Francophone Students with Autistic Spectrum Conditions: What Do They Have to Say Regarding Their School Inclusion Experiences?

Background: In the last years, an increasing number of students diagnosed with high functioning autistic spectrum disorders (HFASD) was able to attend mainstream high schools in both France and Quebec. Despite international studies and governmental recommendations to involve directly youth with HFASD in research, their own perspective is rarely taken into account in francophone research settings.

Objectives: Grounded in an ecological approach where participants are acknowledged as experts and knowledge co producers, our work aims at understanding how Francophone youth with ASD cope with mainstream education in high schools.

Methods: 26 teenagers with HFASD (13-17) collaborated in this research, in France (n=17) and in Quebec (n=9). They took part in semi-structured interviews and completed two questionnaires: the Friendship Qualities Scale (FQS) and the Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents (SPPA).

Results: Questionnaire analysis. Cluster analysis identified three profiles for friendship representations, mainly distinguished regarding two dimensions: companionship and help/aid from the friend. Three dimensions (social acceptance, close friends and physical appearance) differentiate self-perception into a 4-group typology (SPPA). Moreover, social skills training support (individual or group sessions) are correlated positive with friendship and self representations. Thematic analysis. Managing school sensory aspects, perceived immature behaviors from their peers and tiredness resulting from to important workload are identified as the main obstacles for their wellbeing in high school. On the contrary, being included in an intensive or international academic program, being driven by a passion or a clear objective and having a friend in the school environment appear to be important enablers for inclusion success. In France, the benefits vs limits of the teaching assistant’ presence in class (between 12 to 20 hours per week) needs to be examined more closely, regarding the specific challenges for self esteem and autonomy. Although strongly dependent of peers’ representations, the autistic identity is generally well lived and accepted, especially outside of high school. Finally, health and school system organization differences between France and Quebec appear to have few impacts on adolescents’ well-being but raise a number of questions regarding provision support access inequalities for families, considering the frequent use of private services in France.

Conclusions: When France and Quebec are currently releasing their new national plans for autism, transition from adolescence to adult life will constitute one of the major challenges for youth with HFASD in the next few years and has to be anticipated as soon as possible. This preparation would allow the adolescents to gain autonomy and practical skills to understand their needs and strengths and be able to speak for themselves in a professional environment. Finally, our work highlights the urge for Francophone research and society to move from a deficit-led approach to a neurodiversity paradigm, promoting empowerment of individuals and considering ASD as a valuable contribution to human diversity.