Roberts, Katie
(2024)
“School should be a place where everyone feels comfortable and accepted”: An exploration of autistic adolescent girls’ lived experiences of emotional wellbeing in mainstream secondary schools.
DAppEdPsy thesis, University of Nottingham.
Abstract
Adolescence is a crucial stage for the emergence of mental health needs (Kessler et al., 2005), especially for autistic individuals who are likely to experience mental health challenges (Toseeb & Asbury, 2023). Most autistic pupils attend mainstream schools (National Autistic Society, 2021), placing these settings as key in shaping emotional wellbeing. Despite research recognising the unique needs of autistic girls and their increased likelihood of experiencing mislabelling or delayed diagnosis (Bargiela et al., 2016), existing school support models often neglect them (Kidd & Kaczmarek, 2010), leading to adverse emotional outcomes (Wild, 2019).
A systematic review of the literature revealed a gap in research exploring autistic girls’ experiences of emotional wellbeing in mainstream schools. Consequently, this research employed a qualitative exploratory research design to explore the lived experiences of emotional wellbeing among four autistic adolescent girls attending mainstream secondary schools. Utilising individual semi-structured interviews and interpretative phenomenological analysis, five group experiential themes were interpreted from the participants’ accounts. This revealed the influence of the mainstream environment, classroom dynamics, relationships, coping mechanisms, and social integration on the participants’ emotional wellbeing.
This research provides a distinctive contribution to existing knowledge by offering the unique perspectives of autistic girls navigating their mainstream settings. It reveals how relationships profoundly influenced their emotional wellbeing in school. Positive relationships with peers were particularly important, offering essential emotional support and a sense of acceptance. Similarly, positive relationships with teachers were necessary for academic engagement and emotional stability in the classroom, indicating a need for a whole-school relational approach.
The findings emphasise the need for tailored policies and practices to support autistic girls, including creating inclusive environments where they feel accepted and understood. This involves promoting positive learning dynamics, increasing staff understanding of autistic girls' needs, integrating interest-based learning, and fostering positive relationships through a relational approach. Educational psychologists are recognised as having a distinct role in driving these changes to improve the emotional wellbeing of autistic girls.
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