Autism: Introducing the AP Gang

For most primary school age children, activities such as attending assembly, playing in the playground, or eating lunch are simply part of their daily routine. For children with autism, however, even the prospect of navigating these cornerstones of the school day can sometimes feel like being presented with endless hurdles to overcome.

Three years ago at Riverside Primary School in Stirling, Scotland, our staff and pupils launched the AP Gang – a unique initiative aiming to change the lives of children in the school’s autism provision.

This simple but highly effective programme aimed to empower and involve older pupils in the daily lives of our children with autism. Little did pupils and staff know three years ago how much this initiative would not only improve the experiences of our autistic children, but also better integrate all pupils with the autism facility and even encourage the whole school to stop thinking about the challenges associated with the autism provision and start celebrating the diversity of our school community.