Attitudes toward Including Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Children with autism are educated in a general education setting with greater frequency than has been seen in history (Park, Chitiyo, & Choi, 2010). Students with autism present specific challenges to teachers who have not been adequately prepared to meet the unique learning demands of a student with such disorders. Lack of training could impact a teacher's sense of self-efficacy in regard to reaching students with autism and ultimately could have a significant impact on a teacher's attitude toward the student. It is believed that "the attitude of the teacher can have a direct influence on the successful inclusion of children with disabilities" (Combs, Elliott, & Whipple, 2010, p. 114). One factor affecting teacher attitude is professional development and training. General education pre- service teachers have had minimal experience working with children with disabilities, specifically autism and often attitudes and beliefs about their abilities to teach children with autism have formed. The author examined the impact of targeted professional development on the attitudes of pre- service teachers toward the inclusion of children with autism.