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

ent o

f Tim

e O

utsi

de o

f G

ener

al E

duca

tion

(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

ParticipantsDemographic 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

01020304050607080

68

21

5 50

68

11 11 110

Present PlacementRecommended Placement

Educational Placement

Perc

ent

of S

tude

nts

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