Barriers and enablers - early years educators' understanding of inclusive education for children with autism spectrum conditions in Baku, Azerbaijan

Alfiyat Alisultanova*, Xiao Qu

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

A plethora of global literature emphasises the significance of providing inclusive early childhood education for children with Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC), but there is a lack of empirical research in Azerbaijan on the issue. This study aims to explore early years educators' understanding of inclusive education for children with ASC and to identify possible barriers and enablers in Baku, Azerbaijan, through a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews with seven early years educators. Thematic data analysis reveals that while teachers define inclusive education as a right-based approach, deep down they may still support the medical model of disability. Findings also suggest that parents of both non-disabled and autistic children may hold negative attitudes towards inclusion, posing a major challenge to inclusion. UDL and parental collaboration are found to be effective enablers for the inclusion of children with ASC in early years education. Implications for practice and further research is discussed.
Original languageEnglish
JournalInternational Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education
Early online date16 Jan 2025
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 16 Jan 2025

Keywords

  • inclusion
  • early childhood education
  • ASC
  • medical and social model of disability
  • attitudes
  • teachers' perspectives

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