Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice

Advisor

James Jackson

Committee Member

Davaa Ulzii

Committee Member

Kimberly Durham

Keywords

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), rehabilitation, special education teachers, students with ASD, training needs

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate the perceptions of special education teachers ‘students with ASD knowledge and training needed to teach students with ASD in the United States. Prior research indicates that special educators are important to the rehabilitation of students with ASD, and little research has been done regarding the training of special educators in the rehabilitation of these children. The researcher used a purposive sampling strategy to draw from special education teachers who were then interviewed over the course of 60 to 90 minutes using the Zoom platform. The resulting interviews were then analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. NVivo was used in the data coding process, and the resulting coded text were brought together to form themes that addressed the research questions. The cumulative findings indicated that it was important for special education teachers to be creative and flexible when working with students with autism. A strong background in teaching education was critical to maximizing the success in working with these students. Finally, effective communication and social skills helped form the relationships from which students could better learn. In addition to practical experience, additional specialized training in various instructional strategies also helped in the teaching of students with autism. Consequently, the findings of this study suggest that schools should draw from teachers with a strong background in special education in order to maximize learning outcomes for those students who have autism. Schools should also provide training on how teachers can diversify their instructional methods to be more creative and to connect with these students to a deeper degree.

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