Active Learning for Autistic Learners: Enabling or Disabling?

Abstract

There has been longstanding interest in active learning and its potential benefits for supporting higher education students to direct their own learning and participation. However, little is known about if and how the existing active learning literature applies to autistic learners. In this paper, we examine the interplay of factors impacting the accessibility of active learning for autistic students, reflecting on how autism and autistic students themselves are perceived and positioned within active learning frameworks. We underscore the importance of engaging with what it means to be an autistic active learner and the hurdles they may face when navigating active learning environments, including inaccessible spaces, communication differences and institutional structures. Our analysis identifies three key areas that shape autistic access to active learning: (1) Agency and identity; (2) Communication styles and learning environments; and (3) Neuro-normative systems and structures. We conclude by calling for greater development of, and continued support for, empowered autistic learner identities and neuro-affirming, student-led learning environments. We also highlight the importance of meaningfully involving autistic people in co-designing alternative (or adapted) approaches to active learning, so that autistic students are better able to guide their own learning and participation in higher education.