Teachers’ perceptions towards inclusive education for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)‎ in mainstream primary school in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Abstract EN

The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers’ perceptions towards inclusive education for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in primary mainstream schools in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia.

To examine teachers’ perceptions and to answer the two research questions regarding teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education for students with ASD as well as their perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of the inclusion of students with ASD, a qualitative research approach was designed.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted in Arabic and translated to English.

Four teachers were interviewed.

The results from this research indicated that all the teachers had a general knowledge regarding children with ASD and inclusive education; however, the majority of teachers had positive attitudes towards inclusive education for children with ASD, especially for children with mild autism or high-functioning autism.

All teachers agreed that training is needed to increase the effectiveness of inclusive education for students with ASD.

This dissertation concludes with recommendations to improve inclusive education for students with ASD in Saudi Arabia and to encourage teachers’ positive attitudes for future practice.