Autism spectrum disorder in children and adolescents: Evidence-based assessment and intervention in schools.

This chapter addresses the use of evidence-based practices (EBPs) by special education practitioners in instruction and assessment while providing music educators guidance toward implementing these practices in instruction and assessment for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) within universal design for learning (UDL) inclusive classrooms. Included are behavioral characteristics of students with ASD that music educators need be cognizant of in inclusive settings; federal education laws and policies that have provided students with disabilities rights to a quality education; and selected special education EBP and accommodations deemed as viable interventions for teaching and assessing PreK-12 standards-based music curriculum for students with ASD. Music educators may determine the PreK-12 music assessments aligned to appropriate EBP and accommodations for students with ASD are beneficial resources when designing and implementing curriculum, instruction, and assessment linked to the 2014 National Core Arts (Music) Standards (NCAS) with supporting Model Cornerstone Assessments (MCAs).

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Teaching Social Scripts to Improve Social Communication for Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Teaching Exceptional Children ◽

10.1177/00400599211022023 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 004005992110220

Author(s):

Gretchen Scheibel ◽

Zijie Ma ◽

Jason C. Travers

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Social Communication ◽

Challenging Behaviors ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Academic Difficulties ◽

Evidence Based Practices ◽

Social Scripts ◽

Students With Autism

Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder are likely to demonstrate social impairments that contribute to challenging behaviors and academic difficulties. As a result, the task of improving social communication skills is a critical component to any educational program for this population. Scripting provides an evidence-based and versatile option for improving social communication, yielding valuable results while requiring limited time and resource preparation from educators. In this article, we present step by step guidance to support practitioners in using scripting interventions. Considerations are discussed for adapting this intervention to meet the needs of students across the autism spectrum and links to resources for strengthening implementation and including other evidence-based practices.

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Characterizing therapist delivery of evidence-based intervention strategies in publicly funded mental health services for children with autism spectrum disorder: Differentiating practice patterns in usual care and AIM HI delivery

Autism ◽

10.1177/13623613211001614 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 136236132110016

Author(s):

Eliana Hurwich-Reiss ◽

Colby Chlebowski ◽

Teresa Lind ◽

Kassandra Martinez ◽

Karin M Best ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Usual Care ◽

Teaching Strategies ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Intervention Strategies ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Active Teaching

This study identified patterns of therapist delivery of evidence-based intervention strategies with children with autism spectrum disorder within publicly funded mental health services and compared patterns for therapists delivering usual care to those trained in AIM HI (“An Individualized Mental Health Intervention for ASD”). Data were drawn from a randomized community effectiveness trial and included a subsample of 159 therapists (86% female) providing outpatient or school-based psychotherapy. Therapist strategies were measured via observational coding of psychotherapy session recordings. Exploratory factor analysis used to examine patterns of strategy delivery showed that among therapists in the usual care condition, strategies loaded onto the single factor, General Strategies, whereas for therapists in the AIM HI training condition, strategies grouped onto two factors, Autism Engagement Strategies and Active Teaching Strategies. Among usual care therapists, General Strategies were associated with an increase in child behavior problems, whereas for AIM HI therapists, Active Teaching Strategies were associated with reductions in child behavior problems over 18 months. Results support the effectiveness of training therapists in evidence-based interventions to increase the specificity of strategies delivered to children with autism spectrum disorder served in publicly funded mental health settings. Findings also support the use of active teaching strategies in reducing challenging behaviors. Lay abstract This study was conducted to identify patterns of therapist delivery of evidence-based intervention strategies with children with autism spectrum disorder receiving publicly funded mental health services and compare strategy use for therapists delivering usual care to those trained to deliver AIM HI (“An Individualized Mental Health Intervention for ASD”), an intervention designed to reduce challenging behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder. For therapists trained in AIM HI, intervention strategies grouped onto two factors, Autism Engagement Strategies and Active Teaching Strategies, while strategies used by usual care therapists grouped onto a broader single factor, General Strategies. Among usual care therapists, General Strategies were related to an increase in child behavior problems, whereas for AIM HI therapists, Active Teaching Strategies were related with reductions in child behavior problems over 18 months. Findings support the use of active teaching strategies in reducing challenging behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorder and provide support for the effectiveness of training therapists in evidence-based interventions to promote the delivery of targeted, specific intervention strategies to children with autism spectrum disorder in mental health services.

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