Innovation in Language Learning

The paper aims to present partial findings of larger-scale research on ASD learners (previously diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome according to DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria) and their classroom experience in EFL classes in the Czech Republic conducted at the Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Education, Masaryk University. Research on FLL of ASD pupils in the Czech Republic has been scarce with mere solitary attempts at the level of bachelor’s or master’s thesis and none conducted on ASD learners’ teachers of English. This research attempts to find out how well-prepared and supported Czech EFL teachers feel to accommodate neurodivergent pupils in their classes and what their self-reported needs are, so that they can knowledgeably provide the adjustments and accommodations in the classroom environment and the teaching process to their ASD pupils in regular English classrooms. The whole research sample consisted of ten ASD learners of English from lower- and upper-secondary schools, their parents, and teachers of English and ten ASD adults. Purposive sampling (Silverman, 2013) was employed. Two methods of data collection (semi-structured interviews and qualitative surveys) were used to collect the data, and these were further analysed using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) with the help of ATLAS.ti 8.0 software. This paper presents a part of the findings from the ten teachers that are important for ELT teachers, school directors and policy makers when making decisions about the accommodation of neurodivergent pupils in English classes both in everyday classroom practice and at the policy-making level.