Participating in a community of learners: a sociocultural approach to the inclusion of students with autism in mainstream classrooms

The research examines inclusive practices for students with high functioning autism and Asperger’s Syndrome in mainstream classrooms, as well as the implementation of these practices. The theoretical background of the concept of inclusive practices has been informed by sociocultural notions of learning and development and research on Autism Spectrum Disorders, in particular the implications of the condition for learning and social interactions. The concept of inclusive practices is situated in the contexts of research on special education, the practice of labeling students with special needs in schools, and the policies, concepts and practices of inclusion in mainstream schools in North America. The primary goal of the research was to reflect on how sociocultural concepts of learning and development can help in the design of curriculum and practices that support the learning and socialization of students with autism in mainstream classrooms. The findings are evaluated also from the perspective of research on and ongoing debates concerning special education and inclusion, attempting to contribute to our understanding of issues such as the continuum of services, the principle of the least restrictive environment, and full inclusion. Two children with high functioning autism and Asperger’s Syndrome, both fully included in mainstream classrooms, were the focal students of the research. As their regular special education assistant, I conducted a longitudinal ethnographic participant observation taking notes on the challenges and changes in the participation of the focal students in their classrooms’ academic and social activities and my experiences of designing and implementing inclusive practices for them. As well, I implemented academic activities (small group projects) for both students and some of their peers that implemented sociocultural concepts of learning in the form of the “community of learners” (COL) model, based on and inspired by Barbara Rogoff’s research and the model of Integrated Play Groups (IPG) designed by Pamela Wolfberg. The goal of this program of action research was to examine whether, and in what ways, this learning model might be an effective inclusive practice for the focal students, and how it might be implemented in mainstream schools.