This talk introduces research that explores some of the environmental and social factors in school that can impact the wellbeing of autistic pupils. It presents findings from a recent study carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of specialist resource centres designed for autistic students aged 11-16.  

The research explores themes of mental health and wellbeing, social factors, and gender differences in contrasting school settings. It then discusses challenges relating to teachers' capacity to enact inclusive principles and shares examples from interviews with teachers, pupils, and parents of strategies that have produced positive outcomes.