Inclusive education and the meaningful use of assistive technologies (AT) for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are key priorities within European education systems. AT—such as augmentative and alternative communication tools, visual supports, and digital applications—can enhance communication, predictability, and social-emotional development, particularly in early childhood education. Despite evidence of their effectiveness, AT remains inconsistently implemented in inclusive classrooms. This inconsistency is closely linked to digital inequalities, limited teacher preparedness, uneven institutional support, and insufficient integration of inclusive digital pedagogies into teacher education. These issues have strong European relevance because they affect equity, accessibility, and participation across diverse education systems.

Teachers are central to translating inclusive policies into classroom practice. Their professional knowledge, attitudes, and confidence determine whether AT is used as a meaningful pedagogical resource or remains underutilized. Although European policy frameworks promote equity and inclusive participation, teachers across countries continue to face challenges related to training, infrastructure, and guidance on developmentally appropriate and evidence-based AT use. This study responds to the need for cross-national research that examines teacher preparedness and professional support needs in relation to inclusive education and AT, with a particular focus on the social-emotional development of children with ASD.

The overarching objective of the study is to explore how pre-service and in-service teachers from Poland, Spain, and Türkiye perceive their preparedness, challenges, and support needs when working with children with ASD in inclusive educational settings. Particular attention is given to the role of assistive technologies in supporting social-emotional learning and inclusion.

Research aims include:

• Examining teachers’ perceived preparedness and challenges in inclusive classrooms across different national contexts.
• Analysing how initial teacher education and professional development contribute to readiness for inclusive practices and AT integration.
• Identifying patterns of AT use and key barriers to effective implementation.
• Exploring the types of resources and supports teachers consider most critical for fostering social-emotional development in children with ASD.

Research questions:

1. How do pre-service and in-service teachers perceive their preparedness to support children with ASD in inclusive settings?
2. What challenges do teachers encounter in integrating AT to support social-emotional development?
3. How do national contexts shape teachers’ experiences and access to professional support?

The study is grounded in inclusive pedagogy and socio-cultural perspectives, which conceptualise inclusion as a dynamic process shaped by interactions between learners, teachers, institutional structures, and policy environments. Inclusive pedagogy emphasises responsibility for all learners and flexible, non-deficit-based teaching approaches. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles further inform the study by framing AT as a means of reducing barriers through multiple forms of representation, engagement, and expression.

Additionally, the study draws on the CASEL framework for social and emotional learning, which identifies five core competencies—self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. AT is conceptualised as a mediating tool that can scaffold thesecompetencies when embedded within developmentally appropriate and inclusive pedagogical practices.

This study adopts a cross-national comparative design involving pre-service and in-service teachers from Poland, Spain, and Türkiye, reflecting the European dimension of the Erasmus+ project EARLY-ASD (project no. 2024-1-PL01-KA220-HED-000246304). The research aims to capture both shared and context-specific patterns in teacher preparedness, professional support needs, and the integration of AT for children with ASD in inclusive classrooms.

A mixed-methods approach is employed to provide both breadth and depth in understanding teachers’ experiences. Quantitative data are collected through a structured online survey designed to measure teachers’ self-perceived preparedness, attitudes toward inclusion, use of AT, and access to professional support. The survey includes standardized items and scales adapted from established instruments in inclusive education and educational technology research, ensuring comparability across national contexts.

This study adopted a quantitative, cross-national survey research design (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2018) to examine early childhood in-service and pre-service teachers’ experiences, challenges, and training needs related to the use of assistive technology (AT) in supporting the social–emotional development of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The research was conducted across three national contexts—Poland, Spain, and Türkiye—to enable systematic comparisons between countries and between in-service and pre-service teacher groups. A quantitative approach was selected to facilitate statistical analysis of patterns, differences, and relationships among key variables related to AT preparedness and use. Two parallel survey instruments were developed: one targeting in-service early childhood teachers and the other pre-service teachers. The instruments were comparable in structure and content, allowing for meaningful cross-group analysis. Each survey was translated and culturally adapted for use in Poland, Spain, and Türkiye using established translation and adaptation procedures to ensure linguistic accuracy and contextual relevance. The quantitative components of the surveys consisted primarily of 5-point Likert-type items measuring participants’ training experiences, perceived preparedness, confidence in using AT, frequency of AT use, and perceived barriers to implementation. In this study, perceived preparedness refers to participants’ self-assessed capacity to effectively support children with ASD in inclusive early childhood settings, encompassing both theoretical knowledge and practical competence in applying inclusive and AT-supported strategies to foster social–emotional development (Kimhi & Bar-Nir, 2025; Kaczorowski & Kline, 2021).Each instrument comprised two main sections: (1) Demographic information (e.g., professional status, training background, and teaching context); (2) Likert-type items assessing training, preparedness, familiarity and use of AT, and perceived challenges or barriers. Data collection took place between February and March 2025. Surveys were administered online using Google Forms, with distribution strategies tailored to local contexts to maximise accessibility and response rates. Preparatory meetings were held in each participating country to train local coordinators and ensure standardised administration procedures. Pre-notification emails and information sheets detailing the study’s purpose, ethical considerations, and voluntary participation were distributed, followed by reminder messages. Participants completed the survey independently, with local coordinators available to address questions. All datasets were screened for completeness and cleaned prior to analysis. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including ANOVA, Kruskal–Wallis tests, post-hoc comparisons, and effect size calculations, to examine differences across countries and participant groups. The study was approved by the Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Ethics Committee ( 2025) in line with the Declaration of Helsinki.

This study offers cross-national insights into the preparedness, challenges, and professional support needs of pre-service and in-service teachers working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in inclusive educational settings across diverse European contexts. By comparing experiences from multiple countries, the study highlights both shared challenges and context-specific responses within European education systems. While teachers broadly endorse the principles of inclusion promoted at the European level, their confidence and capacity to implement inclusive practices vary considerably. Practical classroom experience and structured professional training emerge as key factors supporting teachers’ readiness to work inclusively with learners with ASD. However, pre-service teachers across countries consistently report limited opportunities for hands-on learning and insufficient exposure to inclusive classrooms. This points to a persistent gap between European policy aspirations and everyday educational practice. Assistive technologies (AT) are widely recognised as important tools for supporting participation, communication, and learning, yet their effective integration remains uneven due to disparities in access to resources, targeted training, and institutional support across national contexts. The expected outcomes of the study include the identification of common priorities for strengthening teacher education in inclusive education across Europe. The findings suggest that inclusive pedagogy and assistive technologies should be embedded as core components of both pre-service and in-service teacher education programmes, in line with European policy frameworks promoting equity, accessibility, and lifelong learning. The study also highlights the need for flexible, multi-level professional development models that combine experiential learning, formal instruction, and digital opportunities to support cross-national knowledge exchange. Overall, this research contributes to the European discourse on inclusive education by providing empirically grounded evidence to inform policy, teacher education, and school leadership, supporting progress towards inclusive and equitable education for all learners.

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