Understanding Challenging Behaviours in Children with Autism: an exploration of families' and teachers' perceptions and attributions in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The experience of challenging behaviours (CBs) is commonly reported in autism research and often noted by teachers as among the greatest difficulties encountered in the classroom. This study explores family and teacher perceptions and attribution of CBs in primary age autistic children in Saudi Arabia. A number of studies have investigated the impacts of these behaviours on individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including their quality of life and that of the people surrounding them. However, little research has highlighted how CBs, in relation to ASD, are understood and perceived by families and teachers. In this study, a mixed methods approach was employed, consisting of an online questionnaire with 99 families and 88 teachers across Saudi Arabia, and interviews with seven parents and seven teachers who have the experience of working with autistic children. The overall findings suggest that CBs are understood as part of the ASD by families and teachers. The findings from the questionnaire identify complex relationships between the attribution of the cause of CBs and type of schools, teachers' experience, families' and teachers' level of knowledge and their emotional reactions toward CBs. The interview findings illustrate many barriers to understanding CBs and their causes and provide information to generate suggestions for improving policy in this area. Amongst these are educational service provision for students and collaboration between the home and the school. The study supports the implementation of attribution theory to better understand perceptions towards CBs. This includes several recommendations to support families and teachers with their perceptions of CBs in children with ASD.