Hur kan arbetsterapeuter skapa en mer tillgänglig lärmiljö för elever med autism i grundskolan?

Sammanfattning: Background: The learning environment in elementary school is not adjusted for students with autism, putting high demands on abilities generally affected in autism spectrum disorder. Previous research focuses on students’ behavior and sensory-based interventions but there are few studies on how to make the learning environment accessible for students with autism. Aim: To investigate how occupational therapists can work within elementary school to contribute to an accessible learning environment for students with autism. Method: Qualitative cross-sectional study. Semi-structured interviews with six occupational therapists, who works with students with autism in elementary school. Manifest content analysis with an inductive approach. Result: The analysis resulted in four themes; knowledge about autism, challenges in the physical learning environment, challenges in the social learning environment, accessibility-promoting measures. Among measures suggested to make the learning environment more accessible were more varied furnishing, and use of classroms, clearer signage to classrooms, more use of visual support and increasing knowledge about autism among school staff. Conclusion: This study contributes with new knowledge about the challenges in the learning envirionment for students with autism, but also about what occupational therapists can do to make it more accessible. There is need for further research within this area.