The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of using an iPad to assist students with autism in learning communication skills. Three, 10 years old learners diagnosed with autism who present little or no functional speech, participated in the study. A multiple baseline design with AB phases across academic and social settings was used. During the baseline, students were given access to an iPad with the SonoFlex speech-generating device application, while no communicative attempts were observed. During the intervention, the students were taught to use the iPad to communicate with their teacher and peers for 6 weeks. With a least-to-most prompting hierarchy, all students increased initiating requests, responding to questions and making social comments in both class and recess settings.
This study describes a social validation of appropriate roles and responsibilities for teaching assistants (TAs) in inclusive classrooms. A self-report survey was rated by a sample of general education teachers, special education teachers, and TAs employed in urban and rural inclusive programs. Test-retest reliability of the survey was established for the TA sample. A factor analysis of all ratings suggested five major role components: (a) instructional; (b) school support; (c) liaison; (d) personal support; and (e) one-to-one in-class support. Statistically significant differences between mean group ratings indicate a lack of clarity regarding the appropriateness of these role components for TAs. We discuss how school districts might utilize our list to clarify TA job descriptions and shared understandings regarding roles and responsibilities among educational team members.
This presentation will discuss two studies using computer-assisted instruction with digital stories to teach expressive writing to secondary students with disabilities. One study focused on students with autism, and the other involved those with learning disabilities. "PhotoStory" of Microsoft in the Windows platform was used to allow learners to post, crop, move and rotate digital pictures, typing texts, and recording voices, in order to produce a story in a slideshow format. As a result, students learned writing skills to develop their compositions to increase the length, correct words and sentences, and improve quality of writing.
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