Experience/training with autistic spectrum disorder children and teacher efficacy beliefs

This study explored the relationships among teacher efficacy, teacher training, teaching experience, and perception of student performance. The participants included 35 service providers of children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). Perceived student performance was defined as the children's language functioning measured by the speech/language portion of the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC). Participants recorded student gains in language over a five-month period using the checklist. Teacher efficacy was assessed using the long form of the Ohio State Teacher Efficacy Scale (OSTES). Teacher training was defined as staff development or continuing education courses taken as well as those courses or staff development that pertained to specifically to ASD. Teacher experience was defined as the number of years a given teacher has taught in special education and/or with ABA methodology.;Participants in this study instructed ASD students in a school setting or in a home program. The participants used Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) to instruct the ASD children. ABA is behavioral intervention involving the breakdown of skills into small tasks to be taught in a structured and hierarchical manner with reinforcement schedules built in.;Correlation analyses were used to determine the strength and direction of relationships among teacher efficacy beliefs, teacher training, and teacher experience. In addition, the relationship of teacher efficacy with perceived increases in student performance was investigated along with tenure status, years in current employment and absenteeism.;A significant, but moderate, relationship was found between years experience in ABA methodology and teacher efficacy. For all other variables, no significant relationship could be determined with teacher efficacy. An important limitation to the study was the restriction in range of the efficacy beliefs of the participants. Generally, these participants exhibited high efficacy levels, which may be due, in part, to the uniqueness of the methodology employed (ABA). It may be important to consider that efficacy beliefs of special educators may be theoretically different than that of general educators. Future research should focus on special education in general as it relates to teacher efficacy over time, to peer collaboration and support and/or to specific disability groups.