Intervention Strategies Used by Teachers for Addressing Anti-Social Behaviors of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Punjab

Abstract

The paper explores intervention practices among teachers to manage antisocial behavior among children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in Punjab, Pakistan. ASD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is lifetime and that its features comprise weakness of social-communication and behavioral difficulties, which may be inclined to create an issue in inclusion of other children in the conventional classrooms. The teachers have found it more difficult to cater to the needs of the autistic students in the province such as Punjab where there is low literacy and there are limited facilities available in the schools. The design of the research was a quantitative descriptive study in which data was collected using a structured close-ended questionnaire to 133 special-education teachers as well as allied professionals in southern Punjab. The analysis was performed with the help of SPSS version 26, through both descriptive and inferential statistics to discuss the correlation between the demographics of the teacher and the use of various strategies. The results showed that proactive classroom management techniques such as predicting triggers, giving straightforward instructions and maintaining structured settings were often used by educators. Visual aids, social narratives, reduction of sensory distraction and peer-mediated play, also emerged as some of the methods used by teachers to enhance social interaction. Teaching experience and educational qualification contributed towards differences in the choice of strategy. These findings support the idea that long-term teacher training, appropriate changes in policies, and enhanced institutional changes are needed to improve inclusive education among children with ASD.