Preschool teachers’ selection of social communication interventions for children with autism: An application of the theory of planned behavior

Abstract

Early Childhood Special Education teachers select practices to use to promote social communication development for their students with autism spectrum disorder. Understanding what evidence-based practices teachers select and why can inform the development of dissemination and implementation supports at the critical Adoption-Decision stage of implementation. The researchers used discrete choice analysis to examine and test the effects of Early Childhood Special Education teachers’ beliefs (self-efficacy, attitude, subjective norms; Theory of Planned Behavior) about key evidence-based practices on their practice selections. To assess malleable determinants of practice selection, this study addressed these aims: (1) assess Early Childhood Special Education teachers’ beliefs (attitudes, subjective norms, and self-efficacy) about key evidence-based practices, (2) describe which evidence-based practices teachers selected, and (3) examine whether teachers’ beliefs predicted practice selections. A web-based survey gathered responses from 222 Early Childhood Special Education teachers. Participants had the most favorable beliefs about naturalistic intervention and the least about discrete trial teaching and scripting. These beliefs aligned with the frequencies with which these practices were selected, and teachers’ beliefs predicted which practices they selected. Together, these findings suggest that beliefs serve as determinants of Early Childhood Special Education teachers’ practice selections that can be acted on to tailor pre-implementation supports and improve implementation from the start. Lay abstract Preschool special educators’ are more likely to choose an educational practice to teach a young child with autism a social communication skill if they have positive beliefs about it. We asked preschool special educators to read a description of an autistic student and their social communication goal and imagine they were the student’s teacher. We then asked them to pick one of five practices to teach the student. We also asked them questions to understand their attitudes about, confidence in their ability to use, and their perception of their coworkers’ support of each practice. There are many research-based practices that a teacher could use to help children learn, and preschool teachers often make these decisions for their students. Teachers’ beliefs varied in how supportive they were of each practice, and research shows people are more likely to do something that their beliefs support. In this study, they had more supportive beliefs and were more likely to use some practices, like naturalistic intervention, than other practices, like discrete trial teaching. By knowing this, researchers can help teachers use practices that their beliefs support and help change teachers’ beliefs to be supportive of a practice they may need to use.

Matching Autism Interventions to Goals With Planned Adaptations Using COMPASS

“…As educators try to make sense of what the essential features are for any given EBP, the sheer number of available fidelity checklists and training supports to be sorted through may be contributing to an unintentionally complex decision-making context for educators. It is possible that these supports may do little to improve the professional judgment used by most educators (Knight et al, 2019) while also contributing to a belief system that constrains educators’ decision-making (Hugh et al, 2021). Designing implementation strategies that reflect how educators actually use EBPs, in combined and nuanced ways within the context created by the characteristics of the student, the targeted domains, the intervention, and the educators, may be an important next step to addressing the research to practice gap with the use of comprehensive interventions such as COMPASS.…”

“…Unfortunately, Knight et al, (2019) also found that many of those same educators report believing they are underprepared to select and implement practices designed to address social skills (56%) and communication skills (42%). The complexity of understanding educators' beliefs about practice selection decisions and factors that may constrain use of EBPs with autistic students is further reinforced by Hugh et al (2021), who examined preschool teachers' selection of social communication interventions. In combination, findings from Knight et al (2019) and Hugh et al (2021) exemplify possible constraints on educators' decision-making along with the need for a multifaceted approach to further explore and address the research to practice gap.…”

“…The complexity of understanding educators' beliefs about practice selection decisions and factors that may constrain use of EBPs with autistic students is further reinforced by Hugh et al (2021), who examined preschool teachers' selection of social communication interventions. In combination, findings from Knight et al (2019) and Hugh et al (2021) exemplify possible constraints on educators' decision-making along with the need for a multifaceted approach to further explore and address the research to practice gap. This gap is amplified by the extreme heterogeneity associated with a diagnosis of autism, especially as children age (Volkmar et al, 2012), and the disparate and often poor post-school outcomes, even when compared with students of similar cognitive abilities (Roux et al, 2013), creating an imperative for researchers.…”

Educators’ Perspectives on Training Mechanisms That Facilitate Evidence-Based Practice Use for Autistic Students in General Education Settings: A Mixed-Methods Analysis

“…The Autism Treatment Survey (ATS; Hess et al, 2008) was designed to measure teachers’ frequency of use and training experiences with a comprehensive list of EBPs for autistic children (Hess et al, 2008). We updated the ATS as follows, we (a) included practices identified as EBPs for autistic students according to the NPDC (Steinbrenner et al, 2020), (b) used updated NPDC practice definitions validated via cognitive interviewing with two former educators (Hugh, 2020; Hugh et al, 2021), and (c) separated training type (e.g., conference) and provider. To develop a set of focused EBPs inclusive of both multicomponent practices and strategies that are used to support meaningful inclusion of autistic children in general education settings, we used explicit criteria for exclusion of practices from the NPDC review to focus the set of practice options on EBPs that teachers could access training from a variety of pathways (e.g., schools and online modules) and reduce the potential impact of resource barriers (e.g., cost of certification).…”

Discovering Practitioners’ Knowledge and Use of Evidence-Based Practices for Autism Early Childhood Interventions

“…In addition, there may be bias in choosing which EBPs to use. Hugh et al (2022) suggested preschool special educators often select instructional approaches based on their positive perceptions and implementation ability. Additionally, many public school teachers have reported modifying EBPs for children with ASD (Suhrheinrich et al, 2013) which may impact outcomes.…”