Making Inclusion Meaningful: Strategies To Shift from "Location" to "Culture" : Lehigh University

About the Event

Autistic students often experience social isolation and low social standing among non-autistic peers even when placed in inclusive environments such as the general education classroom. Over the years, educators have seen changes and refinement to what is considered inclusive practice, moving from a place-based concept of inclusion to what has been termed meaningful inclusion.

Gresham (1981) argued that placing students with disabilities into a general education setting without providing them with the skills to interact could lead to increased social isolation and result in the setting actually being a “more restrictive setting.” Thus, autistic students often participate in interventions designed to teach them the skills they need to navigate these environments that are often still unwelcoming to their own unique needs. To expand on and shift away from mere place-based inclusion, researchers have moved toward applying an anti-stigma framework for inclusion.

In this webinar, Elise Settanni, Ph.D., will provide an overview of the research on anti-stigma interventions as well as some practical steps for educators seeking to create a culture of inclusion in their classrooms.

Cost: Free to attend

Staff Contact: Bryce Neff

About Our Speaker

Elise Settanni, Ph.D., is a teaching assistant professor of special education currently teaching courses in the Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) program. She has a passion for neurodiversity affirming behavior analytic practices and passes this on to her students. She draws on her experience in ABA, neurodiversity affirming practices, and the research on autism stigma to work with educators to create inclusive general education environments for autistic students both through her research and clinical work.