Introduction: A Teacher and a Pupil Interact

Abstract

The introductory chapter provides an extended vignette of one autistic child, Maab, aged five, and her experience of school. It is described how her interactions with her teacher create a learning environment that supports an increasing sense of safety at school and growing confidence as a learner, but also change and development within her teacher. The focus of the book is explained, namely what supports good education for autistic pupils, with the argument made that this does not necessarily concern the wider dissemination of specialised practices and specialist knowledge to mainstream or general education settings. The issue of teachers’ beliefs about the purpose of education is raised and the notion of value-based teaching is introduced with reference to current conceptualisations of inclusive pedagogy.