Rose Moore

Mcbeth
PSY 215
23 October 2018
Research summary 3: Autism

Research method used: This study relied on the use of surveys with a variety of research based
measures.
Pros: Researchers were able to gather a large number of responses quickly and easily find
correlations between three groups of data.
Cons: The authors stated that a longitudinal type study is necessary to truly study the prevalence
of burnout, following the teachers in each group and determining if they left the position or study
due to burnout or other reasons.
This article aimed to study the levels of burnout and coping strategies for teachers in
France teaching ASD students, whether it be in a regular school setting or a specialized setting.
The study began discussing Autism Spectrum Disorder and occupational burnout in France.
France was specifically studied because they, unlike other European countries as well as the US
and Canada, have only recently, as of 2005, enacted a bill that provides all students with
disabilities a right to inclusion. This being a recent change in their educational system, teachers
are being assigned students with ASD in their regular school classrooms and are not given or
participating in the proper training to teach these students. Teachers end up stressed and feeling
inadequate. The conclusion of this study suggests that teachers be provided with proper training
in regards to teaching ASD students as a part of the general education degree.
The study relied on Lazarus and Folkman's transactional model of stress and coping to
survey teachers on their levels of stress, perceived emotional support, coping strategies and
ultimately, burnout. Several measures were used; the The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI),
and Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), Questionnaire of Perceived Social Support and the
Ways of coping Checklist.
Data was presented by breaking down each of the variables that will determine a teachers
level in each category. For example, emotional support was broken down into eight forms
ranging from social to global. The differences in emotional support seen in each of the three
groups, teachers in a regular setting that included ASD students, teachers in a specialized setting
consisting of mostly ASD students and a control group, teachers with no ASD students were
presented. Similar results of lower burnout and higher perception of emotional support were
reported by teachers teaching ASD students in a specialized environment and the control group,
teachers with no ASD students. This shows that a consistent environment, basically one where a
teacher knows what they have signed up for, is one that will help teachers avoid emotional
exhaustion and burnout.
It is important to note that teachers in specialized teaching environments relied more on
the global and medical support they received than support from friends or colleagues. This is
because teachers in specialized classrooms and institutions are more accustomed to
communicating with an IEP team and seeking advice from medical professionals than those
teaching ASD students in a regular school setting. These teachers are “better prepared and
trained” and therefore show lower levels of emotional stress and burnout.
The consistency in environment is key here, specialized teachers are more satisfied with
external support because they are in aware of being in an environment that they will need
support, teaching special education. Teachers in mainstream environment being asked to teach
ASD students with little training or awareness before being given the task is setting them up to
fail.
In conclusion, overworked teachers are the first group to burn out, overworked teachers
with the guilt of not reaching their students because they were not given or did not take the
training necessary to understand their disability or differences are bound to burn out faster. We
must ask how a teacher working with ASD students can experience personal accomplishment if
they are not informed on the disability they are accommodating and the strategies to use! We
create our own strategies with our students all the time, more strategies come as we get to know
our students. This is easy for us because we are more or less on the same level of processing as
them, despite an age difference. When we must work with students who display characteristics
not consistent with the norm and that we possibly have never encountered, pre
studied/discussed/planned strategies can take us a long way in being prepared for an unfamiliar
but very important demographic, that may be coming to our classroom today.

Citation

Boujut, E., Dean, A., Grouselle, A., & Cappe, E. (2016). Comparative Study of Teachers in
Regular Schools and Teachers in Specialized Schools in France, Working with Students with an
Autism Spectrum Disorder: Stress, Social Support, Coping Strategies and Burnout. Journal of
Autism & Developmental Disorders, 46(9), 2874–2889. https://doi-
org.libproxy.pcc.edu/10.1007/s10803-016-2833-2