Abstract:

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) generates a huge amount of specialized research. However, there are still a number of aspects that are unknown to society. For this reason, the present paper aims to carry out an exploratory study on the previous knowledge about ASD among professionals in the early educational stages. The sample, obtained through a non-probability convenience sampling procedure, consists of 100 prospective educational professionals from the University of Valladolid (Spain).

The results, which were obtained through the descriptive analysis of response frequencies, enable us to highlight the existence of several erroneous beliefs specifically regarding:
1) the preferred learning system by persons with ASD,
2) the presence of extraordinary abilities in some areas, and
3) the presence of repetitive and restrictive behaviors.

Following the discussion of these results, the paper concludes by analyzing their significant applicability in the initial training of professionals who will become responsible for carrying out educational work with children with ASD during the first years of schooling.

Keywords:

Special Education, Inclusive learning, Autism Spectrum Disorder.