Options
The influence of daily living skill profiles in preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder on early intervention teachers' perceptions of their educational placement
Author
Ng, Sarah Shu Ting
Supervisor
Nah, Yong Hwee
Abstract
Research on early intervention (EI) teachers’ perceptions towards the educational placement of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been limited. This study examined the influence of daily living skills (DLS) profiles on early intervention teachers’ perception of autistic preschool students’ educational placement using vignettes featuring students with varying DLS profiles but with average academic abilities and motor skills. It also examined the influence of a child’s age on teachers’ perceptions and the teacher-related factors influencing these perceptions. Sample consisted of 118 EI teachers from Singapore randomly assigned to one of three conditions, where they were told that the students in the vignettes needed (1) full assistance, or (2) partial assistance, or (3) no assistance in DLS. Participants were randomly presented with a series of nine short vignettes and were then asked to give a rating of their perception as to whether the featured student would be suitable for entry into a mainstream primary school using a sliding scale from 0 (‘very unlikely’) to 100 (‘very likely’). Results indicated that teachers perceived children needing full or partial assistance in DLS as likely to be less suitable for mainstream education. The child’s age also influenced teachers’ perceptions where older children (6 years old) needing full or partial assistance in DLS were perceived to be less suitable as compared to younger children (4 years old) needing full or partial assistance in DLS. Regression analysis indicated that there was a lack of association between teacher-related factors and teachers’ perception. Teachers’ qualitative feedback indicated that DLS was important as children are required to be independent in order to function mainstream education.
Call Number
LC4719.S55 Ng
Date Submitted
2021