George Tucker

Teachers' Views on the Spiritual Development of Children with Autism: an Investigation into the Way Teachers Combine Their Understandings of Two Seemingly Opposed and Abstract Concepts George Tucker

The worlds of autism and spiritual development as laid out in this work are two which share little commonality, particularly in their marriage in the primary classroom. This work puts the focus on the teacher to challenge their perceptions of both autism and spiritual development. Those who participated were asked to enter into a discussion which looks to find some common ground between the two, where those children in our schools who have autism can be taught by a teacher who has not only considered the difficulties they face accessing the curriculum, but the wider social and spiritual world as a whole. The research and findings of this work highlight the importance of dialogue between teams of professionals to reach a shared target for what they want they want the children they work to glean from the experiences they provide them with. Furthermore, the work stands to remind teachers that all children are individuals and deserve to be taught as such ? regardless of the labels we attach to them.