Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-wq2xx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T07:50:13.570Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Students With ASD in Mainstream Primary Education Settings: Teachers' Experiences in Western Australian Classrooms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 November 2012

Rebecca Soto-Chodiman ,
Julie Ann Pooley ,
Lynne Cohen  and
Myra Frances Taylor
Rebecca Soto-Chodiman
Affiliation:
Edith Cowan University, Australia
Julie Ann Pooley*
Affiliation:
Edith Cowan University, Australia
Lynne Cohen
Affiliation:
Edith Cowan University, Australia
Myra Frances Taylor
Affiliation:
Edith Cowan University, Australia
*
Correspondence: Julie Ann Pooley, School of Psychology and Social Science, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia. E-mail: j.pooley@ecu.edu.au
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The shift to inclusive education within Australia has resulted in increasing numbers of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) being placed in mainstream educational settings. This move has created new demands on teachers who are not necessarily trained to meet the challenge. Therefore, the present study aimed to develop an understanding of how 12 Western Australian primary school (K–7) teachers adapted to the challenge of having a student with ASD in their mainstream classroom. Using an interpretivist framework, data from semistructured interviews revealed that teachers perceived a need to first recognise and accept the challenges associated with having a student with ASD in their mainstream classroom before they could move to accessing avenues of support. The implications of this finding are discussed.

Keywords

teachersASDinclusive educationmainstream educationteachers' perspectivessupport
Type
Articles
Information
Australasian Journal of Special Education , Volume 36 , Issue 2 , December 2012 , pp. 97 - 111
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alston, J., & Kilham, C. (2004). Adaptive education for students with special needs in the inclusive classroom. Australian Journal of Early Childhood, 29 (3), 24–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text rev.). Washington, DC: Author.Google Scholar
Autism Advisory Board on Autism Spectrum Disorders (AABASD). (2010). Education and autism spectrum disorders in Australia: The provision of appropriate educational services for school-age students with autism spectrum disorders in Australia: Position paper. Retrieved from http://www.autismaus.com.au/uploads/pdfs/Education_Position_Paper_2010.pdfGoogle Scholar
Avramidis, E., Bayliss, P., & Burden, R. (2000). A survey into mainstream teachers' attitudes towards the inclusion of children with special educational needs in the ordinary school in one local education authority. Educational Psychology, 20, 191–211. doi:10.1080/713663717CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Avramidis, E., & Kalyva, E. (2007). The influence of teaching experience and professional development on Greek teachers' attitudes towards inclusion. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 22, 367–389. doi:10.1080/08856250701649989CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barker, N.C. (2002). Foundations of qualitative methods. In Barker, C., Pistrang, N., & Elliott, R. (Eds.), Research methods in clinical psychology: An introduction for students and practitioners (2nd ed., pp. 72–93). Chichester, England: Wiley.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barnard, J., Prior, A., & Potter, D. (2000). Autism and inclusion: Is it working? London, UK: National Autistic Society.Google Scholar
Bednall, J. (2006). Epoche and bracketing within the phenomenological paradigm. Issues in Educational Research, 16, 123–138. Retrieved from http://www.iier.org.au/iier16/bednall.htmlGoogle Scholar
Blatchford, P., Bassett, P., Brown, P., & Webster, R. (2009). The effect of support staff on pupil engagement and individual attention. British Educational Research Journal, 35, 661–686. doi:10.1080/01411920902878917CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77–101. doi:10.1191/1478088706qp063oaCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Conroy, M.A., Asmus, J.M., Sellers, J.A., & Ladwig, C.N. (2005). The use of an antecedent-based intervention to decrease stereotypic behavior in a general education classroom: A case study. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 20, 223–230. doi:10.1177/10883576050200040401CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dey, I. (1993). Qualitative data analysis: A user-friendly guide for social scientists. London, England: Routledge.Google Scholar
Dybvik, A.C. (2004). Autism and the inclusion mandate: What happens when children with severe disabilities like autism are taught in regular classrooms? Daniel knows. Education Next, 4, 43–49. Retrieved from http://educationnext.org/autismandtheinclusionmandate/Google Scholar
Emam, M.M., & Farrell, P. (2009). Tensions experienced by teachers and their views of support for pupils with autism spectrum disorders in mainstream schools. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 24, 407–422. doi:10.1080/08856250903223070CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Farrell, P., Alborz, A., Howes, A., & Pearson, D. (2010). The impact of teaching assistants on improving pupils’ academic achievement in mainstream schools: A review of the literature. Educational Review, 62, 435–448. doi:10.1080/00131911.2010.486476CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forlin, C. (2001). The role of the support teacher in Australia. The European Journal of Special Needs Education, 16, 121–131. doi:10.1080/08856250110040703CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forlin, C. (2006). Inclusive education in Australia ten years after Salamanca. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 21, 265–277. doi:10.1007/bf03173415CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gearing, R.E. (2004). Bracketing in research: A typology. Qualitative Health Research, 14, 1429–1452. doi:10.1177/1049732304270394CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Groenewald, T. (2004). A phenomenological research design illustrated. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 3, 1–26. Retrieved from http://www.ualberta.ca/~iiqm/backissues/3_1/pdf/groenewald.pdfCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harrower, J.K., & Dunlap, G. (2001). Including children with autism in general education classrooms: A review of effective strategies. Behavior Modification, 25, 762–784. doi:10.1177/0145445501255006CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Helps, S., Newsom-Davis, I.C., & Callias, M. (1999). Autism: The teacher's view. Autism, 3, 287–298. doi:10.1177/1362361399003003006CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Howes, A. (2003). Teaching reforms and the impact of paid adult support on participation and learning in mainstream schools. Support for Learning, 18, 147–153. doi:10.1046/j.0268-2141.2003.00300.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Howlin, P., Gordon, R.K., Pasco, G., Wade, A., & Charman, T. (2007). The effectiveness of Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) training for teachers of children with autism: A pragmatic, group randomised controlled trial. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 48, 473–481. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2006.01707.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Humphrey, N. (2008). Autistic spectrum and inclusion: Including pupils with autistic spectrum disorders in mainstream schools. Support for Learning, 23, 41–47. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9604.2007.00367.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Humphrey, N., & Lewis, S. (2008). ‘Make me normal’: The views and experiences of pupils on the autistic spectrum in mainstream secondary schools. Autism, 12, 23–46. doi:10.1177/1362361307085267CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jennett, H.K., Harris, S.L., & Mesibov, G.B. (2003). Commitment to philosophy, teacher efficacy, and burnout among teachers of children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 33, 583–593. doi:10.1023/B:JADD.0000005996.19417.57CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jordan, R. (2008). Autistic spectrum disorders: A challenge and a model for inclusion in education. British Journal of Special Education, 35, 11–15. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8578.2008.00364.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Konza, D. (2008). Inclusion of students with disabilities in new times: Responding to the challenge. In Kell, P., Vialle, W., Konza, D., & Vogl, G. (Eds.), Learning and the learner: Exploring learning for new times (pp. 39–64). Wollongong, Australia: Faculty of Education, University of Wollongong. Retrieved from http://ro.uow.edu.au/edupapers/36/Google Scholar
Leblanc, L., Richardson, W., & Burns, K.A. (2009). Autism spectrum disorder and the inclusive classroom: Effective training to enhance knowledge of ASD and evidence- based practices. Teacher Education and Special Education, 32, 166–179. doi:10.1177/0888406409334279CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levy, S.E., Mandell, D.S., & Schultz, R.T. (2009). Autism. The Lancet, 374, 1627–1638. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(09)61376-3CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Liamputtong, P., & Ezzy, D. (2005). Qualitative research methods (2nd ed.). Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Male, D.B., & May, D. (1997). Stress, burnout and workload in teachers of children with special educational needs. British Journal of Special Education, 24, 133–140. doi:10.1111/1467-8527.t01-1-00029CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marks, D.F., & Yardley, L. (2004). Research methods for clinical and health psychology. London, England: Sage.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Matson, J.L., & LoVullo, S.V. (2009). Encopresis, soiling and constipation in children and adults with developmental disability. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 30, 799–807. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2008.12.001CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McGregor, E., & Campbell, E. (2001). The attitudes of teachers in Scotland to the integration of children with autism into mainstream schools. Autism, 5, 189–207. doi:10.1177/1362361301005002008Google Scholar
McVittie, E. (2005). The role of the teaching assistant: An investigative study to discover if teaching assistants are being used effectively to support children with special educational needs in mainstream schools. Education 3–13: International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education, 33, 26–31. doi:10.1080/03004270585200301Google Scholar
Neuman, W. (2006). Analysis of qualitative data. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.Google Scholar
O'Donoghue, T. (2007). Planning your qualitative research project: An introduction to interpretivist research in education. New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Patton, M.Q. (1990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods (2nd ed). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Patton, M.Q. (1999). Enhancing the quality and credibility of qualitative analysis. Health Services Research, 34, 1189–1208. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1089059/Google ScholarPubMed
Rose, R. (2001). Primary school teacher perceptions of the conditions required to include pupils with special educational needs. Educational Review, 53, 147–156. doi:10.1080/00131910120055570CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Slee, R. (1996). Inclusive schooling in Australia? Not yet! Cambridge Journal of Education, 26, 19–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stahmer, A.C., & Mandell, D.S. (2007). State infant/toddler program policies for eligibility and services provision for young children with autism. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 34, 29–37. doi:10.1007/s10488-006-0060-4CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Symes, W., & Humphrey, N. (2011). School factors that facilitate or hinder the ability of teaching assistants to effectively support pupils with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in mainstream secondary schools. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 11, 153–161. doi:10.1111/j.1471-3802.2011.01196.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, M.F., & Houghton, S. (2008). Examination-related anxiety in students diagnosed with AD/HD and the case for an allocation of extra time: Perspectives of teachers, mothers and students. Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 13, 111–125. doi:10.1080/13632750802027663CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, M.F., & Marais, I. (2011). Not in my back schoolyard: Schools and skate-park builds in Western Australia. Australian Planner, 48, 84–95. doi:10.1080/07293682.2011.561825CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, S.J., & Bogdan, R. (1984). Introduction to qualitative research methods: The search for meaning (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Wiley.Google Scholar
Wilson, J.C., & Powell, M. (2001). A guide to interviewing children: Essential skills for counsellors, police, lawyers and social workers. London, UK: Routledge.Google Scholar