Primary School Teachers’ Knowledge of Autism Spectrum Disorders and Their Attitudes Towards Inclusive Education

Abstract

The study investigated teachers’ knowledge of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their attitudes towards the inclusion of learners with ASD in the regular classrooms. The influences of sex, age and years of teaching experience on teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education were also assessed. The study employed the descriptive survey research design. Simple random sampling was used to select 150 respondents from 10 randomly selected Primary schools in Egor Local Government Area in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. An Autism Knowledge and Attitude Scale (AKAS), adapted from Hansen (2015) and Mahat (2008) was validated and used to collect data for the study. Data collected were analyzed using means, Students’ t-test, and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Results revealed that the teachers had a high-level knowledge of ASD and positive attitudes toward the inclusion of learners with ASD in regular education classrooms. Male teachers were found to be more favorably disposed to the inclusion of learners with ASD than female teachers. Age and years of teaching experience did not significantly influence the attitudes of teachers toward the inclusion of learners with ASD in regular classrooms. Recommendations were made.