Bhutanese Teachers' Views about the Inclusion of Students on the Autism Spectrum

Adopting the social constructionist approach, this study reports on Bhutanese teachers’ views about the inclusion of students on the autism spectrum in regular schools. Following an exploratory sequential mixed-methods approach, 16 teachers from seven inclusive schools in Bhutan were interviewed and the analysis of their responses guided the development of an online survey instrument completed by 106 Bhutanese educators in 18 schools. Teachers’ views about the inclusion of students on the autism spectrum seemed to be influenced by the social, educational, and religious context of Bhutan. Although teachers generally supported inclusion, they also expressed confusion and uncertainty about the best placement in schools for students on the autism spectrum. The implications of findings for the importance of increasing support for teacher training and allocation of adequate resources to schools are discussed.