The Autistic School Staff Project team was delighted to be commissioned by Jessica Kingsley Publishers to produce an edited book: Learning from Autistic Teachers: How to be a Neurodiversity-Inclusive School. The book, the first of its kind in the autism field, contains chapters by autistic school staff who work or have worked in schools in a range of roles, and covers diverse topics such as intersectionality, strong interests, teacher training, issues of revealing diagnosis, race, the strengths of autistic teachers, leadership, mentorship and much more! Susanna Matthan and Sara Peeters are both providing illustrations. With the exception of the ASSP team members, the chapter authors are as follows:
Mica Coleman-Jones, Head of School; Lucy Coward, English teacher; Elkie Kammer, Learning Support Teacher and author; Claire O’Neill, deputy Principal; Jade Ponnudurai, Autism hub co-ordinator and former learning support teacher; Susanna Matthan, artist and former teacher in Pupil Referral Units; Joan McDonald, founder of Posautive and former Special Needs Organiser; Andrew Miller, author and former deputy Head Autism Advisory teacher; Yasmeen Multani, university lecturer and former teacher; Eiman Munro, teacher and EdD student; Kieran Rose: speaker, advocate and campaigner and former teaching assistant; Pete Wharmby: speaker, writer and former English teacher; Madge Woollard, peripatetic music teacher.
Further chapters are provided by Ruth Moyse and Rebecca Wood, both former teachers, and Alan Morrison, a current teacher. The Foreword is by Laura Crane and Francesca Happé.
Read an extract of Claire O’Neill’s chapter in Sanctuary magazine which featured our book as part of Autism Acceptance month.
Read an interview with Rebecca about the book in Scottish Autism’s Share magazine here.
Autistic School Staff Project 