Engaging Parents in the Development and Testing of a Website to Support Social-Communication and Play Development for Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) present with social-communication and play challenges and would benefit from interventions targeting these skills. One way to ensure this is by engaging parents in technological supports to learn about an intervention and increase home-school collaboration. Thus, a website could potentially address both needs. This study describes the initial developmental processes of one such website. Specifically, we describe how engaging parents as stakeholders in the website development enhanced its future usability and feasibility. Data were collected through focus groups, interviews, and surveys to obtain parent feedback about website usability and applicability and about the intervention. Survey data were descriptively analyzed. Focus group and interview data were analyzed using systematic qualitative analysis. Parents perceived the website to be useful in helping them target social-communication and play with their preschoolers with ASD and highlighted specific aspects of the website and intervention they perceived as effective. Child outcomes and parent fidelity to the intervention supported these perceived developmental gains. Findings suggest that engaging parents in developmental processes may help ensure usability and applicability of resources and interventions. Furthermore, findings support the use of technology to help parents learn to use an intervention with their preschoolers with ASD. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Teaching Physics to Students With Intellectual Disabilities Using Digital Learning Objects

Digital Learning Objects (DLOs) as pedagogical complete structures of learning content contribute to science education. DLOs especially in the form of interactive simulations seem to be promising tools in physics teaching and learning for students with intellectual disabilities (ID). This study used an AB single subject design to evaluate the effects of four DLOs on students’ learning of transverse waves and simple pendulum motion in a special education high school setting. A functional relationship was found between students’ correct responses concerning both scientific terminology and physical phenomena understanding during probe sessions and the DLOs intervention. In addition, a social validity assessment that evaluated students’ attitudes on learning, quality, and engagement, showed that the DLOs helped students with ID to acquire physics content. The students also reported satisfaction from using the DLOs. Suggestions for future research include the design of DLOs especially for students with ID.

Virtual Scaffolded Instruction for Students with Disabilities

The challenges teachers face with virtual learning existed previously but were heightened by the quick move from in-person to virtual learning caused by the pandemic. Researchers have investigated virtual learning for students with disabilities and have made recommendations including supplemental online resources for individualization and incorporating what we know works for students with disabilities, such as explicit instruction and assistive technology. Another recommendation for virtual learning, and the focus of this article, is the use of scaffolding. Since we know scaffolding is a high-leverage practice for students with disabilities, we can take what we know about scaffolding in face-to-face instruction and transform it to work in virtual settings. This article offers vignettes of a science classroom as two teachers plan for scaffolded instruction to support reading, which is critical in science learning.

Creating Electronic-Literacy Based Behavioral Interventions

Literacy based behavioral interventions (LBBIs) have been used to teach numerous skills, such as requesting an accommodation, engaging in self-regulation, and remaining on-task, to children and adolescents. Electronic-LBBIs (E-LBBIs) have recently emerged in the literature as an effective strategy, using preferred forms of media (tablet or laptop), to teach students in the classroom new skills. Here we discuss how LBBIs work, what E-LBBIs are, and how teachers can use E-LBBIs in their classroom. Vignettes are provided to demonstrate applications to the reader.

Use of Mobile Social Story Maps in the Development of Cognitive and Social Skills of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

The purpose of the study was to compare the effectiveness and efficiency of animated and non-animated mobile social story maps using the mobile learning environment that the authors developed. An application using the story map method based on social stories was developed. Mobile social story map was presented with animated and non-animated narrative and the effectiveness and efficiencies of the two methods on both listening comprehension and social communication skills were compared using an alternating treatments design. The participants of the study consisted of three children aged between 6 and 7 years with an ASD diagnosis. Research findings showed that mobile social story maps contribute to the development of social communication skills and listening comprehension skills of participants with an ASD. The results indicated that two methods were equally effective in improving social communication skills, but in improving listening comprehension skills, animated supported stories were more effective for one of the three participants. Also, animated narrative-supported mobile social story maps were more efficient for two participants.

Educator Knowledge and Implementation of Assistive Technology to Support Challenging Behaviors: An Exploratory Inquiry

Emerging trends and advancements in technology allow educators to develop dynamic learning environments to support their students’ academic and behavioral needs. The study documented the lived experience of special educators using assistive technology (AT) to support behavioral challenges in students with disabilities and the environmental factors that support educator’s use of AT. Fifteen educators who worked in K–12 schools participated in semi-structured interviews and completed a researcher-developed Assistive Technology Treatment Integrity Checklist (ATTIC). This exploratory study indicated that participants had limited experiences using AT to target challenging behaviors. However, participants used technology to support evidence-based interventions or customized instructional technologies to manage students’ needs. Our findings also indicated that school structures impacted AT-related attitudes and eventual use. The findings from this study add to the literature on technology supports for students with challenging behaviors. Implications for practice and future research are also discussed.

The Effects of an Electronic Daily Behavior Report Card on Student’s Challenging Behavior

An ABAB reversal design was utilized to examine the effects of an electronic daily behavior report card (eDBRC) on non-compliant, off-task, and disruptive classroom behaviors of a 16-year-old with autism spectrum disorder and a 17-year-old with an intellectual disability. The intervention was implemented by two preservice teachers (interventionists) in their final student teaching requirement. In addition to visual analysis procedures, effect sizes (i.e., Tau-U) were calculated. The research questions were: (1) What are the effects of eDBRCs on participants’ disruptive and challenging classroom behaviors, (2) To what extent do preservice teachers implement eDBRCs with fidelity, and (3) Are eDBRCs a socially valid intervention? Upon completion of our study the eDBRC was effective in reducing non-compliant, off-task, and disruptive behaviors. We found that preservice special educators can implement a complex behavior intervention to support the outcomes of their learners during the student teaching experience. Additionally, we suggest eDBRCs are an acceptable intervention for students with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disabilities.

Using Technology to Increase the Use of Evidence-Based Behavioral Interventions With Students With High-Incidence Disabilities

Educators of students with disabilities who frequently display challenging behaviors are expected to deliver high-leverage practices and evidence-based behavioral interventions to improve student academic engagement and appropriate behaviors. For these practices and interventions to be successful, educators need innovative, accessible, and sustainable tools to efficiently and effectively implement these practices and interventions as part of their classroom and behavior management routines. Using technology as a delivery platform can fit this need. The Journal of Special Education Technology special issue presents three experimental studies where teachers used technology to deliver behavioral interventions and one qualitative study examining teachers’ perspectives of using technology for behavior management.