Regional and Rural Teachers' Experiences with Two Models of Practice Supporting the Education of Students on the Autism Spectrum

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Griffith University, Autism CRC, McDonald, L., Beamish, W., Taylor, A., Gallagher, E., Robinson, A., & CRC, A. S. A. A. (2021). Regional and Rural Teachers' Experiences with Two Models of Practice Supporting the Education of Students on the Autism Spectrum. Australian and International Journal of Rural Education, 31(1), 42-57. https://doi.org/10.47381/aijre.v31i1.290

Publication date: 24 Mar 2021 Added to AutiHub: 10 Sep 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) Full text OpenAlex source

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Authors

Publication authors
7
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 7 (14.3%)
  1. Griffith University, Autism CRC
  2. Libby McDonald
  3. Wendi Beamish
  4. Annalise Taylor
  1. Emma Gallagher *
  2. Ainslie Robinson
  3. Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect), Autism CRC

Abstract

The experiences of regional and rural teachers supporting students on the autism spectrum in their classrooms often differ from those of their metropolitan counterparts. Interventions designed for metropolitan settings may not work the same way in regional and rural classrooms, and teachers outside major centres may encounter challenges in accessing appropriate resources and professional development. Research focussed on teaching students on the spectrum is largely conducted in metropolitan areas and does not address the contextual factors impacting regional and rural educators. Using data collected as part of a larger study, this paper examines the experiences of regional and rural teachers who were introduced to models of practice designed to support their decision making with respect to supporting students on the autism spectrum. Through interviews and survey responses, these teachers have described challenges and opportunities related to the unique and diverse settings in which they work. Their perceptions of the benefits of the models and accompanying professional support in these settings reinforce the need to embed inclusive support for students on the spectrum in foundational teaching practices that can be adapted to diverse classrooms.

Bibliography cited by this reference

Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.

Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 12 Sep 2026 01:05.

Cited references
19
With a DOI
16
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
0
0 / 19 (0.0%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
0 / 19 (0.0%)
References with detected author names
19 / 19 (100.0%)
Without detected author names
0
Without a structured title
0
Without a stable identifier
0
References with raw author names still to review
0
References with external metadata lookup issues
1
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
53
From DOI or external metadata
53
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
0
9 / 53 (17.0%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 44 / 53 (83.0%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
0 / 53 (0.0%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 0 / 9 (0.0%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 0 / 47 (0.0%).
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