1. 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.

2. 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)

3. Rates of Inclusion for Children with Autism in the United States
(National Center for Education Statistics, 2009)

4. 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)

5. 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

6. Demographic Data on Teachers
Participants
Demographic 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

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

8. Present vs. Recommended Educational Placement

9. Teachers’ Perceptions of Challenges Among Classroom, Teacher, and Student FactorsSD
Classroom-Related Factors
3.3
0.1
Well-structured and Organized
0.9
Calm Environment
3.2
0.8
Well-behaved Students
Teacher-Related Factors
3.5
0.3
Supportive of inclusion
3.8
0.4
Prior Experience
3.1
Available support staff
3.6
0.5
Experience differentiating instruction
Child-Related Factors
2.8
Appropriate behavior
2.7
0.7
Appropriate academic levels
1.1
Sufficient communication skills
Adequate social functioning
*(Strongly Agree=4, Somewhat Agree=3, Somewhat Disagree=2, Strongly Disagree=1, I Don't Know=0)

10. Additional Resources Wanted
Resource Needed
Percent of Teachers
Training
89%
Socialization between students with autism and peers
33%
Inclusion of students with autism
Implementation of IEP goals
11%
Differentiated Instruction
Increased support from professional staff
44%
Increased planning time
22%
Decreased support from professional staff
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