Professionals’ stories of supporting belonging for autistic children in Finnish early childhood education and care
Pesonen, Henri V; Äikäs, Aino; Viljamaa, Elina; Heiskanen, Noora; Syrjämäki, Marja; Kärnä, Eija (2023-11-08)
Sage publications
08.11.2023
Pesonen, H. V., Äikäs, A., Viljamaa, E., Heiskanen, N., Syrjämäki, M., & Kärnä, E. (2023). Professionals’ stories of supporting belonging for autistic children in Finnish early childhood education and care. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 26(2), 240-257. https://doi.org/10.1177/14639491231212943
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
© The Author(s) 2023. Published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
© The Author(s) 2023. Published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:oulu-202411276941
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:oulu-202411276941
Tiivistelmä
Abstract
The important role of early childhood education and care in nurturing and ensuring belonging among all children is well recognised, but research specifically focused on how this is accomplished for autistic children is scarce. The aim of this study was to examine how supporting autistic children's belonging appeared in the stories of Finnish early childhood education and care professionals (e.g. early educators, special education teachers, and early childhood education and care nurses). The data was collected by using the method of empathy-based stories, which prompts participants to produce stories. A qualitative analysis of 104 professionals’ stories produced one overarching theme of professionalism comprising two interconnected main themes: (1) established support solutions and (2) a willingness to understand the child. The findings suggest that understanding a child as a unique individual with autism is a cornerstone of favourable pedagogical support solutions for belonging.
The important role of early childhood education and care in nurturing and ensuring belonging among all children is well recognised, but research specifically focused on how this is accomplished for autistic children is scarce. The aim of this study was to examine how supporting autistic children's belonging appeared in the stories of Finnish early childhood education and care professionals (e.g. early educators, special education teachers, and early childhood education and care nurses). The data was collected by using the method of empathy-based stories, which prompts participants to produce stories. A qualitative analysis of 104 professionals’ stories produced one overarching theme of professionalism comprising two interconnected main themes: (1) established support solutions and (2) a willingness to understand the child. The findings suggest that understanding a child as a unique individual with autism is a cornerstone of favourable pedagogical support solutions for belonging.
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