Understanding special education teachers’ perspectives on professionalism in educating autistic students

Abstract

Autism is a distinction that belongs to a child causing them to exhibit a different behaviour than normal children. Children who are diagnosed with autism are limited in communication and social development. Special Education Teachers are among the 'supporters' and 'complementary' assistance to the child's autism education and help achieve their ambitions. This study aims to identify the level of professionalism among special education teachers in order to educate students with autism. This study employed quantitative method where by the special education teachers were selected through a purposive sampling. This study was taken place in schools located in Kuala Terengganu. Therefore, the results obtained showed that the level of professionalism special education teachers was high.