From prose to poetry: retelling the experiences of children with autism navigating around a school to promote empathy and understanding

Purpose The purpose of this paper was to describe the experiences four children with autism spectrum disorder navigating around corridors an unfamiliar school and translate findings into poetic format. Poetry could provide a more accessible format nonacademic audience promote empathy understanding about population. Design/methodology/approach Each participant shown route from start point destination by researcher then asked lead way there. Post-study, participants were interviewed for their perceptions feelings navigating. Findings Participants' responses behaviors differed, e.g. some stimulated colors, noticed small details distracted. Poetic translation vividly emphasized these emotions. Originality/value Few studies have described how navigate built environment or opinion None in field used explore data.