Use of Integrated Teaching Approaches to Enhance Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder’s Functional and Educational Skills
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.98.12937Keywords:
autism, education, skills, technology, multimediaAbstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) learners have capabilities but frequently experience functional and academic difficulties. This article calls attention to the current debates about autism and the challenges of including ASD students in school systems. I assert that supporting the education of ASD students locally and globally is critical for their wellness and society. I focus on the qualities of learners with ASD to reveal that they have the capacities and abilities to learn and maintain that they can succeed in schools and communities with appropriate support. I illustrate selected best teaching practices and discuss ways educators can use them to develop functional and academic skills of ASD learners and dismantle autism myths. I conclude by calling on stakeholders to promote inclusion and teach life and educational skills to enable ASD learners to grow and develop into individuals capable of having meaningful lives in school and adulthood.
References
Accardo, A. L., & Finnegan, E. G. (2019). Teaching reading comprehension to learners with autism spectrum disorder: Discrepancies between teacher and research-recommended practices. Autism, 23(1), 236-246. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361317730744
Adele, D. (2014). Colour coding for learners with autism: A resource book for creating meaning through colour at home and school. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Artoni, S., Bastiani, L., Buzzi, M. C., Buzzi, M., Curzio, O., Pelagatti, S., & Senette, C. (2018). Technology-enhanced ABA intervention in children with autism: a pilot study. Universal Access in the Information Society, 17(1), 191-210. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-017-0536-x
Baglieri, S., Bejoian, L. M., Broderick, A. A., Connor, D. J., & Valle, J. (2011). [Re]claiming “inclusive education” toward cohesion in educational reform: Disability studies unravels the myth of the normal child. Teachers College Record, 113(10), 2122–2154. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146811111301001
Bolton, P. F. (2009). Medical conditions in autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 1(2), 102-113. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11689-009-9021-z
Brantlinger, E. (2004). Confounding the Needs and Confronting the Norms: An Extension of Reid and Valle’s Essay. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 37(6), 490–499. https://doi.org/10.1177/00222194040370060301
Brown, H. M., Oram-Cardy, J., & Johnson, A. (2013). A meta-analysis of the reading comprehension skills of individuals on the autism spectrum. J Autism Dev Disord, 43(4), 932-955. https://doi.org/0.1007/s10803-012-1638-1.
Browder, D., Gibbs, S., Ahlgrim-Delzell, L., Courtade, G. R., Mraz, M., & Flowers, C. (2009). Literacy for students with severe disabilities: what should we teach and what do we hope to achieve? Remedial and Special Education, 30(5), 269–282. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932508315054
Carnahan, C. R., Williamson, P. S., & Christman, J. (2011). Linking cognition and literacy in learners with autism spectrum disorder. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 43(6), 54–62. https://doi.org/10.1177/004005991104300606
Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2011). E-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning. John Wiley & Sons.
Coffindaffer, K. C. C. (2010). Text, graphics, and multimedia materials employed in learning a computer-based procedural task. https://doi.org/10.33915/etd.2967 Retrieved from West Virginia University https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/2967/
Cook, B. G., Smith, G. J., & Tankersley, M. (2012). Evidence-based practices in education. In K. R. Harris, S. Graham, & T. Urdan (Eds.) APA Educational Psychology Handbook (pp.495–528). American Psychological Association.
Cubbage, J. (2017). Access Denied: Ending the Exclusion of disabled students from media production courses in higher education. Journal of Media Literacy Education, 9(2), 114 – 121. https://doi.org/10.23860/jmle-2019-09-02-09
Dalton, E. M. (2017). Universal Design for Learning: Guiding Principles to Reduce Barriers to Digital & Media Literacy Competence. Journal of Media Literacy Education, 9(2), 17–29. https://doi.org/10.23860/jmle-2019-09-02-02
Davis, L. J. (1995). Enforcing normalcy: Disability, deafness and the body. Verso.
Dell, A. G., Newton, D. A., & Petroff, J. G. (2017). Assistive technology in the classroom: Enhancing the school experiences of students with disabilities(3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Dzulkifli, M. A., & Mustafar, M. F. (2013). The influence of colour on memory performance: A review. The Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences, 20(2), 3-9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3743993/
Flores, M. M., Nelson, C., Hinton, V., Franklin, T. M., Strozier, S. D., Terry, L., & Franklin, S. (2013). Teaching Reading Comprehension and Language Skills to Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Developmental Disabilities Using Direct Instruction. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 48(1), 41-48. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23879885.
Friesem, Y. (2017). Beyond Accessibility: How Media Literacy Education Addresses Issues of Disabilities. Journal of Media Literacy Education, 9(2), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.23860/jmle-2019-09-02-01
Garland-Thomson, R. (1997). Extraordinary bodies. Columbia University Press.
Hayes, G. R., Hirano, S., Marcu, G., Monibi, M., Nguyen, D. H., & Yeganyan, M. (2010). Interactive visual supports for children with autism. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, 14(7), 663–680. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-010-0294-8
Hill, D. A., & Flores, M. M. (2014). Comparing the Picture Exchange Communication System and the iPad™ for Communication of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Developmental Delay. TechTrends, 58(3), 45–53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-014-0751-8
Jones, S. M., & Doolittle, E. J. (2017). Social and emotional learning: Introducing the issue. The Future of Children, 27(1), 3–11. https://doi.org/10.1353/foc.2017.0000
Kim, D., & Kim, D. J. (2012). Effect of screen size on multimedia vocabulary learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 43(1), 62-70. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2010.01145.x
Khowaja, K., & Salim, S. S. (2013). A systematic review of strategies and computer-based intervention (CBI) for reading comprehension of children with autism. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 7(9), 1111–1121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2013.05.009
Knight, V. F., & Sartini, E. (2015). A comprehensive literature review of comprehension strategies in core content areas for students with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(5), 1213–1229. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-014-2280-x
Ladson‐Billings, G. (1995). But that’s just good teaching! The case for culturally relevant pedagogy. Theory Into Practice, 34(3), 159-165. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405849509543675
Lammers, J. C., & Palumbo, N. P. (2017). Barriers to Fanfiction Access: Results from a Usability Inspection of Fanfiction.net. Journal of Media Literacy Education, 9(2), 76-90. https://doi.org/10.23860/jmle-2019-09-02-06
Manning-Courtney, P., Murray, D., Currans, K., Johnson, H., Bing, N., Kroeger-Geoppinger, K. & Messerschmidt, T. (2013). Autism spectrum disorders. Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care, 43(1), 2-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cppeds.2012.08.001.
McIntyre, N. S., Solari, E. J., Grimm, R. P., Lerro, L. E., Gonzales, J. E., & Mundy, P. C. (2017). A comprehensive examination of reading heterogeneity in students with high functioning Autism: distinct reading profiles and their relation to autism symptom severity. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 47(4), 1086–1101. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3029-0
Mims, P. J., Hudson, M. E., & Browder, D. M. (2012). Using readalouds of grade-level biographies and systematic prompting to promote comprehension for learners with moderate and severe developmental disabilities. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 27(2), 67–80. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088357612446859
Monroe, D. M. (2009). Literacy and Autism: Case Studies of Two Kindergarten Children, Their Teachers, And Their Parents. Department of Curriculum and Instruction (Publication No. ED530383) [Doctoral dissertation, Indiana University of Pennsylvania]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED530383
Nation, K., Clark, P., Wright, B., & Williams, C. (2006). Patterns of reading ability in children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36(7), 911–919. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-006-0130-1
National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE). (2007). Core principles of media literacy education in the United States. https://namle.net/publications/core-principles
Norbury, C. F. (2004). Factors supporting idiom comprehension in children with communication disorders. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 47(5), 1179–1193. https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2004/087)
Omar, S., & Bidin, A. (2015). The impact of multimedia graphic and text with autistic learners in reading. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 3(12), 989-996. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2015.031206
Osgood, R. L. (2008). The history of special education: A struggle for equality in American public schools. Praeger Publishers.
Pandya, J. Z., Hansuvadha, N., & Pagdilao, K. C. (2016). Multimodal, Digital Composition for Children with Autism: Lessons on Process, Product, and Assessment. National Council of Teachers of English, 93(6), 415-429. https://library.ncte.org/journals/la/issues/v93-6/28635
Plass, J. L., Heidig, S., Hayward, E. O., Homer, B. D., & Um, E. (2014). Emotional design in multimedia learning: Effects of shape and color on affect and learning. Learning and Instruction, 29, 128-140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2013.02.006
Ravindran, N., & Myers, B. J. (2012). Cultural influences on perceptions of health, illness, and disability: A review and focus on autism. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 21(2), 311-319. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-011-9477-9
Ricketts, J. (2011). Research review: reading comprehension in developmental disorders of language and communication. The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 52(11), 1111–1123. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2011.02438.x
Siebers, T. (2008). Disability theory. University of Michigan Press.
Siegel, J. K. (2017). Teaching the Presidential Elections Using Media Literacy in the LD Classroom. Journal of Media Literacy Education, 9(2), 91 – 104. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1064795
Sinclair, J. (2005). Autism Network International: The development of a community and its culture. https://www.autreat.com/History_of_ANI.html
Spector, M. J. (2016). Foundations of educational technology: Integrative approaches and interdisciplinary perspectives (2nd Ed.). Routledge.
Stringfield, S. G., Luscre, D., & Gast, D. L. (2011). Effects of a story map on accelerated reader postreading test scores in learners with high-functioning autism. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 26(4), 218–229. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088357611423543
United Nations. (n.d.a). Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities.html
United Nations. (n.d.b). Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 Quality Education. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/education/
United Nations. (n.d.c). World Autism Awareness Day April 2. https://www.un.org/en/observances/autism-day/background
United Nations General Assembly. (2008). Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on December 18, 2007 [on the report of the Third Committee (A/62/435)] 62/139. World Autism Awareness Day. https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N07/472/11/PDF/N0747211.pdf?OpenElement
Vanegas, S. B. (2019). Academic skills in children with autism spectrum disorders with monolingual or bilingual experience. Autism & Developmental Language Impairments, 4, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1177/2396941519888170
Wadley, G., & Schutt, S. (2013). Hanging out at the computer lab: How an innovative Australian program is helping young ‘aspies.’ Paper presented at the Proceedings of the 25th Australian Computer-Human Interaction Conference: Augmentation, Application, Innovation, Collaboration, Adelaide, Australia. 535-538. https://doi.org/10.1145/2541016.2541078
Whalon, K., & Hart, J. E. (2010). Adapting an Evidence-Based Reading Comprehension Strategy for Learners With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Intervention in School and Clinic, 46(4), 195–203. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053451210389036
Williamson, P., Carnahan, C. R., Birri, N., & Swoboda, C. (2015). Improving comprehension of narrative using character event maps for high school students with autism spectrum disorder. The Journal of Special Education, 49(1), 28–38. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022466914521301
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Theodoto Ressa
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors wishing to include figures, tables, or text passages that have already been published elsewhere are required to obtain permission from the copyright owner(s) for both the print and online format and to include evidence that such permission has been granted when submitting their papers. Any material received without such evidence will be assumed to originate from the authors.
