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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: [email protected]
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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

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