From Eye to Us

  English    Imagine not being able to recognise the faces of your classmates, or the expression on the face of your teacher. Is she happy or angry with you? These are situations that students with autism may confront daily in mainstream schools. Social interactions become obstacles rather than facilitators of participation, simply because children with autism often struggle to recognise facial features or emotions. Although schools are important social environments for these students, little is known about what is needed to enhance their participation. Based on data collected in laboratories, classrooms and school yards, this inter-professional thesis in disability science explores these students’ daily experiences. Through a variety of methods visual perception, social activities, teachers and schools are scrutinized from a participation perspective. Eye tracking reveal how autism impacts on visual search strategies. The students’ own perceptions of participation are compared with their classmates’, and related to their teachers’ activities. Observations are compared to self-reports. While this thesis paints a rather dark picture of the situation for students with autism in mainstream schools, it presents some positive findings and offers suggestions for improvements. As shown in the thesis, facilitating the complex construct of participation requires different measurements and complex interventions.