Autism Knowledge among Pre-Service Teachers Specialized in Children Birth through Age Five

Nigerian Teachers’ Understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Comparative Study of Teachers from Urban and Rural areas of Lagos State

“…None of these variables achieved statistical significance at <.01, though it should be noted that 56% of teachers under 40 years of age had a generally accurate understanding of ASD, in comparison with just 28% of those over 51 years (Table 6). This result supports other studies suggesting that older professionals may sometimes lack up-to-date knowledge and awareness about ASD (Johnson et al, 2013). …”

Teachers’ perceptions and attitudes on the inclusive education of students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD): A literature review

“…Furthermore, teachers expressed neutral attitudes towards the inclusion of students with autism in general education classrooms (Engstrand & Roll-Pettersson, 2012;Srivastava et al, 2017a), whereas special education teachers, who taught students with autism, had low to moderate levels of knowledge regarding autism, as well as low to moderately effective teaching practices for their students (Hendricks, 2011). Finally, in-service, preservice, and future teachers had no (or limited) knowledge as well as basic misconceptions about autism and the needs of students with autism in inclusive education classes (Ayub et al, 2017;Barned et al, 2011;Finch et al, 2013;Johnson et al, 2012;Rakap et al, 2016;Yasar & Cronin, 2014;Young et al, 2017).…”

“…The results indicated that the older teachers in the sample were less receptive to inclusive education, as well as those who had not received formal training in autism (Wilkerson, 2012). Johnson, Porter, and McPherson (2012) examined the autism knowledge among pre-service teachers specialised in children birth through age five (B-5). The data were collected from 148 of the 176 preservice B-5 teachers.…”

Feasibility of Training Early Childhood Educators in a Community Child Care Setting Using a Caregiver-mediated Intervention for Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…Importantly, many trainees reported feeling unprepared for special education in their classrooms and stated they wished to learn more about ASD as they felt that this knowledge was necessary for their future as an educator (Barned et al, 2011;Maich & Hall, 2014). Future ECEs also stated that their most common source of information regarding ASD was their educational curriculum, which points to the importance of including, and perhaps enhancing, training about interventions within the curriculum for early childhood education programs (Johnson et al, 2012). Killoran, Tymon, and Frempong (2007) found that children with ASD were the most highly represented group of children (25.7%) with disabilities at child care centres in Toronto, Ontario.…”

“…Furthermore, despite believing that all children should be included in general education classrooms, about half the respondents thought that only special educators should teach children with ASD or, if included in general education classrooms, many expected an expert to be in the classrooms to work with the child (Barned et al, 2011). Although many early childhood education trainees were familiar with the core impairments of ASD (e.g., social-communication challenges, language and sensory difficulties), there was limited understanding of the more complex symptoms or associated features such as eating difficulties and nonfunctional play (Barned et al, 2011;Johnson et al, 2012). Importantly, many trainees reported feeling unprepared for special education in their classrooms and stated they wished to learn more about ASD as they felt that this knowledge was necessary for their future as an educator (Barned et al, 2011;Maich & Hall, 2014).…”