Informing Conceptual Issues Related to Autistic Children’s Right to Education Through a Literature Review of Their Lived Experience

Abstract

This paper aims at reviewing autistic children’s lived educational experience to inform ongoing legal and conceptual debates about their right to education. The results showed that autistic children display a great diversity of educational needs and preferences, which should be met with personalized solutions respectful of their individual and collective identity. Mainstream inclusion, while sometimes positive, also appeared at times to hinder the delivery of a quality and inclusive education, if nothing else due to sensory issues and overwhelming anxiety. This underlines the necessity to adopt a more neurodiverse interpretation of the notions of quality and inclusive education, in order to preserve and develop diverse and proper educational offers for each and every autistic child.