TITLE:
Opinions of Special Educators and Special Therapists on the Use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Learning Social Skills in Students on the Autism Spectrum
AUTHORS:
Evanthia Nikolopoulou
KEYWORDS:
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), Autism Spectrum, Special Education Teachers, Learning Social Skills
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.9 No.5,
May
19,
2022
ABSTRACT: The present study aims to explore the views of special educators, speech therapists and special education psychologists on the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in learning social skills in students with autism spectrum disorders. More specifically, it is studied how the use of ICT can help and enhance the social skills of these children and what barriers may be created. The research methodology used is qualitative and the data collection tool is semi-structured interviews. The sample consists of sixteen participants, of which six are special educators, six speech therapists and four psychologists. The findings of the present study highlighted the positive attitude of all participants towards the use of ICT in the social skills of students with autism. Although the participants are classified into three different branches of special education, they presented many common answers and views on the subject. The majority of participants stressed the importance of ICT in teaching as they had the ability to provide students with autism with a variety of stimuli.