Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

Students With Asd In Mainstream Primary Education Settings: Teachers' Experiences In Western Australian Classrooms, Rebecca Soto, Julie Ann Pooley, Lynne Cohen, Myra Taylor

Myra F Taylor

The shift to inclusive education within Australia has resulted in increasing numbers of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) being placed in mainstream educational settings. This move has created new demands on teachers who are not necessarily trained to meet the challenge. Therefore, the present study aimed to develop an understanding of how 12 Western Australian primary school (K-7) teachers adapted to the challenge of having a student with ASD in their mainstream classroom. Using an interpretivist framework, data from semistructured interviews revealed that teachers perceived a need to first recognise and accept the challenges associated with having a student …