Obstacles to the Integration of Autistic Children into Kindergarten and a Proposed Approach to Addressing Them - A Field Study of Teachers at the Birds of Peace Kindergarten in Gharyan

Abstract

The study aimed to identify the obstacles hindering the integration of autistic children into kindergarten from the perspective of the teachers of Birds of Peace Kindergarten in Gharyan, while developing a proposed vision for the role of the general practitioner to overcome the obstacles to the integration of autistic children into kindergarten institutions. The importance of the study lies in the fact that the integration of autistic children into kindergarten institutions constitutes a problem suffered by educators and affects the family system. Studying this problem may add something, albeit simple, to scientific research in this area, while justifying the effective role of the general practitioner in dealing with the obstacles to the integration of autistic children and reducing their negative effects. The researcher adopted the descriptive and analytical approach. The study population represented all teachers of Birds of Peace Kindergarten in Gharyan for the academic year 2024-2025 AD, totaling (62) teachers. A purposive sample was drawn from the original study population, representing 30%, with a total of (20) individuals. The study concluded that the obstacles to the integration of autistic children that are due to the social environment ranked first, followed by the obstacles that Based on the teacher's academic preparation, the study results revealed a correlation between the barriers to integrating children with autism, which are related to the teacher's academic preparation, scientific specialization, years of experience, access to training courses, and the topics covered in the course.