Nah, Yong Hwee

Purpose There are limited tools developed for preschool teachers to aid them in identifying these children with possible autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study aims to describe the development and present preliminary data of a checklist for ASD screening for preschool teachers (CAPT-S) in Singapore that is easy for preschool teachers to use to identify ASD in mainstream preschoolers from 3 to 6 years old. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a cross-sectional questionnaire design. The CAPT-S is a 12-item checklist based on the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – Fifth Edition criteria and derived from a survey in a previous study that examined preschool teachers’ perceptions of challenging behaviors in preschoolers with ASD in Singapore. Participants consisted of 63 preschool teachers (mean age = 29.4 years; SD = 9.8) teaching in mainstream preschool centers located in Singapore, and they were asked to use the CAPT-S to rate their students on a four-point Likert scale on frequency of observed behavior. Findings Preliminary results indicated construct validity was demonstrated and high reliability in terms of internal consistency and moderate test–retest reliability of the CAPT-S. Diagnostic validity of the CAPT-S was also established, even after controlling for variables such as working experience and time spent working with that student. The optimal cutoff score of 24 produced high sensitivity and specificity. Originality/value The present study adds an important contribution to the literature on using preschool teachers as an additional informant in the screening process of ASD. The CAPT-S may be suitable for preschool teachers to use to identify children with possible ASD, although future studies would need to be conducted to examine its effectiveness.

This study described the development of a culturally adapted video version of Strange Stories test as a measure of advanced theory of mind for youths in an Asian country (i.e. Singapore), the Y-ToM, and to provide preliminary psychometric properties. Participants were 170 youths (82 male, 88 female) aged from 13 to 16 years old (M = 14.77, SD = 1.16) in Singapore. The youths completed the Y-ToM, an abbreviated IQ test and the Happé’s Strange Stories in a counterbalanced order while their parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). A two-factor structure consisting of social and physical subscales was suggested. Concurrent, convergent, divergent and diagnostic validity of the Y-ToM was examined. Internal consistency of the Y-ToM social subscale was acceptable though it was not satisfactory for the Y-ToM physical subscale. Inter-rater reliability was good while test-retest reliability was lower.

This study examined the effects of rigid/ritualistic behaviors on special education teachers’ perception of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their readiness for supported employment using vignettes featuring students with varying rigid/ritualistic behavioral profiles in vocational activity settings. Using a mixed-methods design, sample consisted of 111 teachers randomly assigned to one of three conditions, where they were told that the student has (a) a major negative reaction, (b) some negative reaction, or (c) no negative reaction. They then rated whether the students would be ready for supported employment. Results indicated that teachers perceived students with major negative reaction to be less ready for supported employment. The student’s age influenced teachers’ perception. Teachers’ qualitative feedback was also obtained. Implications were discussed.

Culturally bounded in nature, adaptive behavior is the degree to which a person meets the requirements of personal independence and social responsibilities. This study aimed to develop a computerized adaptive test (CAT) of a culturally appropriate adaptive behavior measure (i.e., the Activities and Participation Rating Scale [APRS]) in the Singapore context for children aged 7 to 12 years, that is, the CAT-APRS-Primary. In Study 1, an item bank consisting of 310 adaptive skills was developed and piloted among 56 caregivers. In Study 2, the refined 310 items were calibrated using Rasch analysis among 352 caregivers. After the removal of five poor items based on the Rasch analysis, the finalized 305 items were used for the CAT development, with these items showing good Rasch person and item fit statistics. Preliminary utility of the CAT-APRS-Primary was established, with participants completing 24 items on average. Limitations and implications for future research were discussed.

Purpose Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have challenging behaviours that can create significant teaching challenges in group settings such as in mainstream pre-school inclusive settings. This study aims to identify and understand, from the perspectives of mainstream pre-school teachers in Singapore, the type of common challenging behaviours observed in pre-schoolers (mean age = 4.5 years, SD = 1.1, range = 3-6) with ASD. Design/methodology/approach Participants consisted of 62 teachers (mean age = 35.8 years; SD = 10.8) teaching in mainstream pre-school centres located in Singapore completed an open-ended survey. Twelve codes were generated and served as guidelines for coding the qualitative data. Codes with similar themes were then grouped to form four construct categories: social communication, restricted and repetitive behaviours, attention and learning and others.

Findings Results indicated that difficulty with change/transition and social/peer interaction were the most concerning issues across all settings, whereas “lesson time” and “circle time” were the two most common activities/settings in which the concerns were reported by teachers. Originality/value Findings from this paper may add to the limited research looking at the challenging behaviours exhibited by children with ASD in mainstream pre-school settings in Singapore. Understanding the type of challenging behaviours presented in pre-schoolers with ASD and the activities/settings in which these behaviours occur may help the teachers to link the difficulties to specific interventions to further support their inclusion in a mainstream pre-school setting.

Objective It has been suggested that gender stereotypes can influence social perception and how people perceive behaviours in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) based on the individual's gender. This study aimed to investigate the effect of student's gender on teachers' perceptions of ASD behaviours in regular school settings. Method The sample consisted of 60 primary school teachers with a mean of 11.82 years (SD = 7.34) of teaching experience. Participants read a total of 20 vignettes depicting students' behaviours and were asked to rate the featured student's behaviour using a 5-point Likert scale (i.e., 1 = Strongly Negative to 5 = Strongly Positive). The survey vignettes were presented in a randomised order and participants were randomly assigned to either the female gender group or the male gender group. Results Results indicated that teachers rated the male ASD student's social behaviours but not the repetitive and restricted behaviours significantly more negatively than the female ASD student. Using multiple regression analysis, teachers' prior awareness of ASD affected their ratings for the social behaviours. Conclusion Findings from this study would have implications for teacher training in understanding and supporting students with ASD.

This pre-test post-test control group design sought to compare the effectiveness of delivering different types of information ([1] factual information vs. [2] factual information + descriptive and explanatory information vs. [3] factual information + descriptive, explanatory + directive information) in an animated video intervention in increasing university students’ autism knowledge and openness toward peers on the autism spectrum. The sample consisted of 92 undergraduates (27 males, 65 females; age range = 18–36) from various universities in Singapore. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the three experimental conditions/videos, where they completed a measure of their autism knowledge and openness scale, before viewing a 5-minute long animated video containing different types of information about autism. After which, participants completed the measure of autism knowledge and openness scale again, followed by a measure of their empathy level. Results indicated that participants’ autism knowledge improved following the viewing of the animated video. However, the three different videos containing different types of information did not differ in influencing participants’ openness toward peers on the autism spectrum. Nevertheless, qualitative responses proposed that the video containing factual information, with descriptive, explanatory, and directive information was useful in helping participants to know how to interact with their peers on the autism spectrum. The findings of this study provide preliminary support for the most effective method to educate and raise awareness about autism, among the general student population in order to foster a supportive and inclusive environment.

This study explored factors associated with teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs in delivering a Tier 2 Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT)-based programme. Participants consisted of 103 teachers (mean age = 38.0 years, SD = 9.63) currently teaching in Singapore mainstream schools. Survey data on self-efficacy beliefs for teaching in general, teachers’ sources of self-efficacy beliefs, and demographic variables were collected. Participants also rated eight vignettes on how confident they would feel when required to deliver and facilitate sessions. Mastery Experience and self-efficacy beliefs for teaching in general were significant predictors. While quantitative results did not suggest that Vicarious Experience was a significant predictor, participants frequently highlighted qualitatively that opportunities to observe peers, professionals and other teachers with more experience, as well as role-play, would help them feel more confident to deliver such sessions. These results can be used to inform selection of educators for such a programme and in designing the training for these teachers.

This study investigated the effects of labels on preschool teachers’ attitudes (i.e. openness) towards the strengths and difficulties of autistic preschool students in the mainstream setting. It also examined the differential effect of disclosure of a specific or a generic label, and the teacher-related factors influencing their attitude. Sample consisted of 106 mainstream preschool teachers (mean age = 30.37 years, SD = 8.85) from Singapore randomly assigned to one of three groups: “Autism Spectrum Disorder Label”, “Special Needs Label”, or the “No Label” group. Participants read a total of 15 vignettes depicting characteristics of autistic preschool students as strengths, difficulties, and neutral behaviours. They then rated their openness towards the featured student and complete a measure of their autism knowledge. Results indicated that the disclosure of a student’s special needs label improved teachers’ attitudes towards the difficulties faced by autistic students compared to when no label was disclosed. Teachers’ knowledge of autism and whether teachers had experience teaching autistic students predicted the openness rating. This study has implications for parents regarding diagnosis disclosure, for the whole educational system when designing diagnosis and information transfer and the importance of professional training among early childhood educators.