Investigation of undesirable behaviors in students with autism spectrum disorder in special education classes

This research is a case study (case study) which is planned according to the holistic one-state pattern in order to examine in depth the undesirable behaviors exhibited by students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who are studying in special education classes. The research group of the study included 8 students who were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in a special education class of a state secondary school affiliated to the Konak district of Izmir province in 2016-2017 Academic Year and 8 parents, and 3 special education teachers of these students. In this study, observations were made on the undesirable behaviors of the students with autism spectrum disorder in the classroom and the reasons and results of these children 's behaviors were examined. The data of the study was collected through semi-structured interview forms and student observations. Content analysis was used in the analysis of the data obtained from observations and interviews in the study. First of all, all the obtained data are transferred to the computer environment and raw data texts are obtained. Then, coding works on these texts. According to findings, the undesirable behaviors exhibited by the ASD students were determined to be insistent on their desires, do not care about the teacher, avoid studying to the course, constantly make up the rules, obstructind the flow of instruction, imitate the teacher and exhibit aggressive behaviors. According to the results obtained from teacher interviews, the undesirable behaviors exhibited by ASD students are listed as follows; do not sit during the class, do not listen to the teacher, do not do homework, have anger attacks, cry, say violent words to friends and teachers, make violence, mock their friends and lying. As a result of the interviews with the parents, the undesirable behaviors of the ASD students were shown; parental intrusion, indifference, failure to fulfill their responsibilities, crying, say violent words to friends, siblings and families, physical violence, not doing homework, insist on one's wishes, lying and making fun of their friends. According to findings obtained from interviews with teachers and parents about the factors that increase the undesirable behaviors of the ASD students are those the student is not able to benefit from special education applications as much as he / she is, mocking with the student, pressure in the family environment, physical inadequacy of the school environment (lack of suitable environments for sports, music, etc.) families are not as interested in children as their competence, the void of authority, the fragmented family structure and anxiety, the lack of fulfillment of their requests, the mismanagement of students, and the fear of the student making mistakes because of the negative criticism. As a result, the strategies teachers and parents use for the undesirable behaviors of ASD students; teachers, family, school administration, people in the immediate vicinity (assistant staff, other classroom teachers, schoolchildren, etc.), to get help from family members, to change environment and materials, to remove variables that cause problem behavior in the classroom and learning environment, to analyze the behavior and develop a method for the underlying cause, putting rules on the child, coming from ignoring the behavior, come from ignoring the behavior, get help from experts (psychiatrist, psychologist etc.) and to direct students to activities such as sports-music. Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder, undesirable (problem) behaviors, special education class