Educational reform for students with disabilities, including autism, has a history of focusing solely on the content areas of reading, mathematics, and science. To date, few empirical studies examining social studies have been published.... more
Educational reform for students with disabilities, including autism, has a history of focusing solely on the content areas of reading, mathematics, and science. To date, few empirical studies examining social studies have been published. This study investigated the effects of a computer-assisted explicit instruction package to teach map-reading skills to three elementary school students with autism. A multiple probe across participants design was used to examine the effectiveness of the intervention package. While results did not show a functional relationship, all three students’ data indicated a change in level and two students’ data showed a change in trend. Implications for practice and suggestions for future research are also discussed.
Students with severe disabilities can increase their understanding of science and the process of learning beyond basic vocabulary and daily living skills through an inquiry-based instructional approach. A research-based, 14-step task... more
Students with severe disabilities can increase their understanding of science and the process of learning beyond basic vocabulary and daily living skills through an inquiry-based instructional approach. A research-based, 14-step task analysis for teaching inquiry-based science can allow teachers to provide students with severe disabilities the supports necessary to engage with science content while promoting students’ ability to wonder. Through this approach, students are taught to actively consider the world around them. In addition to learning vocabulary and concepts, students can also engage in the scientific process by asking questions, making predictions, and evaluating results. Additionally, research suggests that systematic instruction such as constant time delay and a system of least prompts can be used to teach comprehension of science texts. Technology can be used as a comprehension tool, and also a means of increasing access to science content. Through this approach, teachers can promote students’ understanding of the scientific world while simultaneously promoting active engagement in the learning process.
Using a modified system of least prompts, two classroom teachers taught three participants with moderate intellectual disability to generate questions about United States history. After reading brief portions of the text aloud to the... more
Using a modified system of least prompts, two classroom teachers taught three participants with moderate intellectual disability to generate questions about United States history. After reading brief portions of the text aloud to the participants, the teachers taught participants to identify if the answer to the question was in the book or not in the book. Finally, participants were taught to answer the literal questions that could be answered from the book. Participants had a graphic organizer with WH question words, the text section heading, and a self-monitoring sheet. All participants improved the number of questions generated and answered from baseline to intervention. Additionally, probes collected in a general education setting indicated students improved their question generation and comprehension skills during lessons taught in a fifth grade classroom.
