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ERIC Number: EJ985051
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1932-5037
EISSN: N/A
Autism Knowledge among Pre-Service Teachers Specialized in Children Birth through Age Five: Implications for Health Education
Johnson, Ping; Porter, Kandice; McPherson, Ian
American Journal of Health Education, v43 n5 p279-287 Sep-Oct 2012
Background: Autism prevalence has grown dramatically. Early interventions are effective in helping children with autism develop behavior patterns similar to children without the condition. It is important for health educators and teachers to recognize common autism symptoms among preschool children so they will benefit from early intervention. Purpose: To examine autism knowledge among pre-service teachers specialized in children birth through age five (B-5). Method: After an IRB approval was obtained, a self-administered paper-pencil survey was conducted in four undergraduate B-5 programs in the Southeastern United States. Data were collected from 148 of the 176 preservice B-5 teachers. Results: The mean age was 32 and 139 (93.9%) were female. 75.0% of the participants had limited experience interacting with autistic children. The mean score of perceived knowledge was 3.7 on a 7-point Likert scale with 7 being very knowledgeable and 1 being no knowledge. The mean actual knowledge score was 19.1 out of 26. Discussion: Many participants lacked autism knowledge, which is influenced by age, perceived autism knowledge, past experience in working with autistic children and the number of sources where participants received autism information. Translation to Health Education: Health educators should plan, implement, administer and manage health education, especially autism education, for B-5 teacher preparation programs. (Contains 4 tables.)
American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. 1900 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191. Tel: 800-213-7193; Fax: 703-476-9527; e-mail: info@aahperd.org; Web site: http://www.aahperd.org/publications/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A