Maggie Green – The lived experiences of autistic trans and nonbinary students in the Republic of Ireland

Understanding the intersectional experiences of autistic trans and nonbinary students in educational settings is an important step for the creation of inclusive and supportive environments.

Research indicates a significant portion of the autistic community and the trans and nonbinary community in Ireland feel excluded within educational contexts. However, no previous Irish study has focused on the intersection of both identities and how this impacts young people’s experiences within educational contexts. This study investigated and foregrounded the lived educational experiences of autistic trans and nonbinary students in the Republic of Ireland (RoI). Positioned within a qualitative phenomenological participatory paradigm, four participants who are autistic and gender-diverse were recruited to participate in the study. In depth semi-structured interviews were used to explore participants’ experiences. Data collection, interpretation and analysis were guided by an anti-oppressive framework (Ocean et al., 2022), which centred Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) and concepts from Critical Autism Studies (CAS), Queer Theory (QT) and intersectionality.

This framework supported the exploration of the complex dynamics of culture, power, identity, inclusion, exclusion, belonging, and flourishing which shaped participants’ experiences within school environments. The study’s findings underscore the importance of recognising and challenging the ableist and transphobic norms that underpin the structures, policies and practices of educational settings. Comprehensive changes at primary, post-primary and third level are needed to ensure that students feel safe, supported, visible,  included, and respected in every context.

This study contributes to educational discourse by amplifying the voices of trans and nonbinary autistic students and reporting their experiences within educational contexts. Participants in sharing their experiences provide important insights into how educational contexts can be made more equitable, inclusive, and supportive. Name changes and pronoun use were areas of significant concern for participants across settings, with all participants reporting that they had been deadnamed or misgendered on a regular basis. Participants reported daily micro-aggressions from both peers and staff, transphobic behaviour, ableist behaviour and deficit based perspectives on autism. Inclusivity labour was highlighted as a common experience by the participants whereby they were expected to educate staff and peers. Participants spoke of having to provide their own support plans, with reports of support plans being enacted sporadically in post-primary settings. Participants also spoke of feeling grateful for small kindnesses afforded to them in the school setting, because they were so regularly treated differently from their peers. Tokenism was another key finding in the study with participants speaking about posters being put up at particular times of the year, with very little focus on meaningful change in the day to day running of the school. All participants stated that they did not feel included in the school setting.

Recommendations from the study include robust anti-bullying policies with a specific focus on transphobia and ableism informed by the experiences of autistic trans and nonbinary students, curricular changes to increase the visibility of both trans and autistic identity, the provision of training for management, staff and peers and a commitment to move away from tokenistic approaches and meaningfully and authentically include student voice. This study serves as a foundational step toward greater understanding, and inclusivity of autistic trans and non-binary people in educational contexts.