Special Education Teachers’ Challenges and Coping Mechanisms in Behavior Management of Learners with Autism
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23918/ijsses.v12i2p37Keywords:
Special Education, Autism, Behavior Management, Challenge, Coping StrategyAbstract
Behavior Management for children with autism in special education classrooms has been challenging for teachers. They need to find ways to deal with these learners and educate them. This study delved on the special education teachers’ challenges in behavior management in handling learners with autism. Using, a qualitative transcendental phenomenological design, it focused on the commonality of experience of the four special education teachers who are handling learners with autism in special education classrooms in the Division of Lanao del Norte, Philippines. The findings showed that behavior management was deemed very important for the target participants in the study. It served as a prerequisite to teaching academic lessons to the learners with autism. The participants have shared their experiences on some challenges in behavior management of learners with autism such as the need for assistant teacher in the classroom, the need for instructional materials, and the insufficient knowledge on handling children with autism. Moreover, the teachers dealt their encountered challenges such as establishing rules and routines, ignoring the tantrums of children with autism, and observing the children with autism. The more experience the teachers had in handling children with autism, the more they developed understanding towards the child, which lead to more success in behavior management of the learners. The study’s findings can shed light to teachers and school administrators who have encountered problems in handling children with autism in their classroom.
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