The Perceptions of Teachers of Effects of Social Skills When Working with Students with High Functioning Autism in Kindergarten through Second Grade at a Rural Midwestern Elementary School

Abstract

The research was designed to investigate the perceptions of regular education teachers in a rural midwestern school when working with students with high functioning autism while using social stories during a six week intervention. The research questions investigated during the study were: 1. What do teachers perceive are the effects social stories have on students' behavior when working with students with high functioning autism in kindergarten through second grade at a rural midwestern elementary school? 2. What do teachers perceive are the effects social stories have on students' behavior when read independently by students with high functioning autism who attend a rural midwestern elementary school? The study researched during the six week intervention involving five regular education teachers from a rural midwestern school was how teacher's perceptions would or would not change towards social stories. Two of the teacher involved taught kindergarten, one taught first grade, and the last two teachers taught second grade. The teachers were asked to participate in the study based solely on having a student in their classroom with high functioning autism. The six week intervention involved students independently reading social stories that targeted a specific behavior. The teachers were asked to complete three different types of surveys prior to and after the six week intervention. The five teachers perceptions improved towards the impact social stories have when read independently by students with high functioning autism over a six week intervention.