The role of special-school teachers in enhancing communication of learners with autism spectrum disorders in rural areas
Learners with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are often faced with a triad of persistent deficits in social communication, social interaction and restricted and repetitive behaviour. For this reason, autistic learners are placed in special schools and would need speech-generating devices (SGD) and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to enhance their communication. The aim of the study was to determine the role played by special-school teachers in enhancing communication of autistic learners. A qualitative research methodology was used for the researcher to be immersed in the participants’ thoughts, feelings and experiences through their rich descriptive data. Teachers from public special schools in the two districts of Limpopo Province were purposively sampled. Eight teachers, seven females and a male who taught autistic learners participated in the study. Data on the roles of teachers in enhancing communication of autistic learners, their knowledge of AAC tools and the strategies to enhance communication of autistic learners was collected through classroom observations, autobiographical data collection questionnaires, individual and focus group interviews. The overall results revealed the use of gestures, pictures, verbalisation, and manual sign language, symbols and speech-generating devices as the different modes of communication with learners with (ASD) with complex communication needs. Conclusion: Teachers play an integral part in the development of learners in their dayto-day living during classroom instructional practice. Recommendations: Specialschool teachers should be trained in their role in enhancing communication of learners with ASD.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD), Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), Learning disabilities
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations