Background and aim: More autistic young people are being educated in mainstream schools. While existing research suggests that the outcomes of mainstream inclusion are mixed for autistic young people, few studies have examined their views and experiences directly. This article discusses the educational experiences of 12 autistic young people (aged 11-17 years) from their perspectives and how education could be improved to better support the others with autism. Methods: A flexible qualitative participatory approach was used which incorporated a range of methods, including individual semi-structured interviews, diamond ranking activities and draw-and-tell activities. A Children's Research Advisory Group (CRAG) advised on the methods used and matters to be explored. Results: The young people offered insights into how education has been for them in mainstream school, mostly negative, but with islets of positive experience. Several described themselves as being socially, emotionally and physically isolated from peers, with loneliness and bullying experienced by some. Participants felt unsupported and misunderstood by teachers within a social and sensory environment that was antithetical to their needs. Some spoke of the dread they felt before and during school and the negative impact their experiences in mainstream has had on their wellbeing. Many participants suggested simple strategies and curriculum adaptations that they felt would have helped make their time at mainstream more successful. These include having more breaks, smaller class sizes, less homework, instructions broken down, safe places to use when anxious and teachers who listen to their concerns and take account of their needs. In short they want to be understood, supported and included. Conclusions: There exists scope to better support autistic young people in mainstream education, as evidenced by the literature and the participants in this paper. The participants demonstrate that mainstream is not working for all and that changes, such as smaller class sizes, flexible pedagogy and understanding could improve education for autistic learners. Implications: Autistic young people can and should be central to the discussion on school improvement. They also show that being academically able for mainstream school should not be the only aspect when deciding on the suitability of mainstream school for meeting their needs. The young person's social and emotional wellbeing must be considered to ensure they can flourish, and not flounder.

Recognition of inclusion in mainstream schools for all people with disabilities is enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). General Comment 4 onArticle 24 (Right to inclusive education) of the CRPD provides a concept of inclusion and its core features which we discuss here. Article 7 of the same enjoins state parties to give young people's opinions and views 'due weight' on matters that affect them. Despite calls to gather their views on education to better inform policy and practice, autistic young people have been largely missing from the research, girls most notably. Research on the efficacy of mainstream inclusion and the educational experiences of autistic young people has focused mainly on the perspectives of adult stakeholders such as parents, teachers and classroom assistants. Inspired by Article 7 of the CRPD, we present the educational experiences of two teenage girls with Asperger's Syndrome in a mainstream setting in the UK with respect to the school environment, teachers, the curriculum and peers. The findings from semi-structured interviews and a number of participatory methods reveal that girls reported feelings of exclusion, isolation and anxiety. We discuss these findings in the light of the concept of inclusion provided in the General Comment and conclude with the girls' recommendations on how to include people with ASD in mainstream settings.

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Through a qualitative rights informed study, using semi‐structured interviews and a range of participatory approaches, seven autistic teenage boys in Northern Ireland discuss their educational experiences in mainstream school and within an Alternative Education Provision (AEP). Their experiences and advice demonstrate that the relational aspects of education, the understanding and flexibility afforded in the AEP, within a less socially intense, more predictable and less overwhelming environment and with other young people who had ‘similar’ educational experiences, better supported their needs. In short, for most of them, an accessible education and the feeling of inclusion was found within the AEP as opposed to the mainstream school they attended previously.

Scope exists within the Northern Ireland (NI) education system to transform mainstream schools into autistic spectrum disorder (ASD)‐friendly environments. The efficacy of mainstream inclusion is discussed prior to discussing the creation of ASD‐friendly schools. The transformation of mainstream school environments is underpinned by concepts such as inclusive pedagogical approach, universal design for learning and learning without limits. These are discussed alongside strategies to enact core inclusive principles of equity, participation and belonging. However, the need for ASD‐specific approaches and schools is also recognised. Our perspectives as educators influence pedagogy, attitudes and approaches to educating autistic children. A social constructivist consciousness is fundamental to moving from deficit SEN rhetoric to creating enabling education for autistic young people. The question of how to achieve this is answered within this article. The use of identity‐first language is preferred by a large proportion of the autism community; therefore the term ‘autistic child’, rather than ‘child with autism’, is adopted throughout.