Teaching Thinking on the Inclusion of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Language and Literature mainstream Classroom

People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulties in communication and social skills. The scientific literature shows the potentialities of the subject of Language and Literature on the communicative development of students with ASD. Teachers play a crucial role. The objective of the study is to analyze the teaching thinking about the inclusion of students with ASD in the subject of Language and Literature. From a mixed methodological paradigm, following an exploratory-descriptive design, we surveyed a total of 40 professionals, mostly language teachers, through a questionnaire of short, open and closed answer questions. The results show the positive thinking of teachers regarding the role of the language subject as a tool of inclusion, despite the difficulties they detect. These barriers identified by teachers place education professionals at a point of inaction. It is necessary to continue training teachers in inclusion and ASD, due to the increasing presence of students with this disorder in the classroom. The general attitude expressed in the study is a good starting point for this, as most participants recognize the potential of the subject for educational inclusion.