The social experiences of autistic pupils in mainstream secondary schools:A mixed-methods study of what inclusion means for autistic and neurotypical

adolescents (continuation from title).

There are currently over 160,000 autistic pupils in England and 70% of autistic pupils attend mainstream schools. However, attendance alone is insufficient to create a truly inclusive educational experience and further research is needed to understand and improve the inclusion experience of autistic secondary school pupils. My PhD will focus on this issue and using an interdisciplinary, multi-methods, and multi-informant approach, and in collaboration with Carmel College, I will develop an impactful programme of work that with the aim of understanding and improving inclusion for autistic pupils. Improving inclusion has the potential to reduce negative experiences such as loneliness, stigma, and exclusion, which negatively impact mental well-being, and truly successful inclusion can be transformational. My PhD will focus on three core areas, specifically: i) How autistic pupils conceptualise their social experiences at school (study 1), ii) how embedded autistic pupils are in social networks within mainstream secondary schools and iii) first impressions made of autistic pupils and how this links to wider social experiences and education (study 3). The inclusion of autistic and neurotypical young people on a participatory panel guiding my project (developed with my collaborative partner) will be a critical element of involving the autistic voice in my work and this is an issue of importance to me and to the autism research field. My project has the potential to positively influence and transform inclusion for autistic pupils."