| This qualitative case study focused on an afterschool program having trained teachers to adequately address the needs of students with autism. The implementations of afterschool programs for students with autism are to have qualified teachers that are prepared to help students. Therefore, the specific problem addressed, was the lack of preparation/training of teachers in afterschool programs to meet the needs of students with autism. The teachers that participated in this study were all African Americans women, who had also been identified as over eighteen years of age. The measure allowed eight to 10 teachers to participate in the interviews and nine were conducted. The questions that were posed to each of the participants during face-to-face interviews pertained to the teachers' experience teaching students with autism, their individual perceptions of the needs of students with autism, and their ideas on the development and improvement of afterschool programs that serve students with autism. The analysis of the data collected was organized based on the responses from the sub-questions on the questionnaire. Results from this study indicate that teachers desire to teach students with autism well, but do not believe they are prepared to design afterschool programs that service these students effectively. It is recommended that teachers who work with students with autism in afterschool programs receive training on a regular basis, as well as resources that are specifically designed for these students. The research data analysis yielded information that reflected a connection with the problem and purpose of this study. This study, therefore, adds to the body of knowledge for these topics. |
