Mathematics Interventions for Secondary Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Review of Research Quality

Including students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in K-12 general education is a common practice today. However, there are relatively few mathematics interventions for students with ASD in secondary education. There is also a lack of literature exploring mathematics interventions that reflect grade-level academic requirements and are adapted for students with ASD. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the characteristics of high-quality studies which implemented mathematics interventions for students with ASD in secondary education. Suggestions have also been given for improving the quality of future studies in this field. Twenty-one studies are coded and evaluated according to Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) 2014 standards. Implications for future research and practice are discussed

Análise do comportamento aplicada como intervenção para o autismo: definição, características e pressupostos filosóficos

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong pervasive developmental disorder with no known causes and cure. However, educational and behavioral interventions with a foundation in applied behavior analysis (ABA) have been shown to improve a variety of skill areas such as communication, social, academic, and adaptive behaviors of individuals with ASD. The goal of this work is to present the definition, features and philosophical concepts that underlie ABA and make this science an effective intervention method for people with autism.http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/1984686X9694O transtorno do espectro do autismo (TEA) é um transtorno invasivo do desenvolvimento que persiste por toda a vida e não possui cura nem causas claramente conhecidas. No entanto, sabe-se que intervenções e métodos educacionais com base na análise do comportamento aplicada (do inglês, Applied Behavior Analysis ou ABA) têm promovido uma variedade de habilidades sociais, acadêmicas, de comunicação e comportamentos adaptativos em indivíduos com TEA. O objetivo deste trabalho é apresentar a definição, características e pressupostos filosóficos que se encontram nas bases conceituais da ABA e fazem desta ciência um método de intervenção efetivo para  pessoas com autismo.  

Development of a Community Informed Approach for Implementing Support Network Trainings for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Western Kenya

Background:Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) impacts a large global community, with a prevalence of nearly 1 in 100 children. However, little is known about the educational experience of children with ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Guidance from local communities is essential when developing a cultural inquiry into this educational landscape. Our project objective was to evaluate community perspectives on ASD and areas of development for future support network trainings. Methods:This qualitative study was performed within the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) program in Eldoret, Kenya. Using group discussions, this approach engaged stakeholders from three areas: medical personnel, educators, and caregivers/families. Kenyan professionals in child psychiatry, occupational therapy, and special education guided discussion and led the recruitment of key informants for interviews. Within this qualitative analysis, brief thematic analysis of dialogue elucidated key themes. Results:Four focus groups were held, with 87 total participants (group size = 12-29). Four main themes were identified in the data: beliefs about causes, treatment options, barriers to education, and a need for community advocacy. Advocacy was a major focus of discussions, due to a sentiment of fragmentation and poor acceptance from the community. Stigmatization carried over into localbeliefs about causes of ASD, which included poor nutrition, witchcraft, and genetics. Finding resources to access education and therapy was a challenge, especially for families in rural settings. These viewpoints informed study protocol adaptation by expanding recruitment to include community-based service providers and staff from additional schools, and integrating themes into interview questions. Conclusion:This project prioritized dialogue with stakeholders to gain insights to inform the development of a cultural inquiry into the special education landscape in western Kenya. Themes elucidated from this project provided critical feedback to inform future study protocol and an expanded recruitment plan

Increasing Play and Decreasing the Challenging Behavior of Children With Autism During Recess With Activity Schedules and Task Correspondence Training

This article examines the effects of a teacher-implemented playground intervention consisting of activity schedules and task correspondence training on the challenging behaviors and play of three school-age children with moderate to severe autism. Researchers used a multiple-baseline design across participants to evaluate the intervention effects. Results indicated that each of the participants learned to use an activity schedule to follow a schedule of play activities and demonstrated improved play. Moreover, challenging behavior decreased for two participants during the intervention and remained at low levels for the third participant. The findings from this study provide support for the use of activity schedules and task correspondence training to reinforce appropriate play and decrease challenging behaviors during recess.Educatio

Moderation of effects of AAC based on setting and types of aided AAC on outcome variables: An aggregate study of single-case research with individuals with ASD

Objective: The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the potential moderating effects of intervention setting and type of aided AAC on outcome variables for students with autism spectrum disorders. Methods: Improvement Rate Difference, an effect size measure, was used to calculate aggregate effects across 35 single case research studies. Results: Results indicated that the largest effects for aided AAC were observed in general education settings. With respect to communication outcomes, both speech generating devices and the Picture Exchange Communication System were associated with larger effects than other picture-based systems. With respect to challenging behaviour outcomes, SGDs produced larger effects than PECS. Conclusion: This aggregate study highlights the importance of considering intervention setting, choice of AAC system, and target outcomes when designing and planning an aided AAC intervention

Moderation of effects of AAC based on setting and types of aided AAC on outcome variables: An aggregate study of single-case research with individuals with ASD

Objective: The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the potential moderating effects of intervention setting and type of aided AAC on outcome variables for students with autism spectrum disorders. Methods: Improvement Rate Difference, an effect size measure, was used to calculate aggregate effects across 35 single case research studies. Results: Results indicated that the largest effects for aided AAC were observed in general education settings. With respect to communication outcomes, both speech generating devices and the Picture Exchange Communication System were associated with larger effects than other picture-based systems. With respect to challenging behaviour outcomes, SGDs produced larger effects than PECS. Conclusion: This aggregate study highlights the importance of considering intervention setting, choice of AAC system, and target outcomes when designing and planning an aided AAC intervention

A meta-analysis of single case research studies on aided augmentative and alternative communication systems with individuals with autism spectrum disorders

Many individuals with autism cannot speak or cannot speak intelligibly. A variety of aided augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) approaches have been investigated. Most of the research on these approaches has been single-case research, with small numbers of participants. The purpose of this investigation was to meta-analyze the single case research on the use of aided AAC with individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Twenty-four single-case studies were analyzed via an effect size measure, the Improvement Rate Difference (IRD). Three research questions were investigated concerning the overall impact of AAC interventions on targeted behavioral outcomes, effects of AAC interventions on individual targeted behavioral outcomes, and effects of three types of AAC interventions. Results indicated that, overall, aided AAC interventions had large effects on targeted behavioral outcomes in individuals with ASD. AAC interventions had positive effects on all of the targeted behavioral outcome; however, effects were greater for communication skills than other categories of skills. Effects of the Picture Exchange Communication System and speech-generating devices were larger than those for other picture-based systems, though picture-based systems did have small effects

The effects of motivating operations on levels of challenging behavior and academic engagement in the classroom

textYoung children with autism often engage in challenging behaviors. Such behaviors can lead to social isolation and decreased time spent in instruction. Previous research has demonstrated that antecedent based interventions can reduce challenging behavior in young children with autism. These interventions often alter reinforcement contingencies in order to decrease challenging behavior. However, research has shown that it is also possible to target an individual's motivation to engage in challenging behavior. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a manipulation of the motivating operation on challenging behavior as well as academic engagement for young children with autism. A motivating operation (MO) alters the value of reinforcement as well as the frequency of behavior previously correlated with accessing reinforcement. When the value of reinforcement is decreased and the frequency of behavior correlated with that reinforcement is decreased, the abolishing operation is in effect. One method for reducing the value of reinforcement is to provide the individual with unrestricted access to reinforcement until the individual reaches a level of satiation. Through the use of the abolishing operation it is possible to alter the frequency of challenging behavior without altering reinforcement contingencies. In this study five young children with autism who engaged in challenging behavior were exposed to two conditions. One condition involved a manipulation of the abolishing operation in which participants were given unrestricted access to the consequence maintaining their challenging behavior prior to classroom sessions. In the second condition the participants entered into the classroom session without presession access to reinforcement. The influence of the abolishing operation was assessed with respect to levels of challenging behavior and levels of academic engagement in the classroom. Results demonstrated that presession access to the maintaining consequence of challenging behavior reduced challenging behavior and simultaneously increased academic engagement for all participants.Special Educatio