Autism
Spectrum Disorder is an increasingly common developmental disability. Students
diagnosed with ASD can be challenging to
incorporate into mainstream
classrooms due to a lack of understanding and negative attitudes of neurotypical peers
towards those students. This thesis aims to address the problem in a unit plan
centered on the use of young adult literature
with a main protagonist on the Spectrum in the English Language Arts classroom.
Specifically, it argues the use of such texts in conjunction with a literature circles unit in providing
better understanding and greater acceptance of students with ASD. The unit and
lesson plans were written to reflect how Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal
Development, Bishop’s windows, doors, and mirrors , and the texts students read
can influence their thinking and behavior. Using goodreads and local ELA book
lists, I selected four YAL texts which
portrayed the main character with ASD as they go about their daily lives. These
texts were then incorporated into the twenty-lesson unit plan which aims at
supporting positive attitudes and acceptance of neurotypical students towards
their peers with ASD.