Teachers working in special education in Scotland: Perceptions regarding emotional awareness and regulation amongst pupils within the Autism Spectrum

Impairments of emotional awareness and regulation are recognised features of autism spectrum conditions and are known to impact school experiences and outcomes. However, most research in this field takes place within clinical settings, and there is a scarcity of literature describing how these difficulties are addressed within schools, particularly in Scotland. This research describes the perceptions of 18 additional support needs teachers within Scotland regarding the emotional awareness and regulation of pupils with autism spectrum conditions. This includes how emotional concepts are taught, and what barriers exist in the development of emotional competence. The research took the form of an open-ended online questionnaire which was distributed through social media platforms. The results demonstrate a recognition of the importance of a collaborative approach across school and beyond to support pupils to develop emotional competence, as well as highlighting potential problems with the ways in which emotions are labelled and concepts are taught.