Educating+Students+with+Autism

Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders present special challenges to the educational institutions they attend. These students require specific and intensive educational interventions to help meet their educational needs. The following articles provide an overview of specific strategies and components that are useful to meeting the specific need of these individuals.


 * Iovannone, R., Dunlap, G., Huber, H., & Kincaid, D. (2003) Effective educational practices for students with autism spectrum disorders. //ProQuest Educational Journals,// 18(3), 150 – 165.**


 * Research Question:** What are the core elements that must be included in a comprehensive instructional program for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders?


 * Overview:** The current research examines 39 different bodies of literature to pinpoint a common set of core elements that should be included in a comprehensive instructional program for individuals with autism. The report identified 6 core components that have been empirically proven to be effective as a means for instructing students with ASD.


 * Results/Discussion:** Results indicated that the following are the core components that should be a part of any instructional program designed to teach individuals with autism spectrum disorders: a.) individual supports and services for students and families, b.) systematic instruction, c.) comprehensible/structured learning environments, d.) specialized curriculum content, e.) functional approach to problem behavior, and f.) family involvement. After a review of many different research articles, Rose et al. discovered that this were the common components found within multiple bodies of literature. There were at least six studies within each domain that supported that core component as a necessary factor within a comprehensive educational program. In addition they concluded that these components were not exclusive or one another, nor could one be a substitute for the other. Instead each of these components needed to be included together in order for the instructional program to be considered complete.


 * Analysis of Results:** I think the results support what we currently know about educating individuals with autism. It takes a complex and well planned instructional program to work with individuals with this unique disorder. Individuals with autism present special challenges to parents, doctors and educators alike. Each child with this disorder has its own unique characteristics and may be aligned anywhere on the spectrum. By identifying the unique characteristics of each child, a comprehensive program must be developed to meet that child’s individual needs. Regardless of the individuals needs of each child, the educational system in which each child is taught must include these core components to ensure a complete and sound education.


 * Moore, D., Cheng, Y., McGraft, P., & Powell, N. (2005). //Collaborative virtual environment: Technology for people with autism.// Focus on Autism & Other Developmental Disabilities, 20(4), 231 – 243.**


 * Research question:** Can children and youth with autism understand basic emotions as presented by a humanoid avatar?


 * Subjects:** The subjects in this study were 34 students ranging in ages from 7.8 – 16 who were reported to have autism. The median and was 9.96. These students were obtained from a selected 100 who were sent packets. Of the participants, 29 were boys and the remaining 5 were girls. All lived in the United Kingdom.


 * Setting:** The participants were allowed to participate in the experiment from their homes. Each was sent a packet which included specific directions and the software. The students were asked to work through the 3 stages of the single-user virtual environment (SVE) as the software logged their answers. The parents and students then completed a questionnaire. All of the contents were then sent back to the researchers.


 * Research Methodology:** The participants were chosen from published information on the internet. Letters were sent to individuals on various autism emailing list and to schools. Some of the schools serviced just students with autism while some served regular education and special education populations. From response to this, packets were sent out to 100 individuals with a response rate of 34%.
 * Results:** There were a total of 18 questions presented by the SVE. The questions were presented in 3 distinctive formats to ensure that the students truly understood the emotions that were being presented. There were questions with 1 correct answer from 3 options, questions with 1 correct answer from four options, and questions with 2 correct answers from three options. This was done to minimize the effects of guessing. Based on the results, 90% of the participants, 30 out of 34 were able to accurately identify the emotions represented by the avatars.
 * Discussion/Implication:** The purpose of this exploratory study was to see if individuals with autism could recognize emotions presented by avatars (humanoids) in a collaborative virtual environment. The students participated in the experiment on their own in what was termed a single-user virtual environment. This experiment was conducted to see if individuals with autism would benefit from a CVE. The notion behind the results indicate that because most of the individuals were able to accurately identify the emotions being displayed, then they would also be able to use CVEs to aid in learning appropriate social skills and other behaviors.
 * Analysis of Research:** Although this study was conducted on a relatively small scale, I think it is a starting point from which further research can begin. I also believe it is important to point out that there was still a small percentage of students who did not do well in this experiment. These students may require additional guidance and directions in order to perform well in these collaborative virtual environments. Outside of that fact, the researchers pointed out that it is still important to cater to the larger population. The results from this study indicated that student with autism may be able to do well and learn using single-user virtual environments as well as collaborative virtual environment. Although there is still much research to be done in this area, I think that this is a strong indication of the types of learning environments that these students can succeed in.

This study relates to the first study because it indicates that if the components of good quality instruction are present, then even students with autism can be successful. If we compare the virtual environment to the components listed in the first study that are necessary for a successful comprehensive learning environment, we can see that all of the components are there although at a different level because of the vast differences in the two environments.

**More information on educating students with autism can be found at the following links:**

 * Evidence Based Practices and Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders
 * Effective Educational Practices for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders
 * You're Going to Love this Kid