Using the Special Interests of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder to Improve Motivation and Engagement within Mainstream Secondary Education

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Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) account for the largest group of children in English schoolswho receive additional support through an Education, Health and Care Plan. Core characteristics of ASDinclude communication and social interaction difficulties, and behaviours or interests considered to berestricted and/or repetitive, otherwise known as special interests. Therefore, some classroom practices,such as group participation, motivation and engagement, can be challenging for children with ASD,resulting in experiences of exclusion and underachievement.Special interests relate to an increased focus on specific objects or areas of knowledge. Good practiceguidance has suggested that using these interests appropriately within a child's learning can improvetheir motivation and engagement, however there is little research that has directly investigated the roleof special interests in learning.The aim of my proposed research is to explore the concept of embedding special interests into aspects ofteaching to encourage greater motivation for children with ASD. My intention is to identify strategies thatare practical to implement in mainstream school environments and address the following researchquestions:1) What are the different ways special interests are used within classrooms to facilitate motivation andengagement for children with ASD?2) In what ways is it best to approach the implementation of these methods into classrooms to supportthe learning of children with ASD?The outcomes of this research may help to improve the motivation and engagement of children with ASDin education, resulting in positive implications for their achievement and future opportunities.