Vidal Veronica G, Wachholtz Daniela P, Mattie Laura J, DeThorne Laura S
Department of Speech-Language Pathology, Universidad de los Andes, Santiago, Chile.
Department of Epidemiology and Health Studies, Universidad de los Andes, Santiago, Chile.
Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch. 2023 Jan 17;54(1):63-81. doi: 10.1044/2022_LSHSS-22-00028. Epub 2022 Aug 19.
This study aims to illustrate how environmental systems shape the peer interactions of an autistic student within the classroom.
Drawing on the bioecological model of human development, this situated discourse analysis used thematic coding and microanalysis to examine data from semistructured interviews and 10 sessions of direct classroom observations of a 9-year-old autistic student and his classroom communication partners.
Convergent data across participants, time, and data sources revealed the following systemic influences on peer interaction: predominant medicalized view of autism (macrosystem), educational practices (exosystem), misaligned roles across adults and peers in the classroom (mesosystem), and multimodal opportunities for direct interaction that were supported by objects and physical contact and inhibited by rapid pacing (microsystem).
Findings illustrate the environmental complexities associated with the development of peer interactions for autistic students. We offer explicit clinical implications for how environmental factors can be addressed in the school-based eligibility determination process and in the Individualized Education Program.
