Arab Educational Information Network

The study aimed at identifying early warning signs of autism spectrum disorder among young children who enrolled in kindergarten in Amman and Zarqa cities in Jordan from their teachers' perspectives. To achieve the study objectives, a qualitative approach was employed. Sample consisted of 16 kindergarten teachers who held a Bachelor’s degree majoring in early childhood and who had spent three years in the field. Participants were interviewed in their classes using semi structured interviews and data was analyzed utilizing thematic analysis technique. The results indicated that kindergarten teachers could identify the symptoms of autism spectrum disorders through the warning signs in two major areas: early warning signs related to social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts and early warning signs of restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. In light of the findings of this study, the researcher recommends that professionals who work in the field of early childhood and kindergarten should respond effectively to these early warning signs of autism spectrum disorder, as well as deal professionally and effectively with parents who might inclined to reject or deny these signs. Conducting specialized seminars and applied training workshops in addition to developing long-term strategies to train early childhood teachers.(Published Abstract)