A total of 90 special education Saudi Arabian faculty members in 20 institutions of higher education were surveyed to understand the preparation of preservice teachers and their readiness to implement evidence-based practices to elementary students with an intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder. Although faculty noted interest in preparing preservice teachers to support students with intellectual disabilities or autism, several barriers impeded their ability to effectively prepare teachers, such as a lack of collaboration in course development and fieldwork experience between departments of special and general education, the readiness of general education teachers to support students with autism/intellectual disabilities in the general settings, the use of evidenced-based practices, and limited faculty interest to improve their knowledge and skills in this area. Limitations and implications for practice and future research are also discussed.

Author: Majed Alshehri

Published in: World Congress on Special Needs Education (WCSNE-2023)

• Date of Conference: 13-15 November 2023
• DOI: 10.20533/WCSNE.2023.0003
• ISBN: 978-1-913572-67-9
• Conference Location: St Anne’s College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK