Mainstream Preschool Teachers’ Skills at Identifying and Referring Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Open Access
- 16 June 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by MDPI AG in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
- Vol. 17 (12), 4284
- https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124284
Abstract
Background: Early intervention will help children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to attain early learning reinforcement. This study focuses on exploring the ability of preschool teachers to identify children with ASD and their referral decision-making process. Method: This is a mixed-method study (qualitative and quantitative methods) involving 20 respondents. The qualitative study is based on an open question case study, while the quantitative study consists of questionnaire with demographic variables to identify the effect of the demographic variables on the preschool teachers’ ability to identify children with ASD. Sample: The sample was selected via convenience sampling among mainstream preschool teachers. The data was analyzed using SPSS software and thematic analysis. Results: The findings show that preschool teachers did not have skills at identifying children with ASD, and the majority of them labelled children with ASD as spoilt or hyperactive children. They also viewed children with ASD as having other disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or communication disorders such as introversion. Moreover, preschool teachers expressed that the reason for the child’s behaviour could be due to the parents’ inability to properly educate their child. Additionally, the demographic variables of the preschool teachers, such as age, education level and teaching experience, were found not to affect their ASD identification skills. Conclusion: Preschool teachers need to improve their skills in identifying ASD among children via training.This publication has 45 references indexed in Scilit:
- Autism Knowledge among Pre-Service Teachers Specialized in Children Birth through Age FiveAmerican Journal of Health Education, 2012
- Overlooked and Underserved: “Action Signs” for Identifying Children With Unmet Mental Health NeedsPEDIATRICS, 2011
- Behavioral Treatments in Autism Spectrum Disorder: What Do We Know?Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 2010
- The Rise in Autism and the Role of Age at DiagnosisEpidemiology, 2009
- Social-Emotional Screening Status in Early Childhood Predicts Elementary School OutcomesPEDIATRICS, 2008
- Preliminary construct and concurrent validity of the Preschool Self-regulation Assessment (PSRA) for field-based researchEarly Childhood Research Quarterly, 2007
- A Synthesis of Knowledge Relevant to Pathways of service Delivery for Young Children With or at Risk of Challenging BehaviorJournal of Early Intervention, 2007
- Common emotional and behavioral disorders in preschool children: presentation, nosology, and epidemiologyJournal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2006
- An evaluation of the special needs referral process for low-income preschool children with emotional and behavioral problemsEarly Childhood Research Quarterly, 1999
- Teacher as imperfect test: Reconceptualizing the referral processEducational Psychologist, 1984