Teachers’ Professional Training Needs and Incoherent Knowledge on Autism Spectrum Disorder. A Pilot Study Within the Central Europe Context
Teachers’ Professional Training Needs and Incoherent Knowledge on Autism Spectrum Disorder. A Pilot Study Within the Central Europe Context

Summary/Abstract: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a serious neurodevelopmental disorder manifested in both social and behavioural symptoms. Essential knowledge about ASD is the basis of effective interaction, treatment and therapy. School teachers are required to have adequate knowledge about ASD so that early intervention and effective school treatment can be provided. In the presented study, a Polish and Ukrainian version of a five-degree Likert rating scale on knowledge about autism was used. The scale, developed by an international ASD-EAST project team, contains statements about autism characteristics, therapy methods and teachers’ training needs. Randomly sampled participants were Polish (N=90) and Ukrainian (N=60) teachers from mainstream and inclusive schools. Results showed that teachers’ knowledge as well as teachers’ training needs differed depending on the country of origin. Ukrainian teachers compared to Polish significantly more often reported the need to participate in additional training, however, they were much less willing to work under supervision.

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