SAUDI SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS’ KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT NEEDS OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM

This project assesses Saudi Arabian special education teachers’ perceptions about their competencies and professional development needs on assistive technology (AT). The researcher developed an online self-administrated 27 question survey in order to evaluate special education teachers’ perceived knowledge regarding AT, as well as to investigate their needs for professional development. The survey webpage link was sent via email to 110 special education teachers at General Directorate of Education in Unaizah, Saudi Arabia. A total of 37 teachers participate in this study for a 33.6% response rate. The findings indicate that special education teachers are not confident in their ability to correctly utilize AT in a classroom. The results also show that participants are interested in receiving AT training. In addition, it indicates that special education teachers preferred face-to-face learning methods for AT training

Factors to Consider for Effective Implementation of AAC With Students With Autism: Saudi special education teachers’ perspectives

This qualitative study aimed to explore the perceptions of Saudi special education teachers regarding teaching minimally verbal students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and factors facilitating the use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) system in their classroom. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five Saudi special education teachers. Teachers were from three schools at the General Directorate of Education in Unaizah, Saudi Arabia. The findings were analyzed by using thematic analysis. Findings revealed that Saudi special education teachers faced many challenges when teaching students with ASD who have minimal verbal abilities which includes expression difficulties, challenging behavior, and teacher-related challenges. Also, findings revealed that although teachers, generally, have positive attitudes toward using AAC to enhance communication skills for students with autism, they reported no or limited implementation of ACC with students with ASD. For a successful implementation of AAC, findings revealed that five of Ely\u27s eight conditions were perceived to have a great influence on facilitating the implementation of such an intervention which includes knowledge and skills, resources, participation, commitment, and leadership. These findings were discussed in the light of international literature and the local context. The findings may help in increasing Saudi schools’ readiness for effective implementation of AAC systems with students with ASD by addressing these factors