Journal of Education & Social Policy

School Staff’s Social Representation of Inclusion of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asperger)
Ann-Charlotte Linton, Per Germundsson, Mikael Heimann, Berth Danermark

Abstract
The current study examined and compared the social representations (SR) concerning the inclusion of students with Asperser diagnosis (AS) among principals, school health professionals, and teachers. Swedish school staff were invited to anonymously answer a web-based questionnaire (N=229). An association task was conducted to obtain data on principals, school health professionals and teachers’ of inclusion of students with AS. The content and structure of the SRs were explored by using the theoretical framework of social representation theory. Our results suggest that principals were mainly concerned with the organization and structural level of inclusion. School health professionals emphasized educational strategies, structure and routines and, students’ needs and their individual potentials whereas teachers refer to their own interaction as the most important aspect and more often than other staff referred to a burden. Social representation methodology offers unique opportunities for research as well as for applications aiming to promote inclusion.

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