Sarah Foster

PhD thesis:

Inclusion across educational transitions: a mixed methods study of the impact of routine mainstream teaching practices on autistic children's early language development

My doctoral project investigates how routine teaching practices support the speech, language and communication development of autistic children across the early educational transitions experienced by children aged 3-6 years attending early educational settings in England. While most existing research has focused on specialist or withdrawal interventions, comparatively little is known about the everyday classroom contexts in which autistic children spend most of their nursery/school day. Working in partnership with a large Multi-Academy Trust, I will undertake a longitudinal mixed-methods study combining natural language sampling, classroom observation, teacher interviews and analysis of educational data. By examining how different classroom practices interact with children's individual language profiles across educational transitions, the project aims to generate evidence to inform more inclusive educational practice and learning opportunities for autistic children in mainstream schools.

Who or what inspired you to pursue your research interests?

My research interests have been shaped by my professional experience as a teacher, therapist and clinical supervisor, alongside my lived experience of autism and neurodivergence within my family. Across these roles, I repeatedly encountered professionals making complex decisions about supporting autistic children's communication with limited evidence to guide everyday classroom practice. My MPhil study, exploring autistic educators' experiences of supporting autistic pupils, reinforced this gap between educational policy, research and classroom realities, motivating me to pursue research that is both academically rigorous and directly relevant to improving inclusive education for autistic children and their families.