Social communication problems, social anxiety, and mood problems: kindergarten and primary school teachers’ perspective among students with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

This study examined the level of social communication problems (SCP), social anxiety (SA), and mood problems (MP) among children with ASD (age 4–13 years) enrolled in special classes (n = 74) and regular classes (n = 73) and grade level (kindergarten, 1st–3rd, 4th–6th) from teachers’ perspective in schools of Palestinian Arabs in Israel. Teachers responded to three questionnaires about (1) SCP, (2) SA and (3) MP; the teachers’ responses to the questionnaires were used to answer the research questions. Results: SCP, SA and MP were of medium rates for students with ASD enrolled in regular and special classes. No significant differences in the level of SCP could be attributed to class type (Regular, Special) or the grade level (kindergarten, 1st–3rd, 4th–6th). There were significant differences in SA levels that could be attributed to grade level in favor of the 4th–6th grades but there were no significant differences according to class type (Regular, Special). There were statistically significant differences in MP levels that could be attributed to the class type in favor of special classes, and the effect of grade level was not significant. There was a direct significant relationship between SCP, SA, and MP. Conclusion: SCP may be an important risk factor for the development of SA and MP among students with ASD, which lead us to incorporating social skills interventions by educational staff to alleviate or even prevent symptoms of SA and MP among students with ASD, which supports the view of inclusion