Floating on Water: A Phenomenological Study of Teacher Challenges in Adapting Instruction for Students with ASD

Abstract

This qualitative research finds that there are multi-layered challenges faced by general education teachers as they adjust instruction to meet the needs of kids with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in comprehensive and special education programs. With the growing prevalence of ASD diagnoses globally, it is teachers who are increasingly being charged with the responsibility of accommodating such students in regular classrooms and in doing so these circumstances create a significant disconnect between the generalized strategies of education and the actual classrooms. As an example of interpretivist agenda and a phenomenological approach, the researcher engaged 15 teachers in semi-structured interviews to get their current practices and specialized perceptions. Thematic analysis of the statistics indicated that the total of 8 core themes were identified, the difficulties of instruction, the difficulties of behavior management, the deficiency of specialized training, the lack of institutional support, the limitations of classrooms, the strategies related to coping, the need to collaborate, and the specific guidelines on how systematic improvements can be made. Some of the major insights include the teachers who frequently find it difficult to modify courses and manage sensory-emitted behavior outpourings in the absence of formal, ASD-specific training. The paper finds that positive inclusion requires more than just tutor will, but general modifications, such as the introduction of autism-specific expert training, hiring of special support personnel, and utilizing flexible teaching methods.