An Instrument to Assess Faculty Who Support Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder at Community Colleges

Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are one of the fastest growing groups at the community college, and supporting faculty members who teach students with ASD is a challenge for college leaders. Faculty members need a knowledge base about these students as well as the pedagogical practices that lead to their success. There have been no instruments, however, specifically designed to explore community college faculty members knowledge about students with ASD and the instructional methods to support them. This paper presents the development of an instrument assessing faculty members knowledge about students with ASD and the pedagogical practices to help them succeed. The instrument also addresses faculty members preferences for professional development to enhance ASD student success. Implications for community college leaders are presented, including the using instrument to develop systematic professional development plans -- involving both full-time and adjunct faculty -- to improve instruction for ASD students.