Pixel International Conferences

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities ([UNCRPD], United Nations, 2007) has called for a global human rights approach to remove barriers to enable the full participation of people with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in society. This includes enabling people with SEN to maximise their academic and social development and develop autonomy and self-determination (United Nations, 2007; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ([OECD], 2011). Supporting the development of self-regulation is viewed as key to this goal (Nuske et al., 2021). This paper provides insights into the development of self-regulation for children on the autism spectrum from an international context. Additionally, the paper presents the methodology and expected outcomes of an ongoing case-study design for supporting the individual development of self-regulation for children with autism which is currently being implemented in an Irish context. The case study design draws on the Stress, Self-Regulation, and Communication Framework (Binns, Hutchinson & Cardy, 2019) to offer an individualised programme for supporting self-regulation for children with autism. Participants include six children with a diagnosis of autism in Ireland. The research is situated within a reflexive qualitative stance (Braun & Clarke, 2022). A multiple-embedded design is used to offer an in-depth exploration of each child’s response to the intervention and to help to understand common themes and individual differences.The results of the study will have implications for the future of internatinoal educational policy and informing best practice for choosing and applying interventions to support the autonomy and self-determination of people with autism.