Assessment of Elementary Schools Teachers' Knowledge about Autism Spectrum Disorders

DISCUSSION

The results of the present study show that two thirds of teachers in the study group are showing poor level of knowledge during the pre-test time while all of them showed good level of knowledge during the post-test time after applying the educational program Table (1).

Findings indicates that teachers in the study group show poor level of knowledge among all items during pre-test except  four items include; Social communication with peers is non- existent; The communication skills of a child with autism are non-existent; The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule is used to detect autism spectrum disorder for children aged 5 to 12 years; and  several complications occur in a child with autism spectrum disorder over time include physical and psychological complications, as well as other problems. That show fair level, and they show good level during post-test among all items except items one and five which include: Autism Spectrum Disorders is A complex condition that develops in early childhood and affects a child's speech and social relationships; and the child's ability decreased to start and continue a sentence, that show fair level Table (2).

All teachers in the control group show poor level of knowledge during both time: pre-test and post-test Table (1). They show poor level during pre-test among all items except in: Social communication with peers is non- existent; The communication skills of a child with autism are non-existent; The results of the medicines given to the child are for reducing complications, signs and symptoms; and exercise-based therapies is yoga therapy. Show fair level and during post-test they also show poor level among all items except in: The communication skills of a child with autism are non-existent; Several complications occur in a child with autism spectrum disorder over time include physical and psychological complications, as well as other problems; and the basic steps for treatment is the use of nutritional supplements reduces the symptoms of autism that show fair level Table (2).

The findings in this context agree with those of Lu and his colleagues (2020) who declared that numerous studies have demonstrated that the majority of in-service instructors lack ASD understanding. In one interview, pre-service teachers expressed the widespread worry that they have gotten significantly less training on autism spectrum disorder than on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Even after on-the-job training, mainstream school instructors had less awareness of ASD than special education teachers, according to research (Lu et al., 2020).

The result of the present study is confirmed by Majin et al. (2017) who provided insight into the present data about teachers' knowledge, perceptions of their interest in dealing with children with ASD. As for the results, although two thirds of respondents said they had heard the term ASD, not all truly understood its features, and some still mistook it with hyperactive youngsters. Furthermore, it was discovered that the results of the current study are almost identical to those of a previous preliminary study conducted in Malaysia, and even though the study examined knowledge and awareness among people regarding children with ASD, the results showed a similar score and definitions, as only one quarter recognize the children with autism, forty percent were unsure, and one third did not recognize them at all (Majin et al., 2017).

Nonetheless, there is a notable gap in the study literature on the identification of tactics employed by individual teacherss to assure the academic and social involvement of children with ASD. This would help determine if teachers' positive attitudes toward the inclusion of students with ASD are translating into positive action to ensure successful integration, or if they are simply a reflection of changes in ideological attitudes aligned with the standards and expectations of the current educational system (Garrad et al., 2019).

This is consistent with recent study such as that conducted by (Ballantyne et al. (2021), who discovered that despite the fact that teachers in China were extremely eager to learn more and obtain stronger abilities in dealing with children with ASD, they lacked enough information regarding the disease. In addition, the majority of the instructors in our China sample submitted inaccurate responses to over one half of the ASD knowledge tasks (Ballantyne et al., 2021).

Another recent study conducted by Hadi (2020) in Iraq demonstrates that more than two-thirds of the sample has a moderate understanding of ASD early detection, which can be attributed to the small number of participants who took particular college courses on ASD. This conclusion was consistent with the findings of a study performed in Libya on degree of knowledge and perceived difficulties to early diagnosis and intervention among general practitioners concerning ASD. They found that less than two-thirds of participants had a moderate level of awareness. While in qualitative research conducted in Jordan to evaluate kindergarten teachers' early identification knowledge of ASD, kindergarten teachers were able to identify symptoms or relevant features of ASD (Hadi, 2020).

Several studies that have examined teachers' levels of understanding to date indicate that mainstream instructors of students with ASD frequently report lacking particular training, preparedness, confidence, and awareness of the disease (Gómez-Mar et al., 2020). In contrast, according to a research conducted in Turkey on teachers' awareness of ASD, Preschool instructors appeared to have somewhat better knowledge of ASD, which justifies exposing teachers to many courses on child behavioral disorders (Hadi, 2020).

Supportive evidence also found in the literature for our findings by Alharbi et al. (2019) who stated that the teachers did not appear to have appropriate information and comprehension of the condition. School teachers, who are seen as crucial team members in autism rehabilitation programs, are required to participate in ongoing professional development programs in their field. Over the past three decades, Arab nations have made numerous steps to build special education programs and services; nonetheless, considerable problems remain regarding the extension of these programs and the improvement of their quality (Alharbi et al., 2019).

CONCLUSIONS

Teachers’ knowledge is under the estimated level as the results of the present study show that two thirds of teachers in the study group are showing poor level of knowledge.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Providing elementary schools with an educational booklet prepared by the researcher. The importance of conducting further studies in the different settings of Iraq with consideration to wide-range study to be representative.

ETHICALCONSIDERATIONSCOMPLIANCEWITHETHICALGUIDELINES

After gaining the approval by the Department of Community Health Nursing in the College of Nursing - University of Baghdad and Ethical Research Committee to conduct the study. The researcher submitted a detailed description of the study including objectives and methodology (questionnaire) of the study to the Ministry of Planning (Central Statistical Organization) and to General Directorate of Diwaniyah Education - Department of Preparation and Training - Division of Research and Studies to have official permissions to perform the study, then, the permission was sent to Al-Diwaniyah governmental schools in order to ensure the agreement and cooperation.

The researcher obtained verbal informed consent from each teacher. And explained the purpose of the study before participation, told the participants that their participation in this study is voluntary and they can withdraw from this study at any time they want, and also assured them that he will safeguard the confidentiality of the data and they will be securely maintained during and after conducting the study according to the subject's agreement sheet. 

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