Conference Program

This paper presents the outcomes of an inclusive educational project implemented in a fourth-grade primary school classroom, aimed at fostering the full participation of a pupil with autism spectrum disorder, Level 3 (DSM-5). The project frames communicative accessibility as a prerequisite for equity and as a driver for social justice in school settings: ensuring that each learner has real—not merely formal—opportunities to be present, understand, express themselves, influence classroom activities, and feel a sense of belonging. From this perspective, social justice does not coincide with the “integration” of an individual student; rather, it entails transforming the classroom’s implicit rules—such as timing, language practices, assessment, and participation structures—which often privilege those who communicate and learn according to normative standards.

The intervention integrated a cooperative language workshop (Johnson & Johnson, 1998) with the use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC; Cafiero, 2009), in line with principles of inclusive teaching (Cottini, 2018; Sandri, 2015), a socio-constructivist framework (Vygotsky, 2001), and the co-evolution paradigm (Canevaro, 2008; Sandri, 2019). A co-evolutionary lens conceptualizes neurodiversity as a dynamic relationship between individual and context: rather than intervening on a “deficit,” the approach redesigns environments, mediations, and interactions so that difference does not generate exclusion. In terms of social justice, this shifts the focus from individual adaptation to the collective responsibility of the school community to remove barriers and redistribute opportunities for learning and recognition. Operationally, the programme included narrative and meaning-making activities in small groups, with cooperative roles, shared communicative routines, and AAC supports (symbols, communication boards, scripts, guided choices) to facilitate comprehension, expression, and turn-taking. The cooperative dimension fostered peers’ shared responsibility, countering dynamics in which support is delegated exclusively to the teaching assistant and promoting participation that is not “assisted” but legitimized within ordinary classroom practices. AAC functioned as a tool for the democratization of communication: by making instructions, exchanges, and productions accessible, it expanded pupils’ opportunities to take the floor (including through non-verbal modalities) and to be heard.

The outcomes indicate a gradual increase in the pupil’s communicative and relational initiatives, greater continuity in interactions with classmates, and improved quality of participation. In parallel, peers developed skills in listening, mediation, and the recognition of multiple forms of communication. Overall, the experience highlights how accessibility diapositives and co-evolutionary practices can operate as everyday actions of social justice: reducing participation inequalities, preventing marginalization, and building belonging through reciprocal learning.