Interaktionell stöttning i dialogiskt samspel mellan pedagoger och elever med autism och intellektuell funktionsnedsättning i den anpassade grundskolan

This socioculturally grounded study examines dialogic interaction and interactional scaffolding between educators and students with autism in a Swedish compulsory school for pupils with intellectual disabilities. Interaction within this educational context, and specifically for this group, has received only limited scholarly attention. This present collaborative project is therefore informed by practice-oriented research questions. Drawing on video recordings of diary-making activities involving pupils and teachers, the study employs interaction analysis to examine initiatives, responses, and evaluations. The findings show how teachers sustain interaction through repeated initiatives. The analysis demonstrates that teachers use both verbal and physical forms of scaffolding, complemented by support provided through digital tools. Examination of the functions of interactional scaffolding indicates that these forms of scaffolding are primarily used to engage pupils in pedagogical activities and to maintain their attention. The study identifies several scaffolding functions, described by Wood, Bruner, and Ross (1976), including recruitment, direction maintenance, and demonstration. In addition, we have identified further functions of relevance in this context: physical support, feedback, and (digital) voice facilitation. Overall, the findings highlight the continuous adaptation of scaffolding practices to meet the unique and specific needs of each student. By illuminating how scaffolding operates in this context, the study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of pedagogical support in educational settings involving students with autism and intellectual disabilities.