Identifying obstacles to including students with Autism Spectrum Disorders in a Greek mainstream classroom. The teachers voice.

Abstract

Abstract Background: Due to the heterogeneity and complexity of the disorder, students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are seen as the most difficult group of learners with special educational needs to be included in a mainstream classroom. Multiple child-, teacher- and school-related factors influence the inclusion process and contribute to its successful implementation. This study sought to identify the difficulties that teachers of Greek mainstream classrooms may face having a student with ASD and how they cope with them. Participants: Following the purposive and snowball sampling strategy, eleven teachers from Greek mainstream schools who had a student identified with ASD participated in the research study. With the exception of two teachers, all were teachers of Greek language, whereas two of them were teaching assistants. Method: Interview is considered to be the most suitable method allowing the participants to express their experiences and beliefs. Due to the distance between the UK based interviewer and the participants in Greece, the interviews for the present study were not conducted face-to-face. Instead, semi-structured computer- assisted interview was selected, both in synchronous (via Skype) and asynchronous mode (e-mail interview). Results: Participants were in favour of inclusion, albeit stressing that this depends on the severity of the disorder. Furthermore, they stated how important it is to create a supportive learning atmosphere, minimise possible distractions and adopt facilitating learning strategies. Relating to behavioural problems and emotional outbursts, they primarily promoted the implementation of behavioural approaches. As far as child’s social development is concerned, they referred to overall good relationships with peers, yet limited interactions, and there was no broad evidence of bullying. Lastly, they admitted that they are inefficiently trained to meet the needs of students with ASD and thus they requested training and assistance by specialised professionals