Training, inclusion, and behaviour: Effect on student-teacher and student-sea relationships for students with autism spectrum disorders

Abstract

Little is known about factors that affect teacher and special educational assistants' (SEA) relationships with students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). In this study, participants were 15 students with ASD receiving inclusive education in Kindergarten through Grade 3, their classroom teachers, and SEAs. Teachers and SEAs completed rating scales assessing problem behaviour and the quality of student-teacher and student-SEA relationships. Results showed that the level of problem behaviour and percent of time receiving the general education curriculum (i.e., not a modified curriculum) significantly predicted the student-teacher relationship, but not the student-SEA relationship. Training in ASD did not significantly predict the student-teacher or student-SEA relationship.