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| International Symposium - Strategies to Support the Inclusion of Children with Autism in General Education Classrooms |
| Sunday, May 25, 2008 |
| 10:30 AM–11:50 AM |
| Continental A |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Service Delivery |
| Chair: Joel P. Hundert (Behaviour Institute) |
| CE Instructor: Joel P. Hundert, Ph.D. |
| Abstract: Despite gains that many children with autism may have made while receiving early intensive behavioral intervention, without additional support, they may not be able to learn the same curriculum as the classmate, complete seatwork assignments independently, interact appropriately with peers on the playground or actively participate in class lessons. This symposium will present four papers that describe strategies to support children with autism in general education classrooms through interventions provided by home-based or center-based behavioral services. Each of the four papers will present the details of specific interventions used and child outcome data. Two papers will describe case studies of specific behavioral interventions to support children with autism in inclusive setting. A third paper will present the results of a study comparing high versus low numbers of embedded instruction trials on skill acquisition and generalization for a child with autism in a general education classroom. A fourth paper will describe the results of using priming of academic work in a treatment center to produce improved academic performance of a child with autism in a general education classroom. These papers as a group provide information on practical and effective interventions for children with autism in inclusive school settings. |
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| The Use of Embedded Instruction to Teach Children with Autism in General Education Settings. |
| JOEL P. HUNDERT (Behaviour Institute), Donna C. Chaney (Behaviour Institute), Karen Edwards (Behaviour Institute) |
| Abstract: Embedded instruction holds promise as an intervention that can be used to teach children with autism in general education settings, particularly when there is a sizeable discrepancy between the academic skill level of the child with autism and the academic skill level of the rest of the students in the class. Embedded instruction has been shown to be effective in teaching IEP objectives to children with autism in general education classrooms and has been rated by educators as an acceptable intervention. However, there are not a large number of studies of the effectiveness of embedded instruction and research on variables associated with the effectiveness of embedded instruction is almost non-existent. For example, typically the total number of embedded instructional trials per day has been relatively low. Presumably, increased learning may occur with increased number of embedded instruction trials delivered per school day. This paper will describe the results of a study in which the number of embedded instruction trials implemented for an 11-year-old child with autism was either high (60) or low (30) and effects examined on acquisition and generalization of skills in a general education classroom. |
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| Full Inclusion of a Middle School Student with Autism: Target Objectives, Intervention Techniques, and Data Collection. |
| TIFFANY BAUER (Coyne and Associates), Len Levin (Coyne and Associates), Hyunwoo Kim (Footprints Behavioral Interventions), Arlene Watanabe (Saddleback Valley Unified School District) |
| Abstract: The ultimate goal of intensive behavioral intervention for children with autism is inclusion in regular education, with little or no supplemental classroom support. This presentation will present data on the performance of a student with autism as she makes the transition from full inclusion with support in Grade 6 in elementary school to full inclusion without direct support in Grades 7 and 8 in middle school in the public school system. In Grade 6, subtle classroom participation objectives were identified (e.g., teaching the student to select an appropriate time–which is likely to differ from day to day–to write down that day’s homework assignment) so direct classroom support could be faded when the student graduated to the middle school. A three-part intervention plan was implemented to facilitate acquisition of responses necessary to successfully navigate through fluid classroom situations. In Grade 7, the student performed very well academically, even without direct support, but socializing and participating in group lessons or activities still posed significant challenges. New targets were identified and a new measurement system was implemented to assess quality of social responses. |
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| Supporting Children with Autism in General Education Settings: Strategies to Promote Success. |
| AUDREY MEISSNER (New Haven Learning Centre) |
| Abstract: Some children with autism who have received early intensive behavioral intervention achieve a level of functioning at which they are judged to be ready to transition from a treatment setting to a general education classroom. This transition may involve an initial assessment of the readiness of children with autism for supported inclusion, the provision of staff from the treatment setting to assist children with autism in general education classrooms, and the preparation of the receiving teacher for supported inclusion. This paper will describe several case examples of procedures used to support children with autism who have transitioned from a center-based treatment setting to general education classrooms. The description of the case studies will include the assessment of inclusion readiness, techniques used in the general education classroom for children with autism to complete class level academic work, play appropriately with peers, and follow classroom routines independently. |
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| Effects of Priming Delivered in a Center-Based Program on the Academic Performance of Children with Autism Attending General Education Classrooms. |
| NICOLE WALTON-ALLEN (Behaviour Institute), Joel P. Hundert (Behaviour Institute), Jane Lee (Behaviour Institute), Amy Finkelstein (Behaviour Institute) |
| Abstract: There are a number of children with autism who need additional assistance to function successfully in an inclusive educational setting. One possible form of this support is to provide targeted intervention to children with autism in a center-based program for part of the school week, while the children also attend general educational classrooms with support for the rest of the school week. For such a strategy to be effective, the impact of targeted interventions delivered in the center-based program must transfer to improve the adjustment of children with autism in general education classrooms. For example, a child with autism may receive practice in academic work in the center-based program that he or she would subsequently experience in the general education classroom. This paper will describe the use of priming provided in a private special education school to help two children with autism who also attended general education classrooms. Results of the effects of priming delivered in the specialized setting on the participation and academic performance of children with autism in the general education classroom will be presented. |
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