Educational Policy Analysis and Strategic Research
ISSN (Print): 1949-4270 - ISSN (Online): 1949-4289

Research article    |    Open Access
Educational Policy Analysis and Strategic Research 2026, Vol. 21(3) 26-49

Between Climate Vulnerability and Inclusive Education Policy: A Scoping Review on Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Emre Ünlü

pp. 26 - 49

Publish Date: September 30, 2026  |   Single/Total View: 0/0   |   Single/Total Download: 0/0

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Abstract

Climate change and climate-related multi-hazard disaster risk pose growing challenges for inclusive and special education. Learners with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), however, remain underrepresented both in the empirical evidence base and in the international policy instruments that govern education-sector climate response. This scoping review maps the extent, range, and nature of scholarship at the intersection of climate vulnerability, climate-related and multi-hazard disaster risk, and inclusive or special education for learners with ASD. The review followed the PRISMA-ScR guidelines and the methodological framework of Arksey and O'Malley. A search of Web of Science, Scopus, ERIC, and PubMed on 24 September 2026 returned 1,290 records. After deduplication and screening (Cohen's κ=1.00), 21 studies met the eligibility criteria. The findings organise into five thematic clusters: earthquake and multi-hazard preparedness (n=9), climate-linked hydrometeorological hazards (n=3), sustainability and environmental education (n=3), climate discourse and representation (n=1), and multi-hazard educational continuity (n = 5). The corpus is heavily concentrated in Türkiye following the 6 February 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake sequence. Safety-preparedness interventions using video modelling, digital social stories, Behavioural Skills Training, and immersive VR-ABA demonstrate that autistic learners can acquire and maintain safety-critical skills. Engagement with the global normative frameworks that govern this field (the Sendai Framework, UNCRPD, SDG 4, the UNESCO Greening Education Partnership, and IPCC AR6) is nevertheless uneven, and no included study evaluates climate-mitigation curricula or maps ASD-specific integration into national or international climate policy. Reorganised through CBM Global's four-domain policy framework of Personal, Programmes, Policy, and Political action, the corpus proves empirically mature at the first two levels but structurally underdeveloped at the last two.

Keywords: autism spectrum disorder; climate change; disaster risk reduction; inclusive education; special education policy; scoping review; PRISMA-ScR; UNCRPD; Sendai Framework

How to Cite this Article?

APA 7th edition
Unlu, E. (2026). Between Climate Vulnerability and Inclusive Education Policy: A Scoping Review on Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Educational Policy Analysis and Strategic Research, 21(3), 26-49.

Harvard
Unlu, E. (2026). Between Climate Vulnerability and Inclusive Education Policy: A Scoping Review on Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Educational Policy Analysis and Strategic Research, 21(3), pp. 26-49.

Chicago 16th edition
Unlu, Emre (2026). "Between Climate Vulnerability and Inclusive Education Policy: A Scoping Review on Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder". Educational Policy Analysis and Strategic Research 21 (3):26-49.

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