The Teacher's "Attitude Kinda Hurts Me": The Effects of Ableism in High School From the Perspectives of Autistic Young Women

• In Event: Moscone Center North Roundtable Session 3
  In Roundtable Session: Teacher Preparation at the Intersections of Disability Studies

Abstract

This paper draws on disability studies in education principles to discuss ableist and restrictive teacher-student relationships with autistic high school students who identify as young women. The findings were taken from a larger study about the school-based social skills experiences of these autistic adolescents. A key observation was the lack of relationship building between teachers and these students, which affected the students’ self-advocacy. Trainor (2017) discusses health and well-being as a domain in transition education should be an area that is fostered, rather than ignored, yet the behaviorist and restrictive paradigm prevails in schools, which effectively squashes self-determination skills such as self-advocacy to the detriment of fostering positive relationships and emotional well-being of autistic students.

Author

• Marisa Kofke, Hartwick College