Abstract:

Children are being identified with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) at increasing rates, affecting and creating higher demands on school districts. General education teachers, who play a valuable role in creating an optimal learning environment for students with ASD, have expressed concerns about increased challenges and demands placed on them as students with severe disabilities are included within the general education classroom more frequently. Unfortunately, teachers are not often provided adequate pre- or in-service training support needed to work effectively with these students, which demonstrates the need to increase general education teacher knowledge and training on ASDs.

This doctoral project describes a process for developing an accessible and user-friendly handbook on ASDs for elementary school teachers. Based on research findings pertinent to general education teachers with ASD students, the handbook presents information about the disorders and focuses on the unique needs of individual students in order to promote awareness. It is also developed to be utilized as a tool that teachers and support staff can enter handwrite notes to gain an accurate representation of the students' needs and document effective individualized strategies for the student. Additionally, the handbook is intended to follow students as they transition to different grade levels throughout their school careers.

The methods used in this project included expert content review and field-testing of the teacher handbook as it was being developed. Four autism experts reviewed the handbook for content accuracy, and 24 teacher participants at 2 elementary schools in Southern California reviewed the handbook to determine usefulness via an evaluation questionnaire created by the author. Overall, the field-test participants responded positively to the handbook and felt that teachers would benefit. This handbook could provide an important source of support and information for general education teachers attempting to provide quality inclusion and educational services to a challenging population of students.