Living with Autism Spectrum Disorder : an auto-ethnography on educational support

Abstract

I was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at the age of four and a half years with a prognosis of not being able to attend a mainstream school or function optimally in society. The purpose of this study was to illustrate the importance of educational support for development in the cognitive, social, emotional and physical domains to enable me to complete my school career with university exemption. Although numerous studies on ASD and the child_s functioning in society have been conducted, no study could be identified where the journey with ASD is described from the perspective of a person with this disorder. The theoretical framework which guided my study was Vygotsky_s First Generation Theory (FGT), which views the support process as consisting of three elements, namely subject, object and tools, all standing in a reciprocal relationship with one another, thus implying mutual interaction. This study was situated within the interpretive paradigm, following a qualitative approach by making use of an auto-ethnographic design which allowed me to share my experiences as an individual with ASD. Participants included members from both my internal (family members) and external support systems (therapists and school psychologist). Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews and documents, such as my mother_s book, my school performance cards and psychological and therapist reports. Support emerged as main theme with sub-categories: dedication, structure, finances, loss and decisions, which are all indispensable in the educational support process. The overall significance of the research study is the importance of educational support in establishing the child with ASD so that he/she can complete a school career with university exemption.