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This study examined the phenomenon of online gaming to describe the social interactions of young adults with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as they socialize and develop relationships within virtual environments. This research built upon previous literature related to the identification of alternate modes of developing social skills and interpersonal relationships of adolescents with ASD by exploring the social implications of virtual environments. Young adults with autism experience grim outcomes such as low enrollment in postsecondary education, low wages, few living independently, and few maintaining full time employment as a result of poor social skills. Given the availability of online mediums such as massively multiplayer online role playing games, discussion forums, chat rooms, and other social media, individuals with ASD have opportunities to interact without the constraints of face-to-face settings. A phenomenological study was employed using multi-sourced data. Findings yielded 15 initial codes that were developed into five main themes. Findings support a recognition and reciprocation of emotions, friendship development, and role identification. Additionally, the findings support skills required to be successful in postsecondary situations, specifically aligned with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Mrs. Whittle is a certified special education teacher in an urban high school. She teaches six students with intellectual disability and two students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in a self-contained class. One of the biggest obstacles identified by the parents of her students is their inability to independently navigate the community. Specific navigation goals for her students included visiting the public library, going out to meet friends, and traveling to a place of employment. This year, Mrs. Whittle has been asked by her administration and students' families to develop a program to support greater access to the community and potential employment locations. The program needs to include transportation education and incorporate tools to help students immediately access help and follow specific directions, which can support their unique challenges. Over the past few weeks, Mrs. Whittle noticed that the majority of her students use handheld devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets) to access applications (apps) and communication platforms (e.g., e-mail, phone, text messaging). Mrs. Whittle realizes that her students may be digital natives (Prensky, 2006), easily incorporating technology and apps into their daily lives. Mrs. Whittle knows that other teachers have been successful in using apps for teaching academic skills and thinks that they might work for her transportation education program, too. She begins to explore ways to help her students become connected using the public transportation system. She explores routes near the school and apps to support navigation, contacts the public transportation system to ask for help teaching her students to use their services, and sets up a special training system at the school that will be taught by the public transportation system. Mrs. Whittle is excited because she has a definitive plan to connect her students with the community and help them achieve greater independence and employment post-high school.

Education for students in the P-12 setting has been subject to significant changes due to access to the internet and online education availability and most recently, the novel coronavirus (COVID-2019) pandemic; therefore, teacher preparation must meet the demands of this new reality through efficacious preparation programs that reflect this reality. Teachers must meet students' unique needs across virtual platforms, which requires mentoring, practice, and training. Today, there are very few programs that prepare teachers to work in an online P-12 setting. Additionally, there is limited research on how to supervise pre-service teachers in an online setting; therefore, the purpose of this chapter is to present a theoretical framework for virtual observations of a pre-service teacher learning to teach in an online P-12 setting. Along with recommendations for partnership development, implementation, and evaluation, a protocol is offered, and recommendations for future research and conclusions are offered.

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This chapter explores the use of smartphones, a category of mobile learning, as learning devices that align well with tenets of universal design for learning (UDL). The theoretical foundation for this use is explored along with pertinent research. The chapter continues with an exploration of specific apps that reflect the tenets of UDL even as they promote learning, specifically executive function, collaboration, and knowledge acquisition and expression. Guidelines for select and successfully using apps as learning tools are provided along with a discussion of barriers to use. Recommendations for use, including actionable ideas for integration, are provided.

The purpose of this chapter is to elucidate the potential of online mediums such as multiplayer online role playing games (MORPGs), augmented virtual realities (AVR), and other virtual immersive mediums that hold the potential to build social connections and develop friendships for individuals with autism and related disabilities. Further, this chapter will examine current evidenced-based practices to support social skills and then relate the interventions used in the context of the virtual environments to support the development of friendships that could support transition to postsecondary situations.

The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to exacerbate the school psychology personnel crisis. There is a dearth of knowledge regarding how the pandemic has impacted school psychology trainers and course delivery. In this national study, 92 school psychology trainers completed an online questionnaire regarding technological instructional changes, job satisfaction, and their own mental health well-being during the pandemic. Findings suggest that during the portion of the pandemic assessed most trainers reported that they: (a) switched from in-person instruction to primarily online instruction, (b) were mostly satisfied with their jobs, and (c) generally experienced a positive sense of well-being. Furthermore, a sizable portion of those that switched to a mixture of hybrid and online instruction during the pandemic endorsed that they are likely to continue to use these modalities after the pandemic subsides. Unfortunately, although school psychology trainers presented as generally resilient workforce during the pandemic, almost 20% participants screened positive for possible depression.