General Education Teachers’ Perceptions of Inclusion for

Children with Autism

Perri Rosen, M.S.Ed.Erin Rotheram-Fuller, Ph.D.

David S. Mandell, Sc.D.

Working with Children with Autism in General Education Classrooms

Children with autism experience a range of challenges:• Social interactions• Behavior (stereotypic, repetitive, self-

stimulatory)• Language and communication• Academics and learning• Need for environmental sameness• Unique patterns of cognitive strengths and

deficits(Simpson, de Boer-Ott, & Smith-Myles, 2003)

Rates of Inclusion for Children with Autism in the United States

2000200120022003200420052006200720080

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

> 60%< 21%

Year

Perc

en

t of

Tim

e O

uts

ide o

f G

en

era

l Ed

ucati

on

(National Center for Education Statistics, 2009)

General Education Teachers Critical to the success of inclusion

programs (McGregor & Campbell, 2001)

Mixed findings regarding teachers’ attitudes toward inclusion and children with autism (Cook, Cameron, & Tankersley, 2007; McGregor & Campbell, 2001; Robertson, Chamberlain, & Kasari, 2003)

Attitudes may change based on nature of child disability (Avramidas & Norwich, 2011)

Training and support may improve teacher attitudes about inclusion (Avramidas & Norwich, 2011)

Procedure Survey was developed and administered

to teachers as part of a pilot

Teachers were offered consultation services with student consultants through a School Psychology training program

Teachers completed and returned surveys to consultants

Participants

Demographic Data on Teachers

Variable M SD Range

Years of Teaching Experience 10.44 8.06 1-25

Years of Teaching Experience with Students with Autism 2.89 4.73 0-15

Number of Students 24.33 5.29 17-30

Number of Students with Autism 2.22 1.39 1-4

Number of Additional Adults in Classroom 3.06 1.84 1-7

Grade 3.62 2.20 1-7

Survey Measure A four-part survey consisted of both

quantitative and qualitative components

Part One: Demographic Information 10 items

Part Two: Student Placement 3 items, 4-point Likert-type scale (Completely Appropriate-

Completely Inappropriate)

Part Three: Inclusion in Your School 16 items, 4-point Likert-type scale (Strongly Agree-Strongly

Disagree)

Part Four: Challenges and Supports for Inclusion 4 items, open-ended response format

Present vs. Recommended Educational Placement

Full Day in

GE

Most Day in

GE

Half Day in

GE

Most Day in

AS

Full Day in

AS

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

8068

21

5 50

68

11 11 11

0

Present PlacementRecommended Placement

Educational Placement

Perc

en

t of

Stu

den

ts

Teachers’ Perceptions of Challenges Among Classroom, Teacher, and

Student FactorsFactors M SDClassroom-Related Factors 3.3 0.1 Well-structured and Organized 3.3 0.9 Calm Environment 3.2 0.8 Well-behaved Students 3.3 0.8Teacher-Related Factors 3.5 0.3 Supportive of inclusion 3.8 0.4 Prior Experience 3.1 0.8 Available support staff 3.6 0.5 Experience differentiating instruction 3.6 0.5Child-Related Factors 2.8 0.3 Appropriate behavior 2.7 0.7 Appropriate academic levels 3.1 1.1 Sufficient communication skills 2.7 0.9 Adequate social functioning 2.8 0.8

*(Strongly Agree=4, Somewhat Agree=3, Somewhat Disagree=2, Strongly Disagree=1, I Don't Know=0)

Additional Resources Wanted

Resource Needed

Percent of Teachers

Training 89%Socialization between students with autism and peers 33%Inclusion of students with autism 33%Implementation of IEP goals 11%Differentiated Instruction 11%

Increased support from professional staff 44%

Increased planning time 22%

Decreased support from professional staff 11%

Manipulatives and materials for students 11%

Implications Overall, teachers reported positive

attitudes about including children with autism

The conversation may need to change: • Teachers felt their skills were strong, but that

children may lack readiness

Despite high self-ratings of teacher competence, almost 90% of teachers reported a need for additional training