Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) interventions have been shown to improve both communication and social skills in children and youth with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities. AAC applications have become available for personal devices such as cell phones, MP3 Players, and personal computer tablets. It is critical that these new forms of AAC are explored and evaluated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the utility of the Apple iPad™ as a communication device by comparing its use to a communication system using picture cards. Five elementary students with autism spectrum disorders and developmental disabilities who used a picture card system participated in the study. The results were mixed; communication behaviors either increased when using the iPad or remained the same as when using picture cards. The implications of these findings are discussed.
This study investigated the effects of a Direct Instruction (DI) reading comprehension program implemented with students who had developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and reading delays. There is little research in the area of reading comprehension for students with ASD and no research as to the effectiveness of reading comprehension DI. A multiple-probe-across-behaviors design was employed. A functional relationship between Direct Instruction and reading comprehension skills and behaviors was demonstrated across all behavioral conditions and across students. Results and their implications are discussed.
This study investigated the effects of the concrete—representational—abstract (CRA) instructional sequence on the subtraction performance of students identified as at-risk for mathematics failure. Although the CRA sequence has been demonstrated as effective for teaching a variety of mathematical skills and processes its effects when used to teach subtraction with regrouping have not been studied. This study examined the effects of CRA instruction on elementary students’ fluency in computing subtraction problems with regrouping in the tens place as well as regrouping in both the tens and hundreds places. The study also investigated the effects of CRA instruction on students’ maintenance of regrouping skills. A multiple probe across students with embedded changing behaviors design was employed. A functional relation between CRA instruction and subtraction with regrouping was demonstrated across all students. The results and their implications are discussed further.
The Common Core Standards require demonstration of conceptual knowledge of numbers, operations, and relations between mathematical concepts. Supplemental instruction should explicitly guide students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) in these skills. In this article, we illustrate implementation of the concrete-representational-abstract (CRA) sequence and the Strategic Instruction Model (SIM) for teaching multiplication with regrouping to students with SLD. CRA combined with SIM has been shown to be effective in teaching computation for students with SLD, specifically for developing conceptual understanding. Four elementary students with SLD participated in this study. The researchers used a multiple-probe design to show a functional relation. Students demonstrated increases in computational fluency; skills were maintained and generalized.
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