Teachers’ knowledge about autism spectrum disorder: The case of Turkey

Abstract

Teachers’ knowledge and perceptions about autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is found to be a critical component for the identification and education of children with ASD. This study examined Turkish general education teachers’ knowledge and perceptions about ASD. A total of 478 general education teachers across four school types participated in the study. Data were collected using an online survey package. Results showed Turkish general education teachers across all school types and grade levels had limited knowledge and perceptions of autism. Findings show that there is an urgent need to develop professional development or certification programs to train teachers to work with children with ASD. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Keywords

• Autism,General education teachers,Knowledge,Perception,Treatment

Öğretmenlerin otizm spektrum bozukluğu hakkında bilgileri: Türkiye örneği

Abstract

Öğretmenlerin otizm spektrum bozukluğu (OSB) hakkındaki bilgi ve algıları bu çocukların tanılanmaları ve eğitimleri için kritik öneme sahiptir. Bu çalışmada, anaokulu, ilkokul, ortaokul ve lise kademelerinde görev yapan öğretmenlerin OSB hakkındaki bilgi ve algıları incelenmiştir. Çalışmaya bu dört eğitim kademesinde görev yapan 478 genel eğitim öğretmeni katılmıştır. Çalışmanın sonuçları farklı eğitim düzeyinde görev yapan öğretmenlerin OSB hakkında sınırlı bilgiye sahip olduklarını ve öğretmenlerin bilgi düzeylerinin çalıştıkları eğitim kademelerine göre farklılık gösterdiğini ortaya koymuştur. Bulgular, OSBli çocuklara çalışan ve çalışma olasılığı olan öğretmenler için acil bir şekilde mesleki gelişim programlarının geliştirilmesi ve uygulanması gerektiğini göstermektedir. Makalenin sonunda gelecekte yapılacak araştırma ve uygulamalar için öneriler sunulmuştur.

Keywords

• Otizm,Genel eğitim öğretmenleri,Bilgi,Algı,Müdahale

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