ASD Student Analysis

Children with ASD usually have lower levels of social interaction compared to other students. They have lower levels of play behaviors and the behaviors may be idiosyncratic or unusual. Children that exhibit these behaviors usually have a harder time having successful social interactions with their peers. However, if teachers and parents are aware of and understand the progression of play skills then they can teach children with ASD at an early age appropriate play skills and behaviors. Once a child exhibits appropriate play skills and behaviors with toys, they have a better success rate of having appropriate interactions with their peers. Teachers can teach appropriate play skills by implementing visual structuring in their instruction.

In this mock IEP meeting, we examine John Grohman from Kelsey Elementary School. John is a 2nd grade student who has Asperger’s Syndrome. He is a student who has extreme behavioral problems. John’s parents are extremely concerned about his behavior at home and at school. In this mock IEP, we look at John from his parents, special education teacher, administrator, general education teacher, and evaluator; to get a better picture of what is needed to help John be successful.

I chose this article because it specifically targets the inclusion of autistic students in general education classrooms. The evidence shows that having a child read social stories and practice social interaction through role play causes an increase in a child’s social behavior thus helping him or her socialize better with classmates and teachers. This builds a better foundation for a child to express his or her wants and

Which is why the Individualized Education Program was created in the late 1970’s. IEP’s provide children with ASD proper personalized learning strategies they need in order to achieve academically. With this program enacted, psychologists, behavioral analysts and doctors began researching the topic of autism and studying how children with ASD learn. They slowly began coming up with effective methods of how to teach children with ASD and how to help these children learn at their highest potential. These methods included DDT, PECS and PRT which have been applied, analyzed and refined over the years to create evidence based techniques that result in the most effective ways

Video modeling is a promising behavioral technique that falls under the category of assistive technology. It is thought to be a beneficial learning tool because it combines the power of observational learning, also known as modeling, with the apparent tendency of individuals with ASD to be particularly responsive to visually cued instruction. Video modeling is a procedure of videotaping targeted behaviors in order to expand the learner’s capability to memorize, imitate, and generalize or adapt targeted behaviors (Neumann, 2004). Over the last three decades, the research has shown success when video modeling is used for teaching individuals with ASD a variety of social, academic, functional, and recently vocational skills. However, little research has been conducted on using video modeling to teach behavior expectations during whole group learning. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness

Autism spectrum disorders are a set of similar disorders that each have their own challenges that educators must address. Although K-12 educators are not directly responsible for the types of interventions that individuals receive before they begin school, it is beneficial for educators to be aware of how those interventions work so they may incorporate useful elements in future teaching. Additionally, educators should have a stockpile of knowledge that they can draw from. This should include current research in the field because so much of education is research- and evidence-based. Therefore, it is the educator’s responsibility to ensure that they are aware of early intervention programs and are keeping up to date with the trends and best practices in the field.

The interviewee's child was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder when he was just 2 years old. The child had been enrolled in the public school system since he was able to attend school. The types of classroom settings have been majority of self-contained classrooms, however, in kindergarten he attended a regular education classroom. Currently, his placement is in a self-contained Autism classroom. The family comes from a middle socioeconomic background. Furthermore, the behavior analyst has worked with all types of families and children from many different socioeconomic

There has been a significant amount of progress in defining the rights of special education for students over the years. Special education assists students who require guidance as he or she is attempting to learn within a public education environment. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 in 68 children are identified with autism, which is also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (“Facts about ASD”). According to Autism Society of Maryland, “Autism is a complex developmental disability’ signs typically appear during early childhood and affect a person’s ability to communicate, and interact with other individuals differently and to varying

144). Some other techniques for improving the learning experience of students with autism are structured teaching, speech and language therapy, social skills therapy, and occupational therapy. Keeping a structured and predictable schedule is imperative when instructing a child with autism. The child will also, most likely, need some specialized classes in speech as well as instruction in appropriate social interaction, as one symptom of autism is a lack of comprehension of social norms. Educators need to keep in close contact with the team responsible for the student’s educational plan and diagnostic write-up to ensure that there are no large gaps in the educational programs suggested and the ones being applied.

If students with ASD are not taught social emotional skills they will be greatly effected as adults. Research done has suggested that adults with ASD will often experience social isolation. Approximately one-half to two-thirds of these adults have no close friendships, and in the cases where friendships do occur they are often less close and less supportive than friendships had by adults in the general population (Orsmond, Shattuck, Cooper, Sterzing, and Anderson 2013). Studies have been done in Canadian and European populations and have found that fewer than half of adults with ASD participate in social events in the community such as attending church or special interest groups that would provide social opportunities (Orsmond, Shattuck,

The common traits of ASD, which include anti-social and often disruptive patterns of behavior, can make children with autism challenging for typical learning children to approach. Though the issue of including children with disabilities in mainstream classrooms is a complex one, peer-mediated interventions can promote the growth of social skills at every level of education. By educating the general population of typical peers and empowering them to be a part of the process a dent can be made in the social exclusion often experienced by the ASD children in mainstream settings. Implementing these interventions enriches the lives of all of the children involved, “possibly developing sustainable social relationships” expanding the effects of the program beyond the academic setting (Hughes et al., 2013). Also, these methods provide teachers an unobtrusive method of teaching that has benefits for the entire class. These methods could be helpful to other student populations that have intellectual

Mrs. Hilary Tunstall led an informative discussion about Autism and Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA). After graduating college, Mrs. Tunstall previous worked as a teacher’s assistant in self-contained classroom for children with autism. She then attended ECU and earned her MA/CAS in School Psychology, and she worked as a school psychologist for 5 years. About 2 years ago, Mrs. Tunstall joined Priorities ABA in eastern North Carolina. She obtained her Board Certified Behavior Analysis (BCBA) and is now a Behavioral Consultant. Mrs. Tunstall brings a unique perspective to the Priorities ABA; her school psychology background enables her to help parents understand IEPs and assist parents with the advocating for their child’s needs in the school.

As the number of students with ASD increases in the general education population, teachers often seek information for the most effective interventions in working with this population. Bonds et al. (2016) compiled a review of the literature regarding articles for considering education utility for interventions for students with ASD. The three interventions identified for having the most evidence for school-aged children included social skills interventions, behavioral interventions, and peer-mediated interventions. Peer-mediated interventions were the largest category and all studies involved 5- to 14- years-old students attending mainstream school systems. Interventions included lunchtime clubs with students with ASD and their peers sharing common interests, or direct teaching groups meeting for one to two sessions

To encourage the development of social skills students are encouraged to interact with one another throughout the day in a variety of methods, including partner work, small group activities, and large group activities. These teaching techniques enable autistic children to relate to their peers. As autistic children relate to their peers more they are more accepted and in turn continue to learn and acquire new and improved social skills.

Autism is a complex disability, as the way it manifests in each child differs in severity across numerous characteristics. Children diagnosed with autism qualify to receive special services and a “free, appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment” under the federal legislation, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Hunt & Marshall, 2012, p. 15). Autism was added to IDEA in 1990 as a new disability category. The legislation defines autism as “a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age 3 that adversely affects a child’s educational performance” (Hunt & Marshall, 2012, p. 301). The “Rules for the Provision of Special Education” from the State Superintendent of Public Instruction of Washington state also outlines eligibility and individualized education programs for children diagnosed with autism (Rules for the Provision of Special Education, p. 11 & 46). Furthermore, the DSM diagnoses autism when a child shows “qualitative impairments” in social interaction, communication, and “restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities” (Hunt & Marshall, 2012, p. 302).