Index

Abstract

The study aimed to identify barriers to achieve inclusion goals for Autistic students in the regular schools in KSA, from the teachers' point of view according to variables (teacher gender, teacher qualification, and the stage at which he or she teaches).This study was based on a sample of (120) teachers (70 male and 50 female) of autistic children in inclusion programs for children with autism in regular schools in Riyadh. The questionnaire was applied through survey delivered via email and its results revealed that school administration barriers came in first place, followed by the barriers related to the families of students with autism disorder, then barriers related to autism, and last place was barriers related to society. There were differences of autistic students’ teachers in the first domain "barriers related to autism" and in the third domain "barriers related to school administration" in favor of females teachers. However, in the fourth domain "barriers related to society" were in favor of male teachers.

Keywords: Autistic, Barriers, Inclusive education, Students, Saudi Arabia, Teacher education.

Received: 27 August 2020 / Revised: 21 September 2020 / Accepted: 10 December 2020/ Published: 4 January 2021

Contribution/ Originality

This study contributes to identifying barriers to achieve inclusion goals of autistic students in regular schools from teachers' perspectives taking variables like teacher’s gender, teacher’s qualification, and stage at which he or she teaches. The study relied on four axes, viz. barriers related to school administration, autism, family, and society.


1. INTRODUCTION

A number of countries around the world are committed to sign a Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and a Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD) that would grant all children the right not to discrimination. The CRC and CRPD both focus on inclusion on whole and not merely inclusive educational practices to create equal opportunity for all children (Aljafari, 2019). While inclusion involves bringing children with autism into a pre-existing standard framework, inclusion is only possible if schools have to be designed and managed (Alqahtani, 2017) so that all the children work together in a qualitative learning environment. Moreover, inclusion requires a large amount of change in the education systems of most countries (Majoko, 2016). Inclusion of students with Autism within regular education has been a global phenomenon for at least 30 years (Amor et al., 2019). In Saudi Arabia, students with serious Autistic problems still receive training in segregated special education institutions that do not allow them to interact in an inclusive setting with their typically developing partners where their social, communication and academic skills can be improved (Alquraini, 2012). These institutions support students with moderate, severe or profound intellectual disabilities, multiple disabilities and autism providing shelter, nourishment, and financing. Another important issue is to have individual educational programs (IEPs) based on special education programs for students with disabilities at these institutes (Ahmed, 2020).

Indeed, many barriers play an important role as to why these student groups continue to be placed in a separate school in Saudi Arabia to receive education. Teachers' view on inclusive education for autistic students is one of the main barriers to including students with severe autism (Holmes, 2020). It is also necessary to consider this viewpoint to predict potential actions of teachers and to give students with autistic a better picture of their current behavior (Hassanein, Adawi, & Johnson, 2020). A successful inclusive education is driven by positive teachers' perspectives and attitudes towards autistic students (Al-Zboon, 2020). In comparison, negative teachers' perspectives may lead to low performance and limit acceptability for autistic students (Liu, Holmes, & Albright, 2020).

It is therefore important to consider the experiences of teachers to establish effective, inclusive education, and recommendations for teachers preparation in the regular education environment of Autistic students (Mónico et al., 2020). For this reason, the problem of including students with autism in regular schools with their ordinary mates is one of the most significant current issues in education.

The main objective of inclusion of autistic student is to find the place that is most productive for them, so that a student is given the maximum possible assistance (Garrad, Rayner, & Pedersen, 2019). Despite the importance of inclusion of autistic student into a regular school with ordinary mates, there are some difficulties and challenges that obstruct the achievement of the inclusion process goals (Wilson & Landa, 2019).In spite of their efforts and sacrifices, standard school teachers are under pressure and challenge because the students with disability  may not adapt rapidly and easily to situations that can create a feeling of frustration, insufficiency and disappointment (Ostmeyer & Scarpa, 2012).

There are studies that have investigated attitudes of teachers towards inclusive education for high school children with disabilities in economically poor countries and what challenges they face in making academic improvements. The result showed that teachers had a generally optimistic view towards inclusive education though participants did not know how inclusive education could be applied (Daughrity, 2019; Priyanka & Samia, 2018). Other studies have found that teachers of autistic students compared to general education teachers have a positive attitude towards achieving and accepting the objectives of inclusion of autistic students. They have accepted their profession depending on they are teachers capable of teaching their students, and that they are effective in interacting with them in a positive way and with other teachers in the mainstream  school (Evans, 2016; Sulek, 2019).

What makes matter more difficult for teachers of autistic students is that a specific curriculum for these students is generally absent from the domain of special education. Many of these students ' educational aspects rely on the individual curriculum as model, while the choice of curriculum within the individual educational plans is completely differentiated and lacks continuity (Zuki & Rahman, 2016). This makes these students exposed to fragmented programs, and this increases the burden on the teacher of autistic students a responsibility that may exceed the teacher’s tolerance, especially when he or she finds in one classroom students who are clearly distinguished in their characteristics (Agran et al., 2017; Tonnsen & Hahn, 2016). The political environment has also created regulations regarding schools and student inclusion practices with contemplation to encourage inclusive education in regular schools (Harmuth et al., 2018). Other research believes that teachers themselves may need constant assistance to renew their skills and capabilities in an integrated environment (Lorenz, Frischling, Cuadros, & Heinitz, 2016).

Studies have shown that changes in inclusiveness laws and policies have not resolved teachers' fears or feeling pressures toward inclusive education in their schools (Rowan, Kline, & Mayer, 2017). This means that changing teacher perceptions about inclusion in educational is not only related to external factors such as school policies and promotion, but also to internal factors such as true inclusion in education that requires a teacher’s mindset to successfully influence in practice. However, studies reveal that teachers may link barriers and external factors to inclusive education (Morgan et al., 2018).

Hence, in order to achieve  goals of including autistic students in a regular school, several basic elements are indispensable when working with autistic students  such as planning and preparing each school or class, each  teacher or specialists who work with the autistic student, to teach, prepare, and guide student’s family. The school program ought to achieve the partnership between all elements of the educational or rehabilitative process. Planning and implementation must also extend to the local environment which is the one from where student comes and returns after completing the program (Clark, Adams, Roberts, & Westerveld, 2020).
As a result, the current study attempted to figure out the barriers to achieving inclusion goals of autistic students in a regular school from teachers’ point of view.

2. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

Understanding teachers ' perceptions about inclusion in education is crucial for future developments and to address their concerns accurately and ultimately help to implement inclusion. The purpose of this study is to identify and explore barriers to achieving inclusion goals of students with autism in a regular school from teachers point of view, taking into account certain variables (teacher gender, teacher qualifications and the stage at which they teach).  It is expected that the teacher will have strong values and comprehensive behaviors that will in fact affect the openness and flexibility required for the introduction of inclusive learning policies. The study also aims at improving the professional development of teachers especially teachers of autistic students in the context of the application of inclusion in schools of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The research questions guiding this study are as follows:

Question 1: What are the major barriers to achieving goals of including autistic students in a regular school?
Question 2: What are differences between the mean scores of teachers of autistic students, barriers to    achieving inclusion goals, due to teacher gender variable?
Question 3:  What are differences between the mean scores of autistic students’ teachers, of barriers to achieving inclusion goals in regular schools due to the teachers’ qualification variable?
Question 4: What are differences between the mean scores of autistic students’ teachers, barriers to achieving inclusion goals in regular schools due to stage variable at which teachers teach?

3. METHODOLOGY AND PROCEDURES

3.1. Method

The descriptive survey method was adopted to identify barriers to achieving inclusion goals of autistic students in regular schools, in the city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The study was carried out from teachers’ point of view based on variables like teacher gender, teacher qualifications and the level at which they teach. the descriptive approach is appropriate for collecting, classifying and tabulating data and facts to obtain significant conclusions and reach generalizations regarding the phenomenon under study (Kothari, 2004).  

3.2. Sample

The study sample consisted of (120) teachers (70 males, 50 females) teachers of autistic students in inclusion programs in regular schools in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The sample study was randomly chosen from the study community during the second semester in April 2020 through an e-mail questionnaire for the teachers. The sample was distributed according to the variables: the teacher’s gender (male, female), the teacher's qualifications (bachelor’s, graduate studies), and the academic stage in which the teaching is conducted (primary, preparatory, secondary).

Table -1. Sample distribution according to variables: Teacher gender, teacher qualifications, the stage at which they teach. (N= 120)

Variable
Level
Frequency
Percentage
  Gender
Male
70
58%
Female
50
42%
Total
120
100%
  Scientific qualification
Bachelor
100
83%
Postgraduate
20
17%
Total
120
100%
  Academic stage
Elementary
50
42%
Preparatory
40
33%
Secondary
30
25%
Total
120
100%

Source: Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia.

3.3. Building the Study Tool

The researcher used a questionnaire as a study tool for the purpose of reaching the study objectives and answering questions as a means of collecting data from the study sample.  This tool was designed to understand the domains and expressions of scale of barriers in achieving the inclusion goals of autistic students in regular schools.
The following procedures were adopted for building the study tool:

  1. Reviewing the special education literature and related previous studies.
  2. Preparing the design of an exploratory study on a sample of (85) teachers of autistic students. This was done to understand teachers’ views about barriers in achieving inclusion goals of autistic students in regular schools.
  3. Identifying the scale domains, namely: The first domain: “barriers related to autism spectrum disorder (12) items; the second domain:“ barriers related to autistic students families”(10) items; and the third domain:“ barriers related to school administration”(11) items; and the fourth domain " barriers related to society" (10) items.

3.4. Validity of the Tool

The study tool was presented in its initial form containing (43) statements to an arbitration group of (10) professors, to examine the suitability of each statement to the domain which it belongs to. They were asked to modify or delete any statement that did not agree with the domain, and add any statement that served the objectives of the study. The arbitrators deleted (4) statements and the tool ultimately had (39) statements.

3.5. Reliability of the Tool

To ensure the reliability of the tool, (39) statements were applied to the chosen sample that consisted of (85) teachers of autistic students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The correlation coefficients of each statement were calculated to the total degree of the domain which it belonged to, and the values of the coefficients came between (0.778 - 0.523) which are statistically significant coefficients at the level of (0.01) which confirms that the scale had significant stability indications. The reliability coefficients of the scale were calculated as a whole using Cronbach's alpha, and the coefficients were measured as: the first domain: barriers related to autism spectrum disorder (0.962), the second domain: barriers related to the family (0.965), the third domain: barriers related to the school (0.985) the fourth domain: barriers related to society (0.974), the overall score of the scale (0.968).

3.6. Scale Correction Method

The questionnaire in its final form of (39) statements was divided into four domains, the first domain (10) statements, the second domain (10) statements, the third domain (11) statements, and the fourth domain (8) statements.  The 5-point Likert scale was used for respondents to choose one of the five responses (Highly agree - agree - somewhat agree - not sure - disagree) based on a study by Khalil, Salman, Helabi, and Khalid (2020).

4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Question 1 results: What are the major barriers to achieving inclusion goals of autistic students in regular school?

To answer this question, averages and standard deviations were used for each of scale statements, as well as for each domain, and the results were as follows:

Table-2. Arithmetic means and standard deviations of the participants’ responses to statements of Barriers to achieving inclusion goals of autistic students in regular school scale.

No. Item
N
Mean
Standard deviation
Standard error
Order
The first domain: Barriers related to autism spectrum disorder
1 Difficulty of self-dependence
120
4.39
0.11
1.2
4
2 Lack of information to help him understand himself.
120
4.47
0.11
1.16
3
3 His feeling of inferiority compared to others.
120
4.65
0.1
1.07
2
4 His desire to withdraw from life.
120
3.71
0.12
1.28
10
5 Unwillingness to interact with others.
120
3.72
0.11
1.24
9
6 His desire of aggression against others.
120
3.96
0.11
1.18
8
7 Developing  a feeling of fear of others.
120
4.26
0.11
1.19
6
8 Carelessness in performing his duties.
120
4.27
0.11
1.22
5
9 Forgetting what he learned because of his short memory.
120
4.85
0.09
1
1
10 Feeling frustrated as a result of his disability
120
4.04
0.11
1.23
7
The second dimension: Barriers related to the family of autism spectrum disorder
1 The family's lack of interest in him.
120
4.56
0.09
1.04
3
2 Lack of cooperation between the family and the school.
120
4.56
0.1
1.14
3
3 The family does not understand the circumstances of his disability.
120
4.46
0.11
1.17
5
4 The family stops thier child from inclusion with others.
120
4.23
0.13
1.32
7
5 The family believes that teaching  a child with disability is useless.
120
4.05
0.13
1.37
9
6 Parents do not listen to teachers ’instructions regarding their children.
120
4.3
0.12
1.27
6
7 Failure of parents to direct their children to perform the duties required of them at home.
120
4.69
0.11
1.19
1
8 Parents’ carelessness to attend parent councils to discuss some of problems that stand in the way of achieving inclusion.
120
4.67
0.1
1.11
2
9 Parents' dissatisfaction of inclusion programs for their children with autism disorder.
120
4.13
0.12
1.29
8
10 The family's lack of awareness about the importance of inclusion.
120
4.48
0.11
1.12
4
The Third domain:  Barriers Related to School Administration
1 Failure of the school administration to provide appropriate educational media
120
4.51
0.13
1.31
2
2 The school does not have a media specialist
120
4.41
0.14
1.46
5
3 Discouraging the school administration to use multimedia
120
4.22
0.13
1.37
8
4 Unavailability of multimedia in the classroom
120
4.74
0.11
1.2
1
5 The school does not have an equipped resource room
120
3.94
0.14
1.5
11
6 The lack of safety factor in the school building
120
4.36
0.13
1.42
6
7 The lack of staff with the ability to deal with students' needs
120
4.47
0.13
1.32
4
8 The absence of communication channels between the student and the school administration
120
4.1
0.13
1.37
10
9 School environment discouraging the inclusion process
120
4.21
0.12
1.29
9
10 The lack of activities that help the students to interact with each other
120
4.27
0.11
1.21
7
11 The school does not have workshops or training laboratories
120
4.5
0.13
1.34
3
The fourth domain: Barriers related to society
1 Unavailability of the financial resources needed for social inclusion.
120
4.74
0.11
1.2
6
2 Lack of auxiliary means and devices for the social inclusion process.
120
4.76
0.09
0.99
5
3 Unavailability of programs and activities assisting the process of social inclusion.
120
4.71
0.09
1
8
4 Lack of professionals specializing in community inclusion.
120
4.74
0.11
1.21
7
5 Lack of training courses for inclusion workers.
120
4.94
0.09
0.94
3
6 Lack of media attention to autistic issues
120
4.81
0.11
1.19
4
7 The community is not prepared for process of inclusion of students with autism
120
4.1
0.09
1
1
8 Failure of community institutions to play their role towards inclusion of autistic students
120
4
0.09
1.04
2
Domain Domain Title
First Barriers Related to School administration
120
46.78
9.11
0.87
1
Second Barriers Related to The Autism Spectrum Disorder Family
120
44.17
9.18
0.88
2
Third Barriers Related to Autism Spectrum Disorder
120
42.36
7.78
0.74
3
Fourth Barriers Related to Society
120
30.85
5.53
0.53
4

It is clear from Table 2 that one of the most common expressions of barriers to achieve inclusion goals of students with autism spectrum disorder is as follows

  1. In the first domain (forgetting what he learned because of his short memory).
  2. In the second domain (parents carelessness to attend parent councils to discuss some of problems that stand in the way of achieving inclusion).
  3. The third domain (failure of the school administration to provide appropriate educational media).
  4. The fourth domain (the community is not prepared for process of inclusion students with autism).

Regarding the arrangement of the domains, its data are as follows:

  1. Barriers related to school administration.
  2. Barriers related to the family of autism spectrum disorder
  3. Barriers related to autism spectrum disorder.
  4. Barriers related to society.

This result is consistent with the findings of studies (Alnasser, 2020; Rodden, Prendeville, Burke, & Kinsella, 2019; Vaz et al., 2015; Wilson & Landa, 2019) which also found that there were barriers  related to administrative and technical aspects, and weak school capabilities block up the process of achieving inclusion goals of students with autism in regular  education schools.

The researcher explains this result that mainstreaming schools are unable to achieve goals of inclusion, due to failure to prepare school environment, lack of activities that help students interact with each other, school’s poor provision of training programs for families, poor communication between those families with school’s administration, and  lack of families participation in implementing educational programs and school activities.

Question 2 results: What are differences between the mean scores of teachers of autistic students on scale of barriers to achieve inclusion goals due to teacher gender variable (male - female)?

To answer this question, the T-test was used, and the results were as follows: Table 3.

Table-3. Differences between the mean of the participants’ responses to teacher gender variable "male-female".

  Dimensions
Sex
  N
Mean
Standard deviation
Std.
Error
D Freedom
T Value
Sig
Barriers Related to School Management
Male
70
3.0814
0.70069
0.09343
108
2.853
0.005
Female
50
3.5075
1.02408
0.11079
 Barriers Related to The Autism Spectrum Disorder Family
Male
70
3.4100
0.70754
0.12240
108
0.109
0.913
Female
50
3.4300
0.85973
0.11187
 Barriers Related to Autism Spectrum Disorder
Male
70
3.2104
0.72217
0.10276
108
2.277
0.025
Female
50
3.5773
0.68735
0.11419
 Barriers Related to Society
Male
70
3.9536
0.67105
0.08215
108
1.993
0.049
Female
50
3.6844
0.61880
0.10610
Total scale
Male
70
3.3810
0.54939
0.07396
108
1.380
0.170
Female
50
3.5436
0.78173
0.08687

It is clear from Table 3 that:

  1. The presence of statistically significant differences at the level of (0.05) between the mean scores of male and female teachers of students with autism   on the first domain "barriers related to autism spectrum disorder" is  in favor of female teachers.

This result is consistent with studies (Balubaid, 2017; Pineda, 2010; Roberts & Simpson, 2016) which also found out that the opposition of male and female teachers to system of inclusion students with autism in the UAE was due to their belief that it is not beneficial for the disabled and the ordinary. The current study findings have revealed that female teachers are higher than male teachers in their estimation of the barriers that prevent the achievement of inclusion goals, and this is due to the differences between the nature of women and men. In many cases what women consider to be a problem the men do not consider a problem, due to their ability to endure and their psychological and biological composition different from that of the woman’s. The women often lack endurance and patience that males do not care about. Moreover, female teachers are aware more of the  barriers  to inclusion goals that relate to autism, because of the difficulty of dealing with student at especially the primary stage. Some of the challenges found in this study include the lack of desire in autistic students to social interaction, their dependence on others, and their lack of eagerness to perform their duties, and the unwillingness of female teachers to work towards a comprehensive inclusion.

2. The presence of statistically significant differences at the level of (0.05) between the mean scores of male and female teachers of autistic students on third domain, "Barriers related to school administration," in favor of female teachers.

This result is consistent with the result of studies (Boitumelo, Kuyini, & Major, 2020; Hridi et al., 2020; Lindsay, Proulx, Thomson, & Scott, 2013; Sabayleh & Alramamneh, 2020) which concluded that the barriers faced by female teachers are lack of resource rooms and educational materials for running educational programs. Other studies (Locke et al., 2016; Page & Ferrett, 2018) indicated that schools providing  special education programs for autistic students are not funded by special devices and means, and current schools are not compatible with the conditions of autistic  students. There are  also lack of opportunities for communication and interaction between the school and similar educational and educational institutions in the same region. In addition, other barriers include a discouraging school environment  for the inclusion process, and  lack of staff having ability to deal with the needs of autistic students. A few other studies (Saloviita, 2020; Schultz, Able, Sreckovic, & White, 2016; Young, McNamara, & Coughlan, 2017) have found lack of educational technology in centers and schools, and fewer teacher training programs on how to use and produce educational technologies during learning process. This is the evidence that female teachers are aware of the barriers and they coexist with the students with autism, amidst such challenges. They are required to face them to achieve goals of teaching which makes them more aware of these barriers.

3. The presence of statistically significant differences at the level of (0.05) between the mean scores of male and female teachers on the fourth domain, "Barriers related to society," in favor of male teachers. This result is consistent with the results of a study that showed that male teachers of autistic students did not receive sufficient support to implement and practice appropriate inclusion in their society.

4. There are no statistically significant differences between the mean scores of male and female teachers on the second domain "Barriers related to the family" and the overall score of the scale of Barriers to achieving inclusion goals of students with autism in regular schools.

This can be explained by the fact that male and female teachers of students with autism are aware that the family in many cases does not understand the case of autistic students. This stands in the way of achieving inclusion goals. To support this argument, the study found a number of reasons including lack of interest from family toward students with disability, lack of cooperation between the family and the school, and the family's prevention of their disabled child from inclusion with others, and the family's lack of awareness of the importance of inclusion.

Question 3 results: What are differences between the mean scores of autistic students’ teachers, of barriers to achieving inclusion goals in regular schools due to the teachers’ qualification variable?

To answer this question, One-Way ANOVA was used, and the results were tabulated in Table 4: The results indicate the significance of the differences between mean scores of responses of Autistic students’ teachers on scale of Barriers to achieving inclusion goals of Autistic students in regular schools, due to teacher qualification variable “Bachelors of Special Education, Bachelors of Education and Diploma of special Education, Bachelor of Education”.

Table-4. One-way ANOVA for the differences in the participants’ responses due to the teacher qualification variable.

Domain
Sums of squares
df
Mean square
F
P value
Barriers Related to School Management
Among groups
1.326
2
0.663
1.98
0.337*
Within groups
64.609
107
0.604
---
Total
65.935
109
--
---
Barriers Related to The Autism Spectrum Disorder Family
Among groups
4.331
2
2.166
2.64
 
0.076*
Within groups
87.566
107
0.818
---
Total
91.897
109
--
---
Barriers Related to Autism Spectrum Disorder
Among groups
3.439
2
1.720
2.58
 
0.081*
Within groups
71.327
107
0.667
---
Total
74.767
109
--
---
Barriers Related to Society
Among groups
3.116
2
1.558
3.41
 
0.037*
Within groups
48.890
107
0.457
---
Total
52.006
109
--
---
Total scale
Among groups
2.337
2
1.168
3.42
 
0.036*
Within groups
36.529
107
0.341
---
Total
38.866
109
--
---

Note: *insignificant at the significance level of  0.05.

It is clear from Table 4 that:

  1. there is an absence of statistically significant differences between the mean scores of teachers of autistic students on three domains of scale of barriers to achieving inclusion goals of autistic student in regular school, namely, “barriers related to autism spectrum disorder, barriers related to the family, barriers related to school administration” due to teacher qualification variable.

Our study reveals that all teachers of autistic students agree that barriers prevent the achievement of inclusion goals for all categories in regular schools, regardless of difference in teacher's academic qualifications, whether the teacher holds bachelors of special education , bachelors of education and diploma of  special education, bachelor of education.
This result is consistent with the result of the studies (Abu, 2019; Khalil et al., 2020; Ntalindwa, Soron, Nduwingoma, Karangwa, & White, 2019) regarding the absence of significant differences in the responses of teachers of autistic  students toward  barriers using educational technologies in teaching autistic students according  to  scientific qualification variable.
The absence of differences in teachers' responses about specific barriers to autism disorder, autistic student family and the school in which he receives the educational process can be explained further in in linking the student with his family and school. it is often seen that the family or educational context is affected by the inclusion program's services and it contributes to achieving the goals of inclusion in the regular school.

2. the presence of statistically significant differences between the mean scores of autistic students’ teachers in fourth domain, "barriers related to society" and total score of the scale.to find out the differences a schiff's test was used and the results are  shown in Table 5.

Table 5 elucidates the following:
1 - There are statistically significant differences between the mean scores of teachers of autistic students on fourth domain, "barriers related to society", between teachers who obtained a bachelors of special education and bachelors of education and diploma of special education, in favor of teachers with a Bachelor’s Of Special Education.

Table-5. Schiff's test for dimensional analysis to find out the direction of the differences of the fourth domain and the overall score

Independent Variable
(I) A2
(J) A2
Difference averages
Std.
P value
(Chen, Lee, & Lin)
Error
 
 
Barriers Related to Society
1
2
-0.11393
0.16838
0.796
3
0.57411
0.29685
0.159
2
1
0.11393
0.16838
0.796
3
0.68804*
0.26604
0.039
3
1
-0.5711
0.29685
0.159
2
-0.68804*
0.26604
0.039
Total marks
1
2
0.238
0.14554
0.267
3
0.65788*
0.25659
0.041
2
1
-0.238
0.14554
0.267
3
0.41988
0.22996
0.194
3
1
-0.65788*
0.25659
0.041
2
-0.41988
0.22996
0.194

This result is consistent with result of  studies (Saloviita, 2020; Sobeck & Robertson, 2019) which concluded that special education teachers have positive attitude towards inclusion, and that they accept their profession based on their role of being teachers of students with autism and therefore they must interact with them in a positive way.., this shows that they are aware of the societal barriers that stand in the way of achieving  inclusion goals of autistic students, so they feel more responsible due to their awareness of these barriers.

the researcher explains this result that teachers with bachelors in special education are more aware of the barriers to achieving inclusion goals of autistic students related to societal barriers. This is  because they know well the extent of the needs of the students with autism and their knowledge that community institutions do not play a positive role in meeting needs of  the intellectually disabled students. They also understand that training workers in the field of inclusion, prepare the community for inclusion process, provide the means and assistive devices, and in return the community institutions play the positive role towards the inclusion of that category, in order to achieve goals of inclusion process.

2- There are statistically significant differences between the mean scores of teachers of autistic students who have Bachelors of Education, a Bachelors of Special Education, Bachelors of Education and Diploma of special Education on fourth domain "Barriers related to society" and total score of the scale is seen in favor of teachers who have Bachelors of Education.

This result suggests that general education teachers do not believe that inclusion of  students with autism in regular schools  contribute to achieving  education of that group. In contrast, they believe that it adds to their difficulty in dealing with them, due to the lack of experience they have in dealing with a group. The reason is that they do not know their characteristics, their needs, and how to deal with them.

Question 4 results: What are differences between the mean scores of autistic students’ teachers, barriers to achieving inclusion goals in regular schools due to stage variable at which teachers teach?

To answer this question, One-Way ANOVA was used, and the results are shown in Table 6 :

Results of One-Way ANOVA indicate the significance of differences between the mean scores of responses of autistic students’ teachers on scale of Barriers to achieving inclusion goals of autistic students in regular school, based on the variable of school stage "Elementary, Preparatory, and Secondary."

It is clear from Table 6 that:

  1. The absence of statistically significant differences between the mean scores of autistic students  teachers on three domains of the scale of Barriers to achieving inclusion goals of autistic students in regular schools "Barriers related to the family, Barriers related to school administration, Barriers related to society" and the overall score of the scale, are based on variable of stage at which the teachers teach.

Table-6. One-way ANOVA for the differences in the participants’ responses due to the school stage variable.

Domain
Sums of squares
df
Mean square
F
P value
Barriers Related to School administration Among groups
5.922
2
2.961
5.280  
0.007
Within groups
60.012
107
.0.561
Total
65.935
109
--
Barriers Related to The Autism Spectrum Disorder Family Among groups
0.142
2
0.071
0.083  
 
0.921
Within groups
91.756
107
0.858
Total
91.897
109
--
Barriers Related to Autism Spectrum Disorder Among groups
1.929
2
0.964
1.417
 
0.247
Within groups
72.838
107
0.681
Total
74.767
109
--
Barriers Related to Society Among groups
0.833
2
0.417
0.871
Within groups
51.172
107
0.478
Total
52.006
109
--
Total scale Among groups
0.589
2
0.295
0.823
0.421
Within groups
38.277
107
0.358
Total
38.866
109
--

Note: *insignificant at the significance level of (0.05).

This result suggests that all teachers agree that there are Barriers in achieving inclusion goals for students with autism in regular schools, and therefore all teachers see these Barriers in all educational stages for students with autism. This is in consistent with the results of studies (Amant, Schrager, Peña-Ricardo, Williams, & Vanderbilt, 2018; Garrad et al., 2019; Grenier, Miller, & Black, 2017) which show the lack of special education schools educational technologies, the lack of computers in the classroom, the lack of educational software, and the lack of training courses for teachers and workers in the field of inclusion. This is in addition to the failure of community institutions to play their role towards the including of students with autism.

2. The existence of statistically significant differences between the mean scores of autistic students’ teachers in first domain “Barriers related to with autism spectrum disorder, on scale of Barriers to achieving inclusion goals of autistic students in regular school. To identify the differences, the Schiff's test was used, and the results were as follow:

Table 7 presents Schiff's test Results for Dimensional Analysis to identify Direction of Differences in First domain Of Scale of Barriers to Achieving inclusion goals of autistic students in regular School.

Table-7. Schiff's test, for dimensional analysis to find out the direction of differences in the first domain.

 Independent Variable
(I) A2
(J) A2
Std. Error
P value
 
1.00
2.00
0.46984*
0.14912
0.009
Barriers Related To Autism Spectrum Disorder  ASD
3.00
0.52558
0.32637
0.278
 
2.00
1.00
-0.46984*
0.14912
0.009
 
3.00
0.05574
0.32042
0.985
 
3.00
1.00
-0.52558
0.32637
0.278
 
2.00
-0.05574
0.32042
0.985

Table 7 shows that there are differences between the mean scores of autistic students’ teachers at elementary and intermediate school stage, in favor of primary school stage teachers. This result can be interpreted in the light of barriers faced by primary school teachers who in order to achieve goals of inclusion compared to other educational stages. Since this is the foundational stage that requires many needs, because these teachers cannot meet all needs, the barriers further get bigger making it more difficult achieve education goals for students with autism spectrum disorder.

5. DISCUSSION

Studies have shown that autism spectrum disorder teachers lack knowledge of ASD features and do not know how to apply different teaching methods to students with ASD (McGillicuddy & O'Donnell, 2014; Merry, 2020; Shoham & Kupferberg, 2020). In the context of the results of the current study and the existence of many barriers that prevent the achievement of the inclusion goals, it is essential to This may contribute to breaking the isolation restrictions that they suffer even in the boundary of regular schools. Likewise, it is necessary to introduce the concept of Universal Design for Learning (D’Agostino, Douglas, & Horton, 2020; Murshed & Imtiaz, 2020; Van Tran, Pham, Mai, Le, & Nguyen, 2020) which is defined as the design of all products, buildings and environments. Such designs are easy to use by all individuals in society regardless of their ages and abilities. They are easily accessible to everyone after overcoming physical barriers in societies.

The item  13 of Article 40 of the Regulations for Special Education Institutes and Programs, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia precisely contribute to achieving the goals of inclusion (Alotaibi, Dimitriadi, & Kemp, 2016). The Act stipulates “taking into account individual differences among students, and working to use strategies and methods that enable the teacher of dealing with all students of different kinds for the benefit of the child with autism.” Effective inclusion therefore means allowing autistic children to have  personal wellbeing, clothes, protection and interpersonal skills, and develop life skills.   It is also important to develop social skills which involves communicating, playing, initiating or holding conversations, asking and talking, and sharing a game or an activity with their colleagues (Haine-Schlagel, Rieth, Dickson, Brookman-Frazee, & Stahmer, 2020; Stone, Mills, & Saggers, 2019). Since socially disabled autistic students are more likely to develop impairments in social life , academic success and verbal delay. As a result they may also have issues with eye contact, mutual interest, interactions, ability to solve problems, empathy and the understanding of their body language (Ahmed, 2020). Daneshvar, Charlop, and Berry Malmberg (2019); Kodak, Cariveau, LeBlanc, Mahon, and Carroll (2018) Studies (Brignell et al., 2018; Syriopoulou-Delli & Gkiolnta, 2020) confirm that comprehensive inclusion improves social, communication, and behavioral skills for students with autism. Thus the inclusive inclusion focused on providing social stories and play strategies for students as well as teaching playing  role in conversation (Alotaibi et al., 2016; Lüddeckens, 2020). There were a few limitations of this study. The study population was small and chosen from one of the schools in the Riyadh region, so it was difficult to generalize the results. Secondly, addressing these barriers may affect the continuing professional development of teachers, school administration, availability of qualified teachers, and community awareness. Future studies may include identifying barriers to transportation services forAutistic   students from different areas , as global trends seek to comprehensively inclusion children with autism early in kindergarten and then into regular schools.

6. CONCLUSION

The results of the current study lead to the following conclusions; The barriers related to school administration came in first place, followed by the barriers related to the families of Autistic students, the barriers related to  Autistic , and the barriers related to society. This may be summed up as under:

Teachers do not however have the capacity to engage in workshops and educational programs for their professional growth and comprehension by new improvements in management for Autistic students.

7. RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on results of the current study, a few recommendations can be stated:

Funding: This study received no specific financial support.  

Competing Interests: The author declares that there are no conflicts of interests regarding the publication of this paper.

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