Addressing communication barriers for autistic students in inclusive education from teachers’ perspectives

Ima Hidayati Utami; Yuyun Agus Riani

doi:10.24198/jkk.v14i1.70120

Addressing communication barriers for autistic students in inclusive education from teachers’ perspectives

Ima Hidayati Utami, Yuyun Agus Riani

Abstract

Background: In inclusive education, communication between teachers and students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is framed as an individual deficit, obscuring the relational, emotional, and contextual conditions through which understanding is produced or disrupted. Purpose: This study reframes communication barriers as relational and situational challenges, which teachers negotiate in their lived experiences. Methods: A qualitative phenomenological–interpretive approach was used to gather data through reflective written accounts from 18 teachers of ASD-inclusive classrooms, which were thematically analyzed. Results: The results suggest that communication barriers are dynamic, interactional, and emotionally mediated. Teachers reported breakdowns in the domains of emotional dysregulation and sensory and environmental overload, as well as mismatches between classroom expectations and students’ pragmatic repertoires. They relied on real-time adaptation, emotional attunement, visual scaffolds, and augmentative and alternative communications (AAC) in response. These practices correlated with greater trust, less spiral-down dynamics, better regulation, and more student-initiated engagement, while making visible teachers’ agency despite limited training and institutional support. Thus, the success of communication in ASD-inclusive education can be understood as a dialogic, ethical, embodied, and culturally situated practice that cultivates trust, emotional safety, mutual understanding, and teachers’ professional transformation. Implications: The study calls for education policies and professional development to address relational competence, reflective practice, and the provision of sustained structural support in communication.

Keywords

Autism spectrum disorder; ASD-inclusive classroom, communication barriers, inclusive education; teacher-student communication

Full Text:

PDF

References

Ahlers, K., Hugh, M. L., Tagavi, D., Eayrs, C., Hernandez, A. M., Ho, T., & Locke, J. (2023). “On an island by myself”: Implications for the inclusion of autistic students in self-contained classrooms in public elementary schools. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14(September), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1241892

Al-Shammari, Z., & Hornby, G. (2020). Special education teachers’ knowledge and experience of ieps in the education of students with special educational needs. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 67(2), 167–181. https://doi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2019.1620182

Aldrup, K., Carstensen, B., & Klusmann, U. (2022). Is empathy the key to effective teaching? a systematic review of its association with teacher-student interactions and student outcomes. In Educational Psychology Review (Vol. 34, Number 3). Springer US. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09649-y

Alhuzimi, T. E. (2026). Facilitators and barriers to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) adoption for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD): Teachers’ perspectives. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 169(105227.). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2026.105227

Aysina, R. M., Nesterova, A. A., Suslova, T. F., & Khitryuk, V. V. (2019). Teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education of children with ASD: A review of Russian and foreign research. Obrazovanie i Nauka (The Education and Science Journal), 21(10), 189–210. https://doi.org/10.17853/1994-5639-2019-10-189-210

Baxter, L. A., & Braithwaite, D. O. (2021). Engaging theories in interpersonal communication: Multiple perspectives (3rd ed.). Sage Publications.

Chow, E. W. S. (2022). Interventions for students with autism spectrum disorder. In In M.-T. Hue & S. Karim (Eds.), Supporting diverse students in Asian inclusive classrooms: From policies and theories to practice (pp. 145–160). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781032021775-12

Doho, S. S., & Wulandari, P. Y. (2024). Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) untuk meningkatkan komunikasi pada anak autisme. https://doi.org/10.22219/procedia.v12i3.28981

Esqueda, V. F., Van der Steen, S., & Minnaert, A. (2024). Interactions between teachers and students with autism spectrum disorder in mainstream secondary education: Fundamental, yet under-researched. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 11(2), 442–457. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-022-00346-2

Hersh, M., & Elley, S. (2019). Barriers and enablers of inclusion for young autistic learners: Lessons from the Polish experiences of teachers and related professionals. Advances in Autism, 5(2), 117–130. https://doi.org/10.1108/AIA-06-2018-0021

Isnawati, D., Zakaria, R. A., & Pratomo, L. C. (2025). Barriers to Inclusion : Exploring the Root Causes of Inclusive Education Challenges in Indonesia. Jurnal Unik: Pendidikan Luar Biasa, 10(1), 57–66. http://dx.doi.org/10.30870/unik.v10i1.32033

Jordan, R. (2005). Managing autism and Asperger’s syndrome in current educational provision. Pediatric Rehabilitation, 8(2), 104–112. https://doi.org/10.1080/13638490500054891

Josilowski, C. S., & Morris, W. A. (2019). A qualitative exploration of teachers’ experiences with students with autism spectrum disorder transitioning and adjusting to inclusion: Impacts of the home and school collaboration. Qualitative Report, 24(6), 1275–1286. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2019.3757

Koster, M., Nakken, H., Pijl, S. J., van Houten, E., & Van Houten-van den Bosch, E. J. (2009). Being part of the peer group: A literature study focusing on the social dimension of inclusion in education. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 13(2), 117–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603110701284680

Latorre-Cosculluela, C., Rivera-Torres, P., & Liesa-Orús, M. (2025). Perceived barriers and needs of teachers in inclusive schools and their relationship with transformation processes. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 29(13), 2292–2307. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2024.2343061

Lewis, P., & Stojanovik, V. (2024). ‘Are we qualified enough for this?’: a mixed-methods study of teachers’ attitudes to social communication and interaction differences in autistic students. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 30(2), 270–290. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2024.2422085

Liang, Z., Lee, D., Zuo, J., & Liang, S. (2024). The use of visual schedules to increase academic-related on-task behaviors of individuals with autism: a literature review. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 0(0), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/20473869.2024.2402124

Macdonald, L., Trembath, D., Ashburner, J., Costley, D., & Keen, D. (2018). The use of visual schedules and work systems to increase the on-task behaviour of students on the autism spectrum in mainstream classrooms. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 18(4), 254–266. https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.12409

Maharani, R. Z., Wardany, O. F., & Sani, Y. (2025). Penggunaan Strategi Komunikasi Augmentatif dan Alternatif pada Anak dengan Gangguan Spektrum Autis. JPK (Jurnal Pendidikan Khusus, 21(1), 19-31. Retrieved from https://journal.uny.ac.id/index.php/jpk/article/view/78880

Majadley, E. (2025). Improving the inclusion of students with autism spectrum disorder as perceived by inclusive education teachers in mainstream schools. Educational Process: International Journal, 19. https://doi.org/10.22521/edupij.2025.19.542

Martin, G. E., Lee, M., Bicknell, K., Goodkind, A., Maltman, N., & Losh, M. (2023). A longitudinal investigation of pragmatic language across contexts in autism and related neurodevelopmental conditions. Frontiers in Neurology, 14(July), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2023.1155691

McGillicuddy, S., & O’Donnell, G. M. (2014). Teaching students with autism spectrum disorder in mainstream post-primary schools in the Republic of Ireland. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 18(4), 323–344. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2013.764934

Njoroge, M. C., & Nyakundi, A. (2023). (2023). Navigating communication difficulties faced by children with autism spectrum disorder: Evidence from Kenya.Handbook of speech-language therapy in Sub-Saharan Africa. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-04504-2_31

Nurhadi, Z. F., Dewi, R. U., & Nurhalimah, S. (2021). The effect of play therapy as a therapeutic communication on social interactions of Children with Special Needs. Jurnal Kajian Komunikasi, 9(2), 176. https://doi.org/10.24198/jkk.v9i2.26933

Nuryani, N., Hadisiwi, P., & Karimah, K. El. (2016). Komunikasi instruksional guru dan siswa anak berkebutuhan khusus di sekolah menengah kejuruan inklusi. Jurnal Kajian Komunikasi, 4(2), 154. https://doi.org/10.24198/jkk.v4i2.6134

Petersson-Bloom, L., & Holmqvist, M. (2022). Strategies in supporting inclusive education for autistic students—A systematic review of qualitative research results. Autism and Developmental Language Impairments, 7. https://doi.org/10.1177/23969415221123429

Sparapani, N., Reinhardt, V. P., Hooker, J. L., Morgan, L., Schatschneider, C., & Wetherby, A. M. (2022). Evaluating teacher language within general and special education classrooms serving elementary students with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 52(5), 2284–2299. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-05115-4

Underhill, J. C., Ledford, V., & Adams, H. (2019). Autism stigma in communication classrooms: exploring peer attitudes and motivations toward interacting with atypical students. Communication Education, 68(2), 175–192. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634523.2019.1569247

White, J., McGarry, S., Falkmer, M., Scott, M., Williams, P. J., & Black, M. H. (2023). Creating inclusive schools for autistic students: a scoping review on elements contributing to strengths-based approaches. Education Sciences, 13(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13070709

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24198/jkk.v14i1.70120