Contribution description:

This contribution reflects upon a programme of practitioner research in autism support services in Scotland. In particular I compare the possibilities of situated learning and critical reflection associated with anthropological inquiry with more common models of practitioner education and training.

Paper long abstract:

Practitioner education in social care services for autistic people often comprises the impartation of ‘autism knowledge’ that has to be applied in practice. This unilinear model of knowledge transmission is analogous to the trope of ‘translation’ that dominates the field of autism research. In this contribution I will share a programme of practitioner research that instead provides opportunities for situated learning and looks to generate useful insights from day-to-day autism support practice through systematic reflection and the critical engagement of practitioners. I have previously compared the reflective practitioner of Donald Schon (1983) to the participant observer of anthropology (Long 2020). In this talk I will also argue that the relational aspect of anthropological research has much to offer a field that should look to co-produce knowledge and insights with supported autistic people rather than simply do research about them.