Effectiveness of the Direct Instruction Language for Learning Curriculum Among Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Many children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit difficulties with complex language and social communication. Direct Instruction (DI) is an empirically supported curriculum designed to teach complex language skills to children with and at risk of learning disabilities. Only recently, the effectiveness of DI has been evaluated among children with autism. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of the DI Language for Learning curriculum among 18 children diagnosed with ASD. Immediate post-intervention language scores on curriculum post-tests were significantly higher than pre-intervention scores and remained significantly higher than pre-intervention scores up to 6 to 8 months following the intervention. Comparing language skills across groups, children already exposed to the intervention exhibited significantly higher language skills than their non-exposed waitlist counterparts.

Investigating Generalization Difficulties During Instruction in Language for Learning

“…Procedural fidelity data indicate that the teachers implemented the curriculum with high integrity, and the participants' direct acquisition data from mastery tests replicate the results of other studies in which the curriculum was implemented by researchers or therapists in home or clinic settings (e.g., Shillingsburg et al 2014;Flores et al 2016).…”

“…Several studies that have evaluated the effects of LL on language outcomes for children with ASD have produced promising results (e.g., Flores et al 2013;Flores and Ganz 2014;Flores et al 2016;Shillingsburg et al 2014). For example, Flores and Ganz (2014) compared the effectiveness of LL and discrete trial instruction for teaching language skills to children with ASD and found that participants who received LL performed significantly better on curriculum-based language assessments than those who received discrete trial instruction.…”

“…According to the U.S. Department of Education (2016), more than half a million students received special education services in 2013-2014 under the category of autism; of these, 90.9% received services within a regular public school (U.S. Department of Education 2015). However, in the studies of LL for students with ASD, the curriculum has been implemented by researchers and research assistants (Flores et al 2016;Ganz & Flores 2009;Wolfe et al 2017), student teachers (Flores and Ganz 2014;Flores et al 2013), or therapists (Shillingsburg et al 2014), in homes (Wolfe et al 2017), clinics (Shillingsburg et al 2014), private schools (Ganz & Flores 2009), and extended school year programs (Flores and Ganz 2014;Flores et al 2013;Flores et al 2016). Thus, the studies provide information about the efficacy of the curriculum when researchers are closely involved in its implementation but do not provide information on its effectiveness when used by full-time teachers in public school settings.…”

Motor learning characterization in people with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review

“…Motor signs may serve as markers for deficits in parallel or neighbouring brain systems important for the control of socialization and communication. 13 Measures of motor function tend to be more overtly observable than measures of more complex social and behavioral systems. 8 …”

Reading strategies for teaching reading skills in people with high-operating ASD

“…Por el contrario, otros estudios señalan que, en primer lugar, el aprendizaje es más efectivo cuando se realiza de forma individual y mediante programas de instrucciones directas, es decir, el término conocido en inglés como Direct Instruction (DI), ya que mejoran e implementan su comprensión. Para después pasar a combinar con el trabajo en grupos cooperativos con sus iguales en un aula ordinaria, de esta forma aprenderán estrategias para las relaciones sociales (Flores y Ganz, 2007;Flores, Nelson, Hinton, Franklin, T., Strozier, Terry, Franklin, 2013;Roux, Dion, Barrette, Dupéré y Fuchs, 2015;Shillingsburg, Bowen, Peterman y Gayman, 2015;Braun, Austin y Ledbetter-Cho, 2017;Head, Flores y Shippen, 2018).…”