Analysis of the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Knowledge of Cuban Teachers in Primary Schools and Preschools

Abstract

Teachers’ knowledge of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) plays a key role in the successful inclusion of children with ASD in regular schools. The objective of this study was to analyze Cuban teachers’ knowledge of ASD of at inclusive primary schools and preschools and to compare it with the results obtained in previous studies carried out at an international level. To do this, a cross-sectional study was conducted with Cuban teachers from urban and rural areas throughout the country. The sample was selected using a non-probabilistic technique. In total, 131 primary school and preschool teachers participated. Data were collected by applying the Autism Knowledge Questionnaire (AKQ) that measures ASD knowledge. The results indicated that Cuban teachers had an acceptable knowledge regarding ASD (0.57). Primary education teachers (17.58 ± 4.06) showed a higher level of knowledge than preschool teachers (15.35 ± 2.74). Regarding previous training, teachers who claimed to have received some type of specific ASD training (10.88 ± 3.29) made a greater number of errors than teachers who had not received specific training on ASD (8.91 ± 3.06). At the international level, Cuban teachers were observed to have similar knowledge about ASD when compared to active teachers or pre-service teachers from other countries where similar studies have been carried out. The results suggest that the training of Cuban teachers is not yet optimal to educate students with ASD in primary schools and preschools which are open to diversity.

Understanding teachers' responses to anxiety in children with autism at elementary schools and preschools

“…The psychometric properties of this questionnaire are adequate, with an internal consistency of 0.93. The AKQ has evidence of validity in our context (see Hernández González et al, 2022aGonzález et al, , 2022bSanz-Cervera et al, 2017).…”

“…The cognitive reappraisal strategy has been shown to have a positive relationship with personal functioning and well‐being in general, while expressive suppression has been revealed to be related to developmental psychopathology (Okumura et al, 2022). Evidence suggests that teachers' cognitive reappraisal helps them effectively manage their everyday emotions in the classroom (Chang, 2020) and predicts the participation of students with ASD in inclusive classrooms (Hernández González et al, 2022a, 2022b). Teachers' emotional regulation strategies are likely to condition how they respond to the anxious behaviours of students with ASD.…”

El conocimiento del profesorado sobre el Trastorno del Espectro Autista

“…La mayoría del profesorado presente un conocimiento bajo sobre el TEA de acuerdo con la literatura científica (Alshehri, 2022;Alyami et al, 2022;Ayub et al, 2017;Haimour, I. A., & Obaidat, , 2013;Hernández-González et al, 2022;Rakap et al, 2018;Shetty, A., & Rai, 2014). -Hipótesis 3.…”

“…Este resultado no coincide con la hipótesis 2 ni con la literatura internacional (Alshehri, 2022;Alyami et al, 2022;Ayub et al, 2017;Haimour, I. A., & Obaidat, , 2013;Hernández-González et al, 2022;Rakap et al, 2018;Shetty, A., & Rai, 2014;Vicent, J., & Ralston, 2020). Quizás este hecho se deba a que, en la era digital, los contextos de formación se han ampliado, puesto que a través de las TIC se puede garantizar la actualización y formación permanente sin barreras espaciotemporales (González-Sanmamed et al, 2019).…”

“…Consecuentemente, como argumenta la literatura científica (Ayub et al, 2017;Hernández-González et al, 2022;Sanz-Cervera et al, 2017;Rakap et al, 2018), para mejorar la intervención educativa se necesita recibir más formación específica y herramientas mediante el e-learning, así como el aprendizaje experiencial y significativo a través de círculos progresivos para abordar la diversidad (Folostina et al, 2022). Así, dicho aprendizaje conjuga el valor de la actividad directa mediante la práctica y el valor de la reflexión, así como a través de la observación crítica con el objetivo de mejorar la praxis educativa en base a los valores de igualdad y equidad, democracia y justicia social y educativa (Zabalza-Beraza, 2011).…”