tools can be implemented in practice to truly 'hear' the voices of underrepresented groups. By empowering child voice in educational research, actions/implications for schools and their staff originate from the very individuals most affected, thus enabling child and school priorities to be better met.