Investigating elementary school administrators' and teachers' perceptions on children with autism

Autism is defined as a pervasive developmental disorder which effects child's communication, social interaction and behaviors. For some individuals oral communication is never established, because they can either not talk or refuse to talk. Education is the only proved way to help autistic individuals to cope with the social world around them. Therefore, there need to be schools, administrators and teachers to educate. The biggest problem about the education of individuals with autism is the lack of awareness in schools. This research study investigates elementary school administrators' and teachers' perceptions on children with autism. Research results indicate present situation in Istanbul. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.