Teaching Approach for Autism Students: A Case in Malaysia

Abstract

Children with Autism are isolated in their own nature, not because they are visually or hearing impaired but because of the difficulty of understanding what is happening around them. Pupils’ background of Autism disorders as expressed in terms of delayed language development, communication, social interaction and behavior have created problems for teachers when implementing the teaching and learning process in the classroom. This paper presents the findings of a case study conducted in Malaysia to identify teaching approaches applied by the teachers during the process of teaching pupils with Autism. This study was carried out by interviews with two teachers who teach Autism students in Special Education classes and a teacher who teaches Autism students in an Inclusive classroom. All respondents were selected based on criteria of already having more than five years teaching experience and a history of outstanding teacher awards over their service. Verbatim interview data are further supported by the observation data and document analysis. This study has demonstrated impressive results in which teachers are always trying to reach out and attract the attention of students with autism to focus on the classroom teaching by using the elements of love and profound concern. The study also found that patience was apparent in the teachers and exhibited at a high level on a continuous basis during teaching sessions; this was seen to alter some Autism students’ negative behavior to a more positive behavior.