Conference Agenda

Modern classrooms are characterized by pronounced learner heterogeneity, thereby confronting teachers with the ongoing challenge of responding to diverse learning needs in the immediacy of classroom interaction. While inclusive education research has generated profound knowledge about principles and conditions of inclusion (de Bruin, 2024), the way in which teachers put this knowledge into situational instructional practice is underrepresented. In this context, adaptive teaching strategies, particularly micro-adaptive strategies, represent a necessary condition for participation and learning opportunities for all pupils (Westwood, 2018).

Diversity-sensitive teaching features a critical and reflexive engagement with aspects of diversity and categories of difference, appreciation of all students, and the provision of meaningful learning opportunities for the whole class. Accordingly, adaptivity plays a central role in translating diversity-sensitive principles into everyday classroom practice.

In research on adaptive teaching, micro-adaptive strategies are conceived as spontaneous, situational adaptions emerging in interaction with learners and requiring flexible reactions to individual learning processes (Hardy et al., 2019; Parsons et al., 2018). In contrast to macro-adaptive planning-related decisions, micro-adaptive strategies refer to moment-to-moment adaptations occurring during teaching. From this perspective, adaptivity can be understood as the dynamic linking of learning conditions and learning opportunities within ongoing classroom interaction. Following the Ada-LIT framework (Bach et al., 2025), adaptivity is captured from multiple, interrelated perspectives that connect teachers’ perception, decision, and realization of adaptive strategies. This theoretical framework lays the foundation for the systematic identification and analytical structuring of micro-adaptive strategies and for relating them to different dimensions of heterogeneity in inclusive teaching contexts. By integrating the Ada-LIT framework with inclusive didactic models, an analytical approach that operationalizes micro-adaptive strategies as observable, comparable units is developed.

To operationalize diversity dimensions, the allocation of micro-adaptive strategies is based on inclusive didactic frameworks which model inclusive teaching as a synergy of subject matter, individual learner conditions, and developmental differences (Heimlich & Kahlert, 2014). These frameworks provide a structuring perspective for analysing how adaptive actions address diverse learner needs in classroom practice.

Although research consistently highlights adaptivity as a central strategy for high-quality teaching in very diverse classrooms and as a prerequisite for the fit of individual learner conditions and learning opportunities (Dumont, 2018), existing conceptualizations of micro-adaptive classroom practices often remain at a generic or subject-independent level. Consequently, they usually offer only limited insights into teachers’ situational and moment-to-moment acting in class. To date, empirically grounded models that systematically identify, conceptualize, and make micro-adaptive strategies accessible for ecologically valid analysis and further development of inclusive teaching practices are still lacking.

Tackling this gap, the AdamS project aims to develop an analytical framework that systematically records micro-adaptive teaching strategies and outlines concrete options for action subject to different dimensions of learner diversity. Hereby, the framework seeks to broaden the scope of adaptive teaching strategies and to facilitate teachers’ decision-making in inclusive classrooms. The AdamS project is funded by the German Ministry of Education (01JV2401A) and carried out by an interdisciplinary research group from three German universities working in collaboration with teachers within a research-practice partnership.

The study addresses the following research questions, linking knowledge generation about micro-adaptive teaching strategies to their potential for guiding instructional action in inclusive classrooms:

1. Which micro-adaptive strategies can be identified in inclusive primary social and science education (Sachunterricht) classrooms?
2. How can these strategies be theoretically conceptualized in an analytical framework?
3. How do these strategies relate to different dimensions of student diversity?

To bridge the gap between conceptual knowledge on inclusive education and teachers’ situational actions, the study follows a design-based research approach to systematically identify, conceptualize, and empirically verify micro-adaptive teaching strategies in authentic classroom practice.

The objective of this study was to explore the perspectives of five children with learning disabilities in two mainstream primary schools who are using graphic symbols as a visual aid. The study examined children’s understandings and feelings towards graphic symbols from the software Widgit Online (WO), a programme based on systematic sets of graphic symbols that can be used to design bespoke visual support through a series of templates and resources.

Despite a wide range of different policies and practice worldwide, challenges exist in achieving equitable education, particularly for children with learning disabilities who often work at a different pace to their same-aged peers (Gulliver, 2024). This can lead to them spending more time outside of the classroom, away from peers and a qualified teacher (Radford et al, 2015). Instead, an inclusive pedagogy seeks to enable all children’s participation in learning without marginalisation (Florian and Beaton, 2017). Visual aids such as graphic symbols are one example of such universal support which could aid all pupils in supporting social communication skills and reinforcing inclusion (Abbott et al, 2014; Pampoulou and Detheridge, 2007).

Research into Widgit symbols has seen value in its use for children with autism and learning disabilities in increasing access to public and green spaces (Abbott and Detheridge, 2009) and improving children’s understanding and literacy skills (Pampoulou and Detheridge, 2007). However, little is known about the use of Widgit symbols in mainstream primary schools. Whilst research has begun to identify practitioners’ perceptions of the use and value of graphic symbols in supporting inclusive practice (Kjellmer et al, 2024; Kambouri et al, 2016; Pampoulou, 2016), there is a gap in exploring the perspectives of children who are using the symbols themselves. More importantly, this study seeks to understand the perspectives of children with learning disabilities, whose voices have traditionally been excluded from research about them (Gulliver, 2024).

Therefore, this study uses a flexible child-centred methodology based on the principles of the Mosaic approach (Clark, 2017), to ask:

1. What are children with learning disabilities’ experiences of using WO in the classroom?
2. How do children with learning disabilities think and feel about using the Widgit symbols?

Grounded in an interpretivist paradigm, the Mosaic approach (Clark, 2017), is a participatory, child-centered methodology, offering a range of visual, audible and adaptive opportunities for children to communicate their experiences. This design adopts the social-cultural view of children as experts in their own lives; a strength-based approach which positions all children as competent and capable of participating in research, when provided with appropriate tools (Gulliver, 2024).

Inclusive education aims to include students with special needs in mainstream classrooms alongside their typical peers, enabling a collaborative learning environment. However, students with visual impairments (SWVI) often face challenges in accessing the curriculum effectively. Despite Malaysia's introduction of the Zero Reject Policy in 2018, which means no students with disabilities are refused enrolment in any school and have equal access to education, the studies examining the experiences of teachers and SWVI are limited. This lack of empirical evidence has resulted in insufficient resources and materials to support effective implementation. In contrast, international research on inclusive practices is increasing, reflecting the global awareness of supporting SWVI in inclusive environments.

There is a gap of information and research regarding the experiences and instructional practices of teachers and how two types of teachers – mainstream teachers and special education teachers – work together to ensure SWVI can learn in an inclusive setting. Understanding teachers' perspectives and classroom adaptations in Malaysia is crucial to providing insight into the international educational community. Teachers play a critical role in ensuring the success of inclusive education, as their attitude and practices significantly impact the development of students with disabilities (Hodges, 2004). This research explores the teachers' practices in regular schools and the challenges and opportunities for them to ensure the quality of SWVI learning is in a good position.

This research adopted a qualitative research approach by using a multiple-case study design to explore teacher experiences and inclusive classroom adaptations for SWVI in Malaysia. Semi-structured interviews and classroom observations were conducted in three different schools, and a total of 15 teachers who have direct experience teaching SWVI participated in this research. Data were analyzed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2022) to identify key challenges, adaptation strategies, hopes, suggestions, and support systems. The findings are also interpreted through the eleven areas of the Curriculum Framework for Children and Youth with Visual Impairment (CFVI).

Findings reveal that teachers face multiple challenges, including limited training in pedagogy, inadequate teaching resources, time management, and the complexity of relationships between regular teachers and special education teachers. Despite these limitations, teachers demonstrate creativity and professionalism by modifying instructional materials, employing assistive technology, and collaborating with parents. These adaptive strategies help SWVI to be more independent in a regular school.

In conclusion, this research highlights the interplay between teachers and the system supporting inclusive education in Malaysia. By focusing on teacher experiences and practical adaptations, this study provides insights that are crucial for improving inclusive education locally and contributes knowledge to international communities that are seeking information to enhance the quality of inclusive environments for SWVI.

Communication is a fundamental human right and a prerequisite for meaningful participation in education and society. Yet across Europe, many autistic children who do not rely on spoken language continue to experience systemic barriers to communication access. Spoken language remains positioned as the normative and preferred mode of communication within educational systems, while augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is frequently misunderstood and undervalued. Combined with limited funding, training, and support, this leaves many children without effective means to participate fully in education and society.

International research suggests that approximately 30% of autistic individuals do not develop functional speech (Lorah et al., 2021). This has profound implications for education systems, particularly given the rapid expansion of autism-specific educational provision across Europe. In Ireland, between 2013 and 2023, the number of special classes increased by over 600%, with 89% designated for autistic learners (Travers, 2023), reflecting similar trends across Europe. Given that many learners in these settings are likely to rely on AAC, its effective implementation is no longer a specialist concern but a core educational issue.

AAC encompasses a range of approaches that supplement or replace speech, with high-tech AAC (e.g. speech-generating devices) offering particular potential to support autonomy and complex language use (Topia & Hocking, 2012). A strong evidence base indicates that high-tech AAC enhances participation and quality of life for autistic children and young people, without inhibiting speech development (Ganz et al., 2015; Light et al., 2019). However, access to technology alone is insufficient; effective AAC use depends on interaction, modelling, and sustained implementation across everyday contexts (Lorah et al., 2021; Norrie et al., 2021).

Against this backdrop, this paper presents an evaluation of the AsIAm AAC Support Programme in Ireland, a national initiative providing high-tech AAC devices alongside information, guidance, and support for autistic children under 18 who are non-speaking or minimally speaking. The study examines how knowledge about AAC is generated, mobilised, and enacted across home and school contexts, and what this means for equitable access to communication in education.

Guided by the RE-AIM implementation science framework (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance), the research enables a systematic examination of how evidence-informed AAC practices are adopted, enacted, and sustained across different programme models and educational contexts. A mixed-methods design captured the perspectives of multiple knowledge actors, including families, educators, and minimally speaking children themselves. Preliminary findings show that access to AAC was largely parent-led, inconsistent, and shaped by systemic barriers. While effectiveness of AAC was reflected in increased agency, participation, and communicative opportunities for children and families, adoption, implementation, and sustainability across contexts were contingent on adult confidence, school engagement, and access to ongoing support. These findings highlight the situated and relational nature of AAC implementation, illustrating how knowledge does not travel seamlessly from research to practice but is mediated by local conditions, institutional priorities, and the diverse expertise of families, educators, allied professionals, and advocacy organisations.

In alignment with the ECER 2026 theme “Knowing and Acting", this study foregrounds the gap between what is known about effective AAC practice and how such knowledge is mobilised in real-world settings. By evaluating an initiative that connects families, educators, and an advocacy organisation, the paper highlights how research can be translated into practice while remaining sensitive to local contexts and systemic complexities. The implications are significant for educators, researchers, and policymakers seeking to strengthen inclusive communication practices and uphold children’s rights to participation in increasingly complex educational ecosystems.