Analysis of ASD Classrooms: Specialised Open Classrooms in the Community of Madrid

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) classrooms are specialised spaces within mainstream schools that respond to the educational needs of students with autism spectrum disorder. This research aims to analyse ASD classrooms in the Community of Madrid, their features and internal functioning. The research follows a non-experimental, descriptive and comparative methodology, making a comparison between different classrooms and analysing their impact on the teaching-learning process of students with ASD. The variables refer to the physical environment, the characteristics of the children, training of professionals and collaboration with other organisations. The data was gathered using a questionnaire in digital format, collecting responses from 35 schools, using quantitative techniques to relate variables. The results show that most classrooms have a structured organisation that meet the needs of the students, who are generally diagnosed with moderate severity. Furthermore, the relationship between the teachers of ASD classrooms and the mainstream classrooms promotes inclusive educational practice. Finally, it was found that ASD classrooms offer many benefits, due to the personalised attention they provide and the specialised training of teachers.

Questionnaire on the Training Profile of a Learning Therapy Specialist: Creation and Validation of the Instrument

“…However, we have found that, currently, this professional training is neither unified nor shared across university programs, this is, in part, due to the extinction of the former programs of psycho-pedagogy and special needs education and their substitution with a specialization within the degrees in pre-primary and primary education under the Bologna Process [5]. As shown in a recent article about the analysis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) classrooms, half of teachers do not feel that they have received the correct initial training for starting their professional activity [13].…”