Early Years teachers' knowledge and perceptions about autism in Greece

Abstract The purpose of this study was to explore Early Years (EY) teachers' knowledge and perceptions about autism in Greece. An online questionnaire was completed by 276 respondents with experience in teaching children from 0 to 6 years old. The findings showed that EY teachers in Greece are aware of the main difficulties people with autism are likely to face, while occupational and speech and language therapy, together with interventions by psychologists, are reported as the most popular approaches in autism. However, most of the respondents stated that they have limited knowledge of autism overall and how to specifically teach an autistic child in the classroom, as well as that they are in desperate need of relevant training. Finally, EY teachers in Greece seem to strongly support mainstream education for pupils with autism.