Embedding school cultures and climates that promote evidence-based practice implementation for youth with autism: A qualitative study.
Nathaniel J Williams, Lindsay Frederick, Alix Ching and 3 others
PMID 33307761WHAT IT FOUND
Teachers identified seven principal behaviors that support evidence-based practice, including providing autism-specific training, adjusting evaluations to fit student needs, and allocating adequate resources.
Conversely, generic professional development and rigid performance standards were linked to low teacher support and high stress.
Key findings
01Principals who provided autism-specific professional development and allowed teachers to select relevant training fostered a culture of proficiency and functional support.
02Performance evaluations that did not account for the unique needs of autistic students, such as penalizing teachers for using appropriate but non-standard interventions, were associated with low proficiency and high stress.
03Principals who actively allocated resources for staffing and materials, and who integrated special education staff with general education colleagues, supported higher fidelity to evidence-based practices.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was predominantly white, limiting generalizability to schools with more racially and ethnically diverse educators. The study relies solely on teacher perspectives, without input from principals or district leaders, potentially creating a one-sided view of leadership behaviors. Data was collected via in-person interviews, which may have influenced participants to provide socially desirable responses. The study identifies associations between leadership behaviors and perceived culture/climate but cannot prove that these behaviors directly caused changes in teacher fidelity or student outcomes.
Declared interests
The study was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these findings as evidence that specific leadership behaviors directly improve student outcomes. The study reports teacher perceptions of culture and climate, not measured changes in student well-being or clinical efficacy.