Comparative Study of Teachers in Regular Schools and Teachers in Specialized Schools in France, Working with Students with an Autism Spectrum Disorder: Stress, Social Support, Coping Strategies and Burnout.

The team mailed surveys to every teacher in France who had a student with autism on their roll.

They asked about stress, burnout, coping tricks, and help from friends or co-workers.

Half the replies came from regular public schools. The other half came from special-ed schools.

Special-ed teachers felt less emotional exhaustion.

They leaned on problem-solving moves and co-worker support more often than regular-ed teachers.

Same kids, same country, but different stress levels depending on the school type.

Syriopoulou-Delli et al. (2012) saw the pattern first: French teachers with autism training felt more effective. Boujut et al. (2016) now show that trained teachers in special schools also burn out less.

Mulder et al. (2020) built a quick scale in the U.S. that links high autism teaching confidence to lower stress. The French data echo the link, but across whole schools, not just individuals.

Colombet et al. (2023) surveyed French caregivers and found huge unmet support needs. Together the two papers sketch a gap: teachers in special schools get help, caregivers still don’t.

If you coach teachers, place them in or mimic special-ed settings: smaller classes, autism know-how, and built-in team planning. Push districts to give the same supports to every teacher who has autistic students, not just the ones in separate wings.