THE CONTRIBUTION OF STRUCTURED PLAY AS A PSYCHO-EDUCATIONAL TOOL FOR STUDENTS WITH HIGH-FUNCTIONING ASD IN KINDERGARTEN: THE TEACHERS' PERSPECTIVE

Ilias Vasileiadis, Ioanna Dimitriadou, Spyros Koutras, Athanasios Chatzopoulos

Abstract


The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of structured play as a learning and educational tool for students with high-functioning ASD. Qualitative research was applied to investigate the above purpose. 12 semi-structured interviews were conducted with primary school kindergarten teachers. The results of the survey showed that the majority of the teachers considered structured play to be necessary for the effective education of students with high-functioning ASD. Also, educators can easily integrate it into their daily educational practice, although the curriculum limits its use. The biggest obstacles that teachers encounter have to do with available educational materials, infrastructure and the need for training. The majority of teachers stated that new technology and digital play are very important in enhancing the skills and progress of students with high-functioning ASD. Finally, teachers differed among themselves regarding the gendered dimension of gaming with the majority stating that they do not choose games that reinforce stereotypes.

 

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high-functioning ASD, structured play, educational programs, digital play, gender dimension

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejae.v8i2.4936

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