Abstract of T. Goren lecture


TEACHERS' PERCEPTION OF THE ESSENTIAL COMPETENCIES
FOR SUCCESSFUL INCLUSION OF CHILDREN WITH ASD

T. Goren, O. Hetzroni
University of Haifa, Israel

Objective Teacher attitudes towards the inclusion of children with
special needs are a major factor in the child's success in the regular
school setting. The purpose of this study was to investigate the
attitudes of teachers towards the inclusion of children with ASD,
specifically the perceived competencies needed for successful
inclusion. Methods Participants included 101 teachers from regular
and special education elementary schools. Teachers filled
questionnaires assessing the importance of 64 competencies for
successful inclusion of children with ASD. Results indicated that none
of the competencies were considered to be prerequisites for
successful inclusion of children with ASD. Nine of the items were rated
as essential. Those items were associated with daily living skills,
behavioral issues, and basic communication. Toilet training was
ranked the most important competency. Academic abilities were listed
as least important. There were no significant differences between the
teachers in regular and special education in their ratings. Most
participants believed that students should be included only if they had
the required capabilities. Conclusions. Although all teachers
participating in the study selected no prerequisites for the inclusion of
children with ASD in regular education schools, teachers indicated
that students should be included based on their abilities. Most of the
teachers selected personal hygiene as highly essential for successful
inclusion. Correlations, similarities and differences between this study
and previous studies will be discussed. Grants: Partial support for this
study was obtained from the Center for Absorption in Science in the
Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, Israel.


No comments:

Post a Comment