SACM - United Kingdom
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://drepo.sdl.edu.sa/handle/20.500.14154/9667
Browse
3 results
Search Results
Item Restricted Exploring Some Perspectives Of Saudi ESL Teachers On Teaching Students With ASD.(King's College London, 2024-09) Alsunaid, Rahma; Puig-Mayenco, EloiThere is currently limited research on autistic children growing up in multilingual environments, even though nearly half of the world's population speaks multiple languages. Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) involve significant challenges in communication and language skills, and for this, expert advice is sought by many parents of ASD children over whether or not their child should learn both languages in a bilingual setting. This study explored Saudi teachers' perspectives on teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to young students with ASD, and the effective strategies and difficulties they encounter. The participants in the study were eight ESL teachers from two private schools with international curriculum in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia. They were interviewed following a qualitative approach. The results indicated that using teaching strategies like visual aids, modelling, and repetition in ESL instruction can effectively enhance the language and social skills of children with autism. Teachers did observe that, despite the difficulties in developing effective teaching strategies, children with ASD are highly capable of learning new languages. Furthermore, the study highlights different methods that teachers can employ to help children acquire and expand their English learning. The study also indicates the importance of parents working together with the teachers for successful language acquisition. Lastly, to gain a deeper understanding of the whole teaching experience that meet ESL teachers when teaching Saudi ASD students, the study also recommends suggestions for further future research.18 0Item Restricted The Knowledge of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Male and Female Public Education Teachers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.(Nottingham Trent University, 0024-07) Alobaidi, Batool; Dillon, GayleThis study investigated teachers' knowledge of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and examined what factors influenced the knowledge that teachers had. In Saudi Arabia, ASD is common but often diagnosed late (Hayat et al., 2019). This highlights the need to assess teachers' ASD knowledge, as they are well-positioned to notice signs of ASD. Understanding teachers' awareness can guide targeted training programs, improving early detection and support for students with ASD. Participants included 197 male and female teachers from public schools who completed the Autism Spectrum Knowledge Scale-General Population (ASKSG, 2019) and the Knowledge about Childhood Autism among Health Workers (KCAHW, 2008) scale. The findings revealed that participants demonstrated an average level of knowledge across both scales, scoring below average on the ASKSG but above average on the KCAHW, suggesting a potential gap in understanding ASD. Teachers with prior contact with individuals with ASD spectrum exhibited significantly higher ASD knowledge compared to those without such exposure, underscoring the impact of firsthand experience. Contrary to expectations, no significant differences in ASD knowledge were found based on gender, teaching experience, or school level taught between all educational levels, be it primary, secondary, or high school. The results aligned with previous regional studies (Alharbi et al.,2021; Otaif et al.,2019) documenting weak to moderate ASD knowledge among Saudi Arabian educators. Due to the findings from previous studies in Saudi Arabia until this study, which find that teachers' ASD knowledge has not improved, the study accentuates the pressing need for intensified and reinvigorated ASD training initiatives tailored to teachers, emphasising immersive, experiential learning modalities. By addressing the identified knowledge gaps and recognized limitations, further research efforts can help to provide a comprehensive understanding of teachers' knowledge of ASD. These studies will help to develop comprehensive and tailored programs to provide teachers with the knowledge needed to support children with ASD best.8 0Item Restricted Regulation of excitation and inhibition in early stages of neuronal differentiation and arborisation(King's College London, 2024) Jelani, Rose; Stolp, HelenNeurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), schizophrenia (SCZ) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), have been extensively linked to early-life excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) imbalances. These imbalances are particularly associated with alterations in the GABAergic inhibitory system. Numerous studies in neurodevelopmental research have reported a decreased expression of cortical GABAergic interneurons, which are responsible for releasing gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), in patients with NDDs. However, the precise mechanisms underlying this reduction in GABAergic interneurons remain unclear. This study investigated the effects of early-life prolonged GABA-a receptor activation on cortical GABAergic interneuron development in mice. Muscimol, a GABA-a receptor agonist, was injected intraperitoneally (0.5 mg/kg) to mice on post-natal days 3 to 5 (P3-P5). At P10, we employed immunohistochemistry and imaging analyses to assess three distinct GABAergic interneuron populations in the somatosensory cortex: parvalbumin-expressing (PV+), somatostatin-expressing (SST+), and calretinin-expressing (CR+). Our main results revealed a significant increase in PV+ interneuron density (cells/layer) within cortical layer V following muscimol treatment. Additionally, non-significant but consistent trends towards elevation were observed for all interneuron population densities (cells/mm²). These findings suggest that early-life GABA circuit disruption may initially increase GABAergic interneuron expression, potentially offering insight into the trajectory leading to the eventual decrease observed in NDDs. While limited by sample size, this research contributes to understanding the developmental processes that may lead to GABAergic deficits in NDDs. Further research with larger samples and longitudinal designs is needed to elucidate the long-term impacts of early GABAergic perturbations on interneuron populations and their potential relevance to NDD pathology.12 0