Relatively little research has focused on parental perceptions and experience of educational provision in mainstream settings for children and young people with autism. Much of that which has been undertaken (and certainly that which is most widely cited) has tended to rely on samples which may not be sufficiently representative. In the study reported here, Philip Whitaker, of the Children and Young People's Service in Northamptonshire sought the views of every parent or carer of a child with an autistic spectrum condition living within one English county. Almost half the parents of the 350 children attending mainstream schools responded to a questionnaire exploring their experiences, views, attitudes and levels of satisfaction. The analysis looks at the differences and similarities between the experiences and views of the ‘satisfied’ and ‘dissatisfied’ groups of parents. Overall, 61% of respondents reported themselves satisfied with the provision being made for their children. The extent to which parents felt that school staff understood (and empathised) with their children's difficulties, and the perceived flexibility of the schools’ responses to the children's needs were the factors which most sharply differentiated the two groups of parents. The extent and quality of reciprocal communication between home and school also seemed strongly associated with levels of satisfaction. The two groups of parents shared many concerns, with the schools’ role in promoting social development and social relationships emerging as a high priority. Philip Whitaker discusses the implications of these findings for schools and for the development of local authority provision founded in mainstreaming.

This paper describes a local education authority project to provide support to the families of preschool children with autistic spectrum disorders. As part of an evaluation study, all parents were interviewed when their children entered full-time education and left the service's caseload. The report outlines key findings regarding levels of satisfaction with the service provided and describes parental responses to the different components of the support offered. All parents rated the input of the support worker as 'very useful'. Parents particularly valued the following: support to 'make sense' of their child's development and needs; practical strategies for facilitating language and engaging in interactive play; and support to the nurseries and playgroups attended by their children. The interviews also looked at parents' experience of diagnosis and their needs in the immediate aftermath. Key implications of these findings, and of this model of service delivery, are also discussed.

IntroductionThe 'circle of friends' approach is one of a range of strategies originating in North America aimed at promoting the inclusion of students with disabilities into mainstream schools. The central underpinning of the inclusion movement is the tenet:

More pupils with autism are now being educated in mainstream settings and inevitably there is increased interest in their interactions with their peers. In this article, Philip Whitaker, of the Educational Psychology Service in Northamptonshire, describes his study of shared play between children with autism and their mainstream peers. The study involved ten youngsters with severe autism, educated in a unit attached to a mainstream school, and a group of volunteer ‘peer tutors’. The children met in weekly interaction sessions designed to promote shared play and communication. The peer tutors were provided with some coaching in interaction techniques and the impact of the intervention was evaluated through analysis of video recordings of play sessions made at the beginning and end of the project. The peer tutors and their parents were also interviewed at the end of the project to explore their experiences. The results Philip Whitaker reports are encouraging. All parents were strongly supportive of their children's participation. All but one of the peer tutors found the experience challenging but rewarding and wanted to continue their involvement beyond the 20‐week project. The video evidence revealed that the peer tutors, with relatively limited preparation, were able to engage the youngsters with autism in high and sustained levels of shared play. The frequency of requesting by children with autism increased substantially over the course of the project, although levels of initiation of shared attention remained consistently low. Philip Whitaker concludes his report with a series of suggestions for enhancing the impact of this interesting work.

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