Are we friends on both sides of the window? Do inclusive practices inside the classroom transfer to social interactions outside of the classroom?

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine how inclusive classroom supports in one particular public elementary school extend to recess. As a future classroom teacher, my goal is to strengthen my understanding of children with social disabilities and the supports I can provide to those students, as well as their peer group, for positive social interaction inside and outside of the classroom. I collected data through two semi-structured qualitative interviews with a fourth grade teacher of an inclusive school. Informal interviews were also conducted with the classroom's teacher's aide for the children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Additionally, I conducted participant observations both in the classroom and during recess with comprehensive field notes. My findings for the teacher's role were consistent with the literature in the ways that the classroom teacher built community and created inclusion. I found that it is particularly helpful not only to have a single classroom focus on social skills but the larger school community to focus on them as well. The children with ASD were able to utilize strategies taught at their inclusive school to both initiate and respond to social engagement. However, my observations showed that these strategies did not empower the children with ASD to seek a teacher's help in a time of need. This study contributes to the literature because there is a lack of knowledge examining how inclusive classroom supports extend to recess in elementary school settings