Conclusiones del proyecto

Responses by teachers regarding the ways in which they are involved in the education of children with ASD indicated that they are aware of the ways in which they have to be involved in the education of children with ASD. Teacher involvement activities mentioned the most were school-based, rather than home-based. These were identifying barriers to learning and referring learners to the necessary stakeholders. The importance of identifying barriers to learning and referrals was echoed by most of the teachers.

According to Teacher 1:

“What we do when we do encounter um a child with autism or special needs, right, then we normally let the child come for a week and then we assess the child for the whole week. Write down all the challenges that we faced and that we refer him to a doctor where maybe you can consult and then the doctor can then

give you proper diagnoses of what the child is battling with or the challenges that the child is faced with. That’s how we work.”

Teacher 2 noted the following:

“If we suspect the child has a problem, the principal refers to the child to someone in Pretoria. Every child gets referred to her. She evaluates the child and she gives a programme for the child. Every child gets his or her own programme. At the end of the day, the principal and I work out our own programme and we work with that. Unless the parent insists that the just stays on the suggested programme. We see very quickly if the child has mastered the programme and then we make the worksheets more difficult.”

Teacher 3 commented:

“I mean we have a lot of children who have speech problems and then they need to be referred to a speech therapist.

Obviously when there is a problem or if there is a learner with special needs, we give advice to parents on what to do, but it’s because it depends on what’s wrong. You will invite them for an interview to see them, over the phone, and then whatever the problem is, the child should be referred.”

In the opinion of Teacher 4:

“Um, you as the teacher, also have to um identify the barriers um to the learning, as early as possible so that you can take the next steps in working on a plan to help your learners.

The child is evaluated by the teacher, so the teacher is um, definitely qualified in the field she has to work in, um, she acknowledges the barriers so she identifies

it, um, uh she gets um . . . support form um the school uh by having parent meetings um she also refers the learners with barriers. The school also then, if barriers are identified and the parents are, um, uh phoned, they, then they suggest therapists and um maybe let’s say um special action plan for the specific child.

How, how, you are going to assist them, um do they need more support in their um schoolwork or daily activities or gross-motor skills. Um, so I think um it’s very important um for a teacher to be qualified in um when working with learners with barriers.”

The findings of this current study stated that the teachers evaluate the learner to determine if there are any barriers that the child may experience. If the teacher suspects that there may be barriers, the parents are informed, and the child is referred to a doctor or another professional that is qualified in this specific field. Should the child then be diagnosed with ASD, the child will receive a programme according to which the teacher then works. The greatest impact on the outcome will come from careful attention to parents’ concerns, observing early social and communication skills, immediate referral to the available intervention services, and timely referrals for specialised assessments and interventions (Anagnosto et al., 2014). Parent are more willing to be active in their child’s education, when their children are struggling with their school work, due to learning difficulties (Hornby & Lafaele, 2011).

In a study conducted by the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture (2018), it was apparent that parents lacked clarity on how to access referral pathways to healthcare for their children. At the school level, education service providers should have basic knowledge of ASD, not only to manage challenging behaviours but to identify children with ASD (Ruparelia et al., 2016). If the parents suspect that their child might have ASD or you think there could be a problem with the way your child plays, learns, speaks, or acts, contact your child’s doctor, and share your concerns. If you or the doctor are still concerned, ask the doctor for a referral to a specialist who can do a more in-depth

evaluation of your child (Lombard, 2014). The findings of this current study confirm Lombard’s (2014) statement that a child should be referred to when the school suspects that the child may have ASD. A doctor should be contacted, or parents need to seek professional advice. When parents receive the diagnosis that their child has ASD, they may be in denial. A brief screening tool that is general with specific ASD indicators should be used in schools (Ruparelia et al., 2016). The findings of this current study correspond with Wilford (2013), namely that South Africa does not have access to the necessary services associated with ASD nor do they have the resources to have assessments done on their children (Wilford, 2013). According to the above-mentioned literature, service providers should have basic knowledge both of ASD as well as how to identify barriers. The limited number of service providers influence referrals and invention or support programmes negatively.

4.3.5 Parents’ understanding of the benefits of parental involvement in the