Hindawi Publishing Co po a ion
Au ism Resea ch and T ea men
Volume 2012, A icle ID 259468, 8pages
doi:10.1155/2012/259468
Resea ch A icle
Suppo , Inclusion, and Special Educa ion
Teache s’ A i udes owa d he Educa ion o S uden s wi h
Au ism Spec um Diso de s
Isabel R. Rod ´
ıguez, Da id Salda˜
na, and F. Ja ie Mo eno
Depa amen o de Psicolog´
ıa E olu i a y de la Educaci´
on, Facul ad de Psicolog´
ıa, C/Camilo Jos´
e Cela, s/n, 41018 Se illa, Spain
Co espondence should be add essed o Isabel R. Rod ´
ıguez, [email p o ec ed]
Recei ed 28 June 2011; Re ised 28 No embe 2011; Accep ed 19 Decembe 2011
Academic Edi o : Connie Kasa i
Copy igh © 2012 Isabel R. Rod ´
ıguez e al. This is an open access a icle dis ibu ed unde he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion
License, which pe mi s un es ic ed use, dis ibu ion, and ep oduc ion in any medium, p o ided he o iginal wo k is p ope ly
ci ed.
This s udy is aimed a assessing special educa ion eache s’ a i udes owa d eaching pupils wi h au ism spec um diso de s (ASDs)
and a de e mining he ole o a iables associa ed wi h a posi i e a i ude owa ds he child en and hei educa ion. Six y-nine
special educa ion eache s we e in e iewed. The in e iew included wo mul iple-choice Like - ype ques ionnai es, one abou
eache s’ a i ude, and ano he abou eache s’ pe cei ed needs in ela ion o he speci ic educa ion o he pupil wi h ASD. The s udy
shows a posi i e iew o eache s’ expec a ions ega ding he educa ion o pupils wi h ASD. A di ec logis ic eg ession analysis was
pe o med es ing o expe ience wi h he child, school ela ionship wi h an ASD ne wo k and ype o school (mains eam o
special) as po en ial p edic o s. Al hough all h ee a iables a e use ul in p edic ing special educa ion eache s’ a i udes, he mos
ele an was he ela ionship wi h an ASD ne wo k. Need o in o ma ion and social suppo a e he ela i ely highes needs
exp essed by eache s.
1. In oduc ion
Posi i e eache a i udes a e an impo an p edic o o he
success ul educa ion o child en wi h disabili ies, includ-
ing hose wi h au ism spec um diso de s (ASDs) [1,2].
Howe e , he se e i y and pe asi eness ASD o en leads o
he eaching and inclusion o his g oup o pupils o be
seen as especially complex [3]. E en eache s o ecognized
p o essional compe ence o en conside hemsel es less able
o deal wi h hese s uden s han wi h hose wi h any o he
o m o special needs [4–7].
Resea ch in o eache s’ a i udes owa ds inclusion and
s uden s wi h disabili ies has shown ha hey a e e y much
in luenced by a iables such as expe ience, aining, and
pe cep ion o a ailable esou ces and suppo [8–13]. G ea e
expe ience in inclusi e educa ional con ex s a ou s a mo e
posi i e a i ude owa d he educa ion o s uden s wi h spe-
cial needs in mains eam class ooms [10,11]. Giang eco [9],
o example, ound ha in a class whe e s uden s wi h se e e
disabili ies we e included, eache a i udes changed o e
ime om ini ial esis ance o a mo e a ou able pe cep ion.
Teache aining also has a powe ul in luence on he
de elopmen o a i udes owa d inclusion, especially when
i inco po a es ela ed and speci ic p o essional abili ies [8].
Ano he aspec ha in luences he way a i udes a e
con igu ed is eache pe cep ion o a ailable esou ces. In a
s udy wi h 1430 eache s wi h expe ience in inclusi e se -
ings, h ee ypes o esou ces we e deemed necessa y: ain-
ing, suppo om a eam o expe s, and suppo in he class-
oom [13]. The suppo o expe s and o he p ac i ione s
is especially aluable when i is accompanied by app op ia e
collabo a ion [12].
These dimensions (expe ience, aining, and pe cep ion
o a ailable esou ces and suppo ) a e also ele an in
he case o a i udes owa ds wo king wi h child en wi h
ASD. Teache aining, o example, is pa icula ly impo an
he e o he speci ic na u e o he needs o hese s uden s
and p e ailing misconcep ions su ounding au ism. P e ious
esea ch has shown he necessi y o upda ing and expanding
on eache s’ knowledge base on au ism [4–6,14–17]. In
a ela ed s udy, Jenne e al. [16] explo ed p o essional
sel -efficacy and bu n-ou in eache s wo king wi h hese
2 Au ism Resea ch and T ea men
child en. In he su ey o 64 eache s applying wo diffe en
eaching me hods, ela i ely low bu n-ou and high sel -
efficacy a es we e ound. This would suppo he idea ha
clea p ac ical and heo e ical amewo ks a e necessa y o
eache s in ol ed in educa ion o child en wi h au ism.
P esence and collabo a ion o suppo s affis ano he
ele an ac o o be conside ed. Simpson e al. [3] indica e
ha eache s a e p epa ed o each s uden s wi h ASD i his
occu s in he con ex o collabo a ion wi h special educa-
ion eache s and suppo s affand wi h o he addi ional
esou ces. This is a need o en men ioned by eache s in
su eys abou hei pe cep ion o au ism (e.g., [17]) (see
[1,18,19] o s udies on how he speci ic con ex o suppo
can de e mine i s effec s).
The p esen s udy is pa o a la ge p ojec aimed a
de e mining he s a us o p o ision o special educa ional
needs o pupils wi h ASD in he ci y o Se ille (Spain) [20–
24]. Se ille has a popula ion o app oxima ely 700,000 inhab-
i an s, o which 95,861 a e child en in Kinde ga en, com-
pulso y p ima y and seconda y educa ion and special edu-
ca ion. A o al o 165 s uden s wi h ASD we e egis e ed as
pa o a wide s udy in he schools o he ci y. A o al o 37%
o hese s uden s was diagnosed wi h au ism diso de , 33.3%
as PDD-NOS, 8.5% as Aspe ge ’s synd ome, and 0.6% as
Re synd ome, wi h an addi ional 20.6% cases diagnosed as
au ism spec um diso de s wi hou addi ional speci ica ion.
The amilies o hese child en we e also in e iewed
wi hin his b oade s udy. They we e asked abou pe cei ed
needs in hei child en’s educa ion and hei sa is ac ion
wi h he educa ional sys em (see [20,21] o addi ional
in o ma ion). In gene al, amilies’ sa is ac ion was high,
al hough i was la gely dependan on he child’s educa ional
placemen (in a special o egula school). The a iables mos
ela ed o a posi i e pe cep ion we e p o ision o esou ces
and eache aining.
The s udy also in ended o collec eache s’ pe cep ions
and demands in o de o plan o u u e suppo and
aining schemes. Mos o he eache s in ol ed in he
educa ion o hese child en ha e a college deg ee in special
educa ion (al hough no speci ically ela ed o au ism) and
some imes ecei e supplemen a y aining in au ism. They
can each in special o mains eam schools. In mains eam
se ings, hey will be eaching child en wi h ASD o o he
disabili ies who spend all o pa o hei ime in a
suppo class oom sepa a e om he o he child en. Fi y-
wo pe cen o he s uden s pa icipa ing in he o e all s udy
we e in mains eam schools. In he ci y o Se ille, he e is
an addi ional a iable o be conside ed ha is cen al o he
p esen s udy. Va ious pa en al and p o essional ASD g oups
p o ide speci ic suppo o eache s. In some cases, hese
a e eache s hi ed in schools di ec ly unded and un by he
suppo g oup, bu in o he s hey a e eache s belonging o
special o mains eam schools. Twen y-se en pe cen o he
child en wi h ASD a he ime o he s udy we e augh in
schools linked o hese ne wo ks. All hei eache s ecei ed
ex a aining and suppo ela ed o eaching child en
wi h ASD. This ne wo k p o ided examples o success ul
inclusion, de eloped addi ional means o in o mal suppo ,
con ibu ed o he dissemina ion o in o ma ion and posi i e
expe iences among p ac i ione s, and aimed a educing
he anxie y ela ed o he inclusion o a new s uden wi h
au ism in he class oom. One o he objec i es o he p esen
s udy was o de e mine he in luence o hese ne wo ks on
he special educa ion eache s’ a i udes and needs, o e
and abo e hei ini ial specializa ion and aining. Special
educa ion eache s we e he ocus o he s udy due o
he ac ha hey a e he mos equen ly in ol ed in he
eaching o child en wi h ASD. Mo e impo an ly, whe eas
p ima y eache s, ha do no ha e a college deg ee in
special educa ion, a e only p esen in mains eam schools
and la gely do no ecei e he ASD ne wo ks suppo , special
educa ion eache s a e p esen in diffe en con ex s, wi h
some o hem ecei ing ne wo k suppo ( aining and ad ice
om expe s in in e en ion wi h child en wi h au ism) and
some o hem no .
The speci ic aims o he s udy we e, he e o e,
(1) o assess special educa ion eache s’ a i udes owa d
eaching pupils wi h ASD and hei cu en needs o
suppo ,
(2) o analyse he ole o a iables associa ed wi h a
posi i e a i ude owa ds he child en and hei
educa ion, speci ically educa ional placemen and
p o ision o suppo wi hin a specialized ne wo k.
2. Ma e ials and Me hod
2.1. Pa icipan s and Se ing. Six y-nine special educa ion
eache s (19% men and 81% women) we e in e iewed.
All o hem held a bachelo -le el college deg ee in special
educa ion. Fo y- h ee o hem had he suppo o an au ism
ne wo k. A o al o 58% o special educa ion eache s we e
in mains eam schools. A e age eaching expe ience was 10.8
yea s (SD =10.0). Thi y pe cen had been wo king as
eache s o less han ou yea s. A o al o 42% had ne e
been in ol ed in he educa ion o a pupil wi h ASD p io o
he p esen yea . The emainde had an a e age o 6.7 yea s
o expe ience (SD =7.2) eaching child en wi h ASD. A o al
o 64.9% had 5 o less yea s o expe ience.
2.2. Da a Collec ion and Ins umen s. All he eache s o
he 165 egis e ed child en wi h ASD in he ci y we e
con ac ed h ough amilies belonging o suppo g oups
o h ough educa ional adminis a i e da abases. Toge he
wi h 27 p ima y eache s also in e iewed as pa o he
wide s udy esponden s we e esponsible o he educa ion
o 80% o he child en wi h ASD in he ci y. They we e
all in e iewed indi idually in hei schools. The in e -
iewe ead he i ems o he eache s, and he eache s
p o ided he esponses o he in e iewe . The in e iew
included he ollowing wo ques ionnai es (accessible a
h p://bscw. edi is.es/pub/bscw.cgi/3932122/):
Teache A i ude. This ques ionnai e assessed eache s’ a i-
udes owa ds he eaching o child en wi h au ism. I
included i ems on diffe en dimensions ha he cu en
li e a u e has conside ed could in luence and modula e
Au ism Resea ch and T ea men 3
Table 1: Mean and s anda d de ia ion o i ems included in he eache a i ude ques ionnai e (sco es o nega i e i ems ha e been in e ed)
(N=69).
I ems Range Mean SD
His/he pa en s ha e a posi i e a i ude owa ds him/he 1–6 4.4 1.2
I would p e e o wo k wi h child en wi h o he ypes o disabili y 1–6 5.4 1.1
Wi h a amily like his, eache s’ wo k is useless 1–6 5.1 1.4
I am no he igh pe son o wo k wi h child en like hese 1–6 5.7 0.8
We shall p obably be able o imp o e his child’s academic abili ies 1–6 4.7 1.1
I ind i ha de o wo k wi h his child han wi h o he s wi h diffe en special needs 1–6 4.4 1.6
The amily’s ac i i ies a e posi i e o his child’s de elopmen 1–6 4.6 1.4
I is e y difficul o collabo a e wi h his amily 1–6 4.2 1.4
We shall p obably be able o imp o e he social abili ies o his child 3–6 4.6 1.1
E en wi h ex a aining, I would ind i ha d o wo k wi h his child 1–6 5.1 1.2
I ha e had e y enjoyable momen s wo king wi h his child 1–6 4.9 1.2
We shall p obably be able o help his child adap o changes in his/he en i onmen 2–6 4.8 1.0
The amily is e y a en i e o he ecommenda ions hey ecei e om he school 1–6 4.6 1.2
We can p obably imp o e his child’s language abili ies 1–6 4.3 1.4
The amily o his child ha e helped me o be e unde s and he wo ld o au ism 1–6 3.5 1.5
We shall p obably be able o imp o e his child’s beha io 1–6 4.9 1.1
The knowledge hese pa en s ha e abou hei child’s special needs is good 1–6 3.8 1.5
I ind i e y ha d o wo k wi h his pupil 1–6 4.8 1.2
I am con iden ha I shall be able o imp o e my in e ac ion wi h his child 1–6 4.8 1.2
The con ibu ion o he amily o his child’s de elopmen is e y posi i e 1–6 4.5 1.2
Howe e much I y, I do no eel I shall achie e any imp o emen in his child 1–6 5.3 1.1
educa ional p ac ices wi h child en wi h disabili ies, such as
he ollowing.
(i) E alua ion and pe cep ion o pupils’ pa en s. I ems
he e e lec ed eache pe cep ions o pa en s’ ela-
ionships, bo h wi h each o he and wi h he eache .
(ii) Expec a ions o child’s chances o imp o emen . Edu-
ca ional p ac i ione s’ ision on he possibili ies o
hei s uden s o lea n is an impo an in luence on
hei wo k and was hen conside ed an impo an
dimension o be included in he ques ionnai e. I ems
ela ed o de elopmen and he au ism iad, as well
as o he s on he child en’s possibili ies o imp o ing
on hese dimensions, we e included.
(iii) Emo ional esponse o wo king wi h child en wi h
ASD. The pe cep ion o his kind o wo k as pleasan
o unpleasan was collec ed.
An ini ial pool o i ems was submi ed o he e alua ion
o panel o expe p ac i ione s in he ield o au ism.
The inal esul was a 21-i em mul iple-choice Like - ype
ques ionnai e (1 o o al disag eemen o 6 o al ag eemen )
including eigh i ems ela i e o he pe cep ion o he
s uden s’ pa en s, se en ela ed o expec a ions and six o
p o essional sel -concep and emo ional eac ions o wo king
wi h he child wi h ASD (see Table 1). A hie a chical a iable
clus e analysis (squa ed Euclidean dis ance and in e g oup
linkage) con i med his i em s uc u e. The ques ionnai e
p esen ed a sa is ac o y in e nal consis ency (C onbach’s
α=.85).
Needs Ques ionnai e. Teache s we e asked abou hei pe -
cei ed needs in ela ion o he speci ic educa ion o he pupil
wi h ASD ha hey we e eaching wi h a 22-i em Like -
ype ques ionnai e (1—I do no need his a all— o 6— his
is impo an and I need i u gen ly. I need i now, wi hou
delay—), simila o he eache a i ude ques ionnai e. This
was a Spanish adap a ion o his s udy o he amily needs
scale [25]. In ou case, he i ems we e adap ed o he
Spanish educa ional sys em and o exis ing eache and
eache suppo igu es. The adap a ion was e ised by
au ism expe p ac i ione s and pilo ed. The adap ed eache
e sion included a need o in o ma ion subscale, ela i e
o educa ional s a egies ele an o ASD,aneed o social
suppo subscale, which co e ed he demands o pe sonal
suppo o ins umen al ne wo ks, he need o help o explain
o o he s, which was ela ed o possible difficul ies o com-
munica e he pupils’ needs o colleagues, pa en s o o he
child en, and he need o added esou ces, including ma e ial,
pe sonal suppo o o ganiza ional changes (see Table 4).
O e all in e nal consis ency was good (C onbach’s α=.85).
Reliabili y o sec ions was also adequa e, eaching .92 o
in o ma ion, .85 o social suppo , .91 o explana ion o
o he s, and .87 o added esou ces.
4 Au ism Resea ch and T ea men
Table 2: Dis ibu ion o eache s ela i e o a i ude owa ds he eaching o pupils wi h ASD, a i ude owa ds hei amilies, ASD ne wo k
membe ship, and ype o school.
Rela ionship wi h suppo ne wo k
Yes No
Type o school Type o school
Mains eam coun Special coun Mains eam coun Special coun
A i ude owa d ASD eaching Leas a o able 2 1 12 12
Mos a o able 14 4 12 12
To al 16 5 24 24
A i ude owa d amilies Leas a o able 8 3 13 10
Mos a o able 8 2 11 14
To al 16 5 24 24
3. Resul s
Analyses we e ca ied ou using he SPSS15 package, and a
signi icance le el o .05 was used in all compa isons.
3.1. Teache A i ude. The o e all mean sco e o he a i ude
ques ionnai e was 4.6 (SD =0.6) (see Table 1 o i em
desc ip i e). School- and amily- ela ed i ems we e analysed
sepa a ely. The mean a i ude excluding amily i ems, which
we shall subsequen ly e e o as a i ude owa d eaching
child en wi h ASD, was o 4.9 (SD =0.6). Mean sco e o
a i ude owa ds he amily was signi ican ly lowe (M=4.3,
SD =1.0), (68) =3.88, P<.001. A median spli o he
sample acco ding o he eache s’ a i ude owa d eaching
child en wi h ASD was ca ied ou , in o de o dis inguish
hose wi h he mos and leas posi i e a i udes. This esul ed
in wo g oups wi h mean sco es o 4.4 (SD =0.4) and 5.4
(SD =0.3), (67) =−11.01, P<.001. A simila median spli
was ca ied ou aking in o accoun only he amily- ela ed
i ems. The esul ing mean sco es we e 3.6 (SD =0.8) o he
leas a ou able and 5.1 (SD =0.4) o he mo e a ou able,
(49.89) =−9.67, P<.001 (see Table 2 o he dis ibu ion o
pa icipan s in o he wo g oups).
The dis ibu ion o special educa ion eache s’ a i ude
owa ds eaching child en wi h ASD was analysed in e ms
o possible a i ude p edic o s. A di ec logis ic eg ession
analysis was pe o med wi h a i ude g oup as ou come and
h ee p edic o s, yea s o expe ience wi h he p esen child
(one, wo, o h ee o mo e yea s), membe ship o an ASD
ne wo k (included o no ), and ype o school (special o
mains eam). A es o he ull model wi h all h ee p edic o s
agains a cons an -only model was s a is ically eliable, X2(3,
N=69) =12.67, P=.005. This indica es ha all he
p edic o s, as a se , eliably dis inguish be ween eache s wi h
mo e and leas a ou able a i ude owa ds eaching child en
wi h ASD. Howe e , a close obse a ion o Table 3 shows
ha , acco ding o he Wald s a is ics, only he membe ship o
a suppo ne wo k seems o eliably p edic a i ude (z=8.54,
P=.003). The special educa ion eache s’ mean a i ude was
5.2 (SD =0.5) amongs hose ha we e pa o a speci ic
suppo ne wo k, as opposed o 4.7 (SD =0.6) o hose ha
we e no , (67) =3.34, P=.001, ES =0.89. The odds a io
o his a iable con i ms i s impo ance, as i indica es ha
Table 3: Di ec logis ic eg ession on a i ude owa ds eaching
pupils wi h ASD.
BSEWaldd Sig.Exp.(B)
Type o school 0.347 0.548 0.401 1 0.527 1.415
Expe ience wi h pupil 0.139 0.171 0.660 1 0.417 1.149
ASD ne wo k
membe ship 1.885 0.645 8.536 1 0.003 6.587
Cons an −0.985 0.574 2.943 1 0.086 0.374
ecei ing suppo om an ASD ne wo k inc eases by 6.6 he
chances o being in he mo e a ou able g oup. On he o he
hand, he model only including his a iable is also eliably
diffe en om he cons an -only model, X2(1, N=69) =
11.68, P=.001, wi h an odds a io o he ASD ne wo k o
7.1 This second model co ec ly p edic s o 88% placemen
o he leas a ou able and 49% o he mos a ou able
g oup.
None o hese a iables we e use ul o a model p edic-
ion o a i ude owa ds amilies. A di ec logis ic eg ession
analysis indica ed ha he ull model was no be e p edic o
han he cons an -only model.
3.2. Teache Needs. Mean sco e o he needs ques ionnai e
was 2.9 (SD =1.1) (see Table 4). No all he eache s’ needs
seemed o be equally u gen . Whe eas he mean sco e o
need o in o ma ion was 3.0 (SD =1.2), social suppo was
3.0 (SD =1.1), need o explain was 2.6 (SD =1.3) and added
esou ces 2.7 (SD =1.3). A epea ed-measu es ANOVA
showed he diffe ences among needs o be s a is ically
signi ican , F(3, 204) =5.87, P=.001, η2=0.079. Pai wise
Bon e oni co ec ed compa isons we e signi ican a he .05
le el be ween need o explain o o he s and in o ma ion and
need o social suppo .
A median spli acco ding o need o in o ma ion was
ca iedou .A e agesco eswe e1.9(SD=0.6) o he lowe
demanding g oup and 4.0 (SD =0.6) o he high demand
g oup, (67) =−13.90, P<.001, ES =3.55. A di ec logis ic
eg ession analysis was pe o med wi h in o ma ion demand
g oup (high o low) as ou come and h ee p edic o s, ime o
con ac wi h p esen child, ela ionship wi h ASD ne wo k,
Au ism Resea ch and T ea men 5
Table 4: Mean and s anda d de ia ion o he i ems o he needs ques ionnai e (N=69).
I ems Range Mean SD
Need o in o ma ion
I need in o ma ion abou he child’s disabili y 1–5 2.9 1.3
...Abou how o each him/he o ela e o o he s 1–6 3.1 1.4
...Abou how o each language abili ies 1–6 3.2 1.4
...Abou how o each academic skills 1–6 3.0 1.5
...Abou how o in e ac and communica e wi h him/he 1–6 2.6 1.4
...Abou how o educe beha io al p oblems 1–6 3.2 1.8
Need o social suppo
I need someone in my school wi h whom I could alk o abou his child 1–6 2.6 1.4
I need oppo uni ies o speak o he pa en s o his pupil 1–5 2.4 1.3
I need ime o alk o o he eache s and s affabou his child 1–6 2.9 1.6
I would like o speak o expe s mo e egula ly 1–6 3.4 1.4
I need o ead mo e documen a ion abou his disabili y 1–6 3.3 1.3
I would like o alk o eache s wi h pupils like mine 1–6 3.6 1.4
Help o explain o o he s
Help in explaining he needs o his pupil o he o he child en 1–6 2.3 1.5
Help in explaining he child’s p og ess o he pa en s 1–5 2.4 1.5
Help in ad ising he child’s pa en s 1–6 3.1 1.5
Help in explaining his child’s needs o o he s aff1–6 2.4 1.4
Need o added esou ces
I need help o he occasions in which I mus lea e he class oom 1–6 2.8 1.7
I need someone o p o ide indi idual suppo o he child ou side he class oom 1–6 2.7 1.7
I need someone o p o ide indi idual suppo o he child in he class oom 1–6 2.5 1.7
I need mo e physical space o wo k wi h his pupil 1–6 2.4 1.5
I need mo e cu icula ma e ials o wo k wi h his pupil 1–6 3.5 1.7
I need g ea e lexibili y in my schedule o be able o a end o his child 1–6 2.6 1.6
and ype o school. The compa ison o he ull model agains
a cons an -only model was once again s a is ically eliable,
X2(3, N=69) =12.03, P=.007. This indica es ha all he
p edic o s, as a se , eliably dis inguish be ween eache s wi h
p essing and low demands o mo e in o ma ion abou ASD.
Table 5 shows ha , acco ding o he Wald s a is ics, only
he ype o school, special o mains eam, seems o eliably
p edic need o in o ma ion, z=10.04, P=.002. In addi ion,
he odds a io indica es ha he change in condi ion, om
being a eache in a special o a mains eam school, inc eases
by 6.4 he chances o being in he mo e demanding g oup. A
model wi h only he ype o school is also eliably diffe en
om he cons an -only model, X2(1, N=69) =9.15, P=
.002. The p edic ion success in his las model was high
o he high-in o ma ion-demanding eache s (75%), bu
no so high o he low-demanding eache s (60%). Special
educa ion eache s’ demand sco e o in o ma ion was 2.5
(SD =1.0) in special schools, as opposed o 3.4 (SD =1.3)
in mains eam, (67) =2.945, P=.004, ES =0.73.
Special educa ion eache s in mains eam and special
educa ion schools diffe ed on hei p e ious expe ience wi h
au is ic child en in gene al (42.5% o hose in mains eam
had i e sus 79.3% in special schools), X2(1, 69) =9.35,
P=.002, and in hei senio i y in hei p esen eaching pos
Table 5: Di ec logis ic eg ession on need o in o ma ion.
BSEWaldd Sig.Exp.(B)
Type o school 1.850 0.584 10.043 1 0.002 6.363
Expe ience wi h pupil 0.180 0.182 0.971 1 0.324 1.197
ASD ne wo k
membe ship
−0.826 0.599 1.899 1 0.168 0.438
Cons an −1.094 0.600 3.330 1 0.068 0.335
(a e age o 3.2 yea s, SD =2.5, o he mains eam special
educa ion eache s e sus 10.6, SD =9.0, o he special
schools), (31.22) =−4.26, P<.001, ES =1.21. Howe e ,
inclusion o hese a iables in he di ec logis ic eg ession
model was no s a is ically diffe en om he p e iously
explained model.
Di ec logis ic eg ession analyses we e also compu ed o
he o he ypes o needs, bu in none o hem we e any o he
models signi ican ly diffe en om he cons an -only model.
4. Discussion
4.1. Teache s’ A i ude owa ds Teaching Pupils wi h ASD.
O e all, he s udy shows a p edominan ly posi i e iew o

6 Au ism Resea ch and T ea men
eache s’ expec a ions ega ding he educa ion o pupils wi h
ASD, hei own abili y o in luence hei de elopmen , and
hei ela ionships wi h he amilies. This esul is in line
wi h p e ious s udies ha show ha eache s in ol ed in he
educa ion and inclusion o child en wi h ASD a e usually
a ou ably engaged [4,5,17].
None o he dimensions conside ed he e p edic ed amily
pe cep ion. This p obably indica es a g ea e in luence o
speci ic amily ac o s o gene al amily-school policy aspec s
which we e no included in his s udy. Howe e , he esul s
do e lec he in luence o ce ain ac o s on eache s’ a i ude
and expec a ions owa ds eaching child en wi h ASD. One o
he mos ele an is he a ailabili y o a suppo ne wo k.
A di ec logis ic eg ession analysis was pe o med es ing
o expe ience wi h he p esen child, school ela ionship
wi h an ASD ne wo k, and ype o school (mains eam o
special) as po en ial p edic o s. Al hough all h ee a iables
a e use ul in p edic ing special educa ion eache s’ a i udes,
he mos ele an was he ela ionship wi h an ASD ne wo k.
Inclusion in a suppo ne wo k inc eases by mo e han six
he chances o a eache being in he sample hal wi h a
mo e posi i e a i ude. Howe e , i would seem ha he
o he a iables a e playing a ce ain ole. A ela i ely spa se
expe ience wi h pupils wi h ASD, and being in a mains eam
school, would, join ly wi h he nonmembe ship o an ASD
ne wo k, indica e a highe - isk s a us in e ms o pe cep ion
o pupils wi h ASD. Expe ience wi h pupils wi h ASD has
been shown o suppo mo e posi i e a i udes owa d he
inclusion o child en wi h ASD [9–11,17]. On he o he
hand, special educa ion schools, wi h g ea e p o ision o
esou ces and s affin ou sample, a e associa ed wi h a
mo e posi i e a i ude. P e ious esea ch has shown he
need o his ype o suppo o inclusion o child en
wi h special needs [12,13], and Simpson e al. [3] indica e
ha eache s show a mo e posi i e a i ude when he e a e
suppo s affand o he esou ces in ol ed. I could be ha
mains eam schools do no ha e sufficien esou ces o ace
he educa ional needs o hese child en, and his is nega i ely
affec ing eache a i ude.
ASD ne wo ks also p o ide added esou ces, bu he
ac ha posi i e a i ude is associa ed o membe ship o an
ASD ne wo k, o e and abo e he ype o school, seems o
indica e ha he con ibu ion o hese con ex s is ela ed
o addi ional ac o s. A e y likely possibili y is suppo in
aining and gene al commi men o he eaching o child en
wi h ASD. Special schools in he ci y o Se ille ha e a g ea e
p o ision o suppo s affand lowe class oom a ios han
mains eam schools. Howe e , hey a e no , in gene al, ASD
speci ic in hei s uden in ake o he aining o hei s aff.
Jenne e al. [16] showed ha commi men o a gene al
educa ional amewo k helped s affin educing hei bu n-
ou a es and inc easing sel -efficacy. I is possible ha he
ASD ne wo ks in ou s udy, in addi ion o p o iding ex a o
mo e speci ic ma e ial esou ces, could be ac ing in p ecisely
his di ec ion.
4.2. The Need o T aining and In o ma ion. Need o suppo
as exp essed by eache s a ied in ela ion o he ype
o suppo , wi h need o in o ma ion and social suppo
being ela i ely highes . The social suppo needs in highes
demand a e hose ela ed o he possibili y o mee ing
expe s on ASD. Al hough included in his sec ion o he
ques ionnai e, i is clea ly a mo e ins umen al kind o
suppo , ela ed o he ob aining o in o ma ion. The ecom-
menda ions o addi ional aining o imp o e eache s’
knowledge base abou au ism has been a common conclusion
in many p e ious s udies [14,15,17]. I is possible ha his
kind o in o ma ion demand de i es om eache a i ude
ha eaching child en wi h au ism equi es a g ea e deg ee
o specializa ion.
The di ec logis ic eg ession pe o med on in o ma ion
demand yielded he ype o school, mains eam o special,
as he main p edic o o need o in o ma ion. Being in a
mains eam school seems o inc ease he chances o a special
educa ion eache being in he high in o ma ion demanding
hal o he sample by mo e han six. I would seem ha ,
independen ly o he impo an ole o he suppo ne wo ks,
mains eam schools a e a demanding en i onmen ha
equi e cons an aining and upda e on he pa o eache s
o a g ea e deg ee han special educa ion con ex s.
Finally, he ela i ely lowe demand o ex a esou ces
in ou s udy should no lead o an unde s a emen o he
impo ance o addi ional s affand ma e ial suppo o he
inclusion o child en wi h special educa ional needs. In ou
sample, eache s wi hin special schools and in schools linked
o ASD ne wo ks ha e been ound o ha e he mos posi i e
a i udes. I has been a gued ha he imp o emen o eache
a i ude is con ingen upon he p o ision o app op ia e
esou ces [3] and ha suppo s affa e essen ial o he
inclusion o child en wi h special needs in he class oom
[13]. The lack o his suppo would ende he bene i s o
inclusion una ainable [26–29]. In iew o his li e a u e, he
lowe demand o hese esou ces in ou sample is su p ising.
One o he easons may be ound in he ela i ely low le el
o inclusion. Nea ly hal he child en we e in special schools
o special pull-ou uni s wi h low eache -pupil a ios and
a ce ain amoun o suppo s aff. The p e alen inc ease
in de ec ion a es, linked o he inc ease o pupils wi h less
se e e o ms o au ism and he e o e a g ea e p esence
in egula class ooms, and a cu en ly mo e de e mined
inclusion policy in Sou he n Spain, will mos su ely es he
a ailable esou ces o he limi in a e y nea u u e.
Ano he po en ial explana ion could be ha he ela i ely
low demand o ex a esou ces ound in ou s udy is he
esul o a social desi abili y bias in eache s’ esponses.
Howe e , his explana ion seems unlikely, since esponden s
we e able o indica e o he kinds o needs as ele an . Also,
wi h espec o hei a i udes o he eaching o child en wi h
au ism, esul s coincide wi h hose ound in o he s udies
using diffe en me hodologies.
4.3. Inclusion, Teache A i ude and Teache Needs. O e all,
he eache s’ esponses in his s udy sugges ha inclusion
o pupils wi h ASD in mains eam se ings is a conside able
challenge o hose in ol ed, needing speci ic and ex ao -
dina y suppo . I his suppo , as illus a ed by he effo s
o he ASD ne wo ks in his s udy, is no implemen ed, a
need o addi ional in o ma ion will appea in he eache s
Au ism Resea ch and T ea men 7
o hese pupils. The lack o esponse o his demand could
be os e ing a less posi i e a i ude owa d he educa ion o
he pupils wi h ASD. Schools ela ed o he ASD ne wo ks
seem o ecei e he necessa y suppo in e ms o ongoing
aining and a cul u e o s affcommi men and, he e o e,
a ou mo e posi i e a i udes owa d pupils wi h ASD,
bo h in mains eam and special schools. A g ea e need
o in o ma ion abou how o each hese child en is,
howe e , p esen in mains eam se ings, wi h o wi hou
ASD ne wo k membe ship, p obably due o he ac ha
inclusion is, in i sel , a complex p ocess.
Acknowledgmen s
This s udy was ca ied ou hanks o he unding ecei ed
by he Minis e io de Educaci´
on y Ciencia, (P ojec numbe
PSI2010-17401) and pa ially suppo ed by he Excellen
Resea ch P ojec s G an (P07-SEJ-02574) o he Conseje ´
ıa
de Inno aci´
on, Ciencia y Emp esa, Jun a de Andaluc´
ıa. The
au ho s also wish o hank all he eache s, pupils, and
educa ional au ho i ies ha pa icipa ed in he s udy o
hei collabo a ion.
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