Suzy Lea Juarez, Ph.D.
JAASEP 20(3) (2025) 100-116
Abstract
In the last 5 years, teachers have reported challenging experiences while educating young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as the diagnostic numbers have increased from one in 60 in 2019 to one in 33 in 2021, impacting the classroom ratios and social dynamics (Artigas-Pallarès & Paula, 2020; Maenner et al., 2020; Rosen et al., 2021). The increase in the prevalence of ASD diagnosis is impactful, specifically for teachers educating these students in the classroom. Educational psychology and ASD research highlights the issues students with ASD have during the school day, struggling with social skills, social communication, and social exchanges with their peers and teachers (Baron-Cohen, 1988, 2006, 2017; Silverman, 2015; Simó-Pinatella et al., 2021). This trend made a study regarding teachers’ lived experiences (i.e., social interactions) essential for informing professional development content for special education teachers working with students with ASD (Baron-Cohen, 1988, 2001, 2006, 2017; Josilowski, 2019; Silverman, 2015). This transcendental phenomenological study, using constructivist research questions, captured teachers’ lived experiences of social activities with students with ASD. Educational psychologists, educators, and professionals in the ASD field will benefit from better understanding of the lived experiences, specific knowledge about teacher-student social interactions to inform training practices, and detailed evidence to enhance professional development.
Keywords: autism spectrum disorder, constructivism, teacher-student relationship, social interaction, special education
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.591
