ABSTRACT
External assets or protective factors may be understood as resources that may be obtained from others, the community, or organization that promotes one’s well-being. In this chapter, the author provides a description of the external protective factors for the well-being of autistic students from the perspectives of her study’s participants. External protective factors may be located at the community level. Within the school community, supportive networks, cohesion, and harmony among school community members may be considered as community-level external protective factors. To develop an inclusive school community, many teachers in her study are of the opinion that schools need to build a culture of acceptance where individuals accept one another in spite of their differences. Teachers felt that peers could provide support for autistic students during their transition to high school. The teachers and parents in her study emphasised the need for school community members to work as a team to effectively support autistic students in school.
