School integration and transition to vocational settings for persons in the autistic spectrum: Theoretical issues and educational interventions

This book is one of the research outputs generated for primary and secondary special education teachers who participated in the research project titled 'Development and implementation of pilot programs for the social integration and vocational rehabilitation of persons with autism' (2006-2008) funded by the European the European Union & the Greek Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs. The main aim of this edition is the presentation of the theoretical debates and educational approaches about the integration of students with autism in regular schools and their transition to vocational settings. The book is organized in four parts and includes 13 chapters. The first part presents an analytical approach to the socio-political dimension of disability and inclusion and discusses the collaborative practices between teachers in special and mainstream education. The second part describes the characteristics of children in the autistic spectrum as well as the content and the prerequisites for their school integration. The third part presents an analytical discussion of the transition process for adolescents with special needs (including autism) to the workplace. The last part is focused on the main evidence-based educational interventions (such as structured teaching, peer tutoring, direct instruction, physical prompting, task analysis, social stories, video modelling, use of IT) which have been effective for the school integration and the vocational rehabilitation of persons with autism.