is of gle subject case study only and so is sin limited in it is not generalisable to other children with ntativeness of this autism and their peer groups, The represe group would have to be gauged by gathering information about a sufficient number of cases to allow patterns of participation across communities to emerge. but this outside of the scope of this study. This case study serves only illustrate the fact that a child with autism can have social knowledge and apply it in ways that are perceived by as competent. It highlights the need for careful analy sis of group processes for children with autism main stream settings. The adults in this setting did know about aspects of the social experiences of these children, but the focused investigation of this study confirmed certain issues for them and highlighted other issues about which they were not fully aware. For example, practitioners were sur prised by the level of devotion that the children had for their play, and had not fully understood the basis of conflict in the group nor the way in which children framed their thinking about friendship. The case study illustrates how this knowl edge can be gained by adults if carefully reconstructed with children themselves