Poster #8 - Perceptions of Early Childhood Special Educators on Inclusive Education for Children with ASD in India

• In Event: Poster Session 04

Abstract

In India, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) was recognized as a separate form of disability in the 1990s (Ministry of Law, Justice & Company Affairs, 1996). Since then, increased efforts have been made by the government and communities to aid and support the educational needs of children with ASD. Compulsory education begins at age 6 in mainstream schools where curriculum is standardized and inclusive education programs exist (Singal, 2006). Early childhood education (ECE) is not yet universalized in the country, and there is significant variation in educational opportunities and experiences for children under the age of 6, especially for children with disabilities. Children with disabilities under the age of 6 receive early learning and educational accommodations at early intervention centers operated by NGOs within large urban cities (Bhargava, n.d.; Singal, 2014). There is a need to understand how children with ASD transition across these educational systems. Extant research has explored mainstream teachers' perspectives on including children with ASD in their classrooms (e.g., Bhatnagar & Das, 2014; Srivatsava et al., 2017; Taneja Johansson, 2014; Tiwari et al., 2015); however, little is known about the perspectives and experiences of early intervention special educators who prepare children with ASD for inclusive education programs in mainstream schools. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to understand the perceptions, attitudes, and knowledge of early childhood special educators on inclusive education for children with ASD in India.
A qualitative research design was used. Eight special educators from two cities in Southern India were interviewed. All interviews were conducted in English and data were transcribed verbatim before analysis. Thematic analysis was used to uncover patterns and themes across the coded data.
Initial results indicated that early childhood special educators support the inclusion of children with ASD in mainstream schools and specifically identified socio-communicative benefits for the children. However, the special educators perceived there to be challenges in the inclusion of children with ASD once they enter mainstream schools. There is little communication between the early intervention centers and mainstream schools in planning the transition of children and maintaining care across educational settings. The special educators also expressed concerns that general education teachers lack the training, skills (e.g., alternative teaching methods), and resources (e.g., time to provide individual attention) to fully include children with ASD in their classrooms. The special educators raised these concerns because parents they have worked with have brought their children back to the intervention centers to receive specific support afterhours because they felt their children were not being fully included in general education classrooms. We discuss recommendations to increase capacity building for educators to provide more effective inclusive programming for children with ASD in India. There is need to open direct channels for communication between special educators and general educators. Increasing communication could offer opportunities for special educators to collaborate with general educators to maintain continuity of care for children with ASD. Increased collaboration may help children stay within general education settings without the need for parents to shuttle their children between educational contexts.

Authors

• Krithika Sambasivan, California State University - Sacramento
  Presenting Author

• Patrick Pieng, California State University - Sacramento

• Jean Gonsier-Gerdin, California State University, Sacramento