Dissertation
TEACHERS’ INCLUSION SUPPORT IN MIDDLE SCHOOL CLASSROOMS FOR STUDENTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER: A CASE STUDY
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
2026
Abstract
This qualitative case study investigated inclusion teachers’ perceptions of their support of the social needs of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their classroom culture practices to support social learning. There is a limitation of scholarly research outlining practices for middle school inclusion teachers to support students with ASD and their varied social needs. This study looked at teachers’ perceptions of recognizing behaviors due to autistic features tied to social need. This case study found that teachers recognize that their students need specialized support, are compassionate and willing, but struggled aligning observations with an accurate assessment of the displayed feature and aligning teaching strategies to support social growth. Using a variety of diverse teaching strategies, teachers were found to be well-tooled at creating opportunities for shared learning as well as purposefully creating safe space for students to be themselves. When social skill struggles get in the way of learning for students with ASD, teachers may benefit from increased skills in recognizing behaviors tied to social skills as well as their knowledge of social strategies that promote learning. However, when teachers have limited time, resources, or building support, they may struggle building bridges for students with ASD to access opportunities for genuine social growth.
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Details
- Title
- TEACHERS’ INCLUSION SUPPORT IN MIDDLE SCHOOL CLASSROOMS FOR STUDENTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER: A CASE STUDY
- Creators
- Kyrin Aerie Gregory
- Contributors
- Yun-Ju Hsiao (Advisor)Holly Whittenburg (Committee Member)Michael Dunn (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Department of Teaching and Learning
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 175
- Identifiers
- 99901393304201842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation