Individualized education programs for youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders

School Challenges and Services Related to Executive Functioning for Fully Included Middle Schoolers with Autism

The educational services available for fully included middle schoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the general education setting are not well known. Even less is known about how the executive functioning (EF) deficits of such youth are addressed in the classroom. The current study sought to identify the challenges, including EF, that middle schoolers with ASD face and the services that they receive on their Individualized Education Program (IEP), and also explore specific strategies used to build EF skills at school. A convenience data sample was obtained from focus groups with educational personnel (n = 15), and qualitative analyses of IEPs were conducted in middle schoolers with ASD with EF deficits (n = 23). Results confirmed that social communication and EF challenges are common. Multiple services and accommodations were identified, although EF challenges were rarely targeted on IEPs. Factors that may facilitate the success of EF strategies in the classroom are discussed.

Key competencies of students with autism spectrum disorders: Perspectives of Chinese teachers and parents

Well-defined key competencies for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) help develop curriculum and pedagogies that emphasize what students with ASD are expected to learn, to know and to do. Most of the current research on the key competencies of ASD is theoretical and based on the social and cultural backgrounds of western countries. The key competencies defined by most of the research lack of the support of empirical evidence. This study sought to identify the key competencies of school-age students with ASD from the perspectives of teachers and parents. Based on the review of existing key competencies frameworks, a key competencies instrument that consisted of 76 learning outcome items in eight domain areas was developed. An online survey to explore the teachers' and parents' views of the key competencies was conducted with 1,618 teachers and 2,430 parents of students with ASD across China. The results showed that teachers believed that the key competencies should consist of eight domain areas including social-communication, learning skills, healthy living, play, motor, emotion, sensory processing, and cognition, while the cognition related competencies were not recognized by parents. The competencies in social-communication, learning skills, healthy living had higher variance contribution. From the perspective of teachers, the variance contribution of social communication was the highest, while from the perspective of parents, the variance contribution of learning skills was the largest. Taken together, the key competencies framework for students with ASD should include eight dimensions and 75 learning outcome items. The similarities and differences between the perspectives of the two group were discussed. The findings could provide empirical data to assist in developing educational guidelines and guide the development of models of support for students with ASD.

Individualized Education Program Quality for Transition Age Students with Autism

BACKGROUND

Students with ASD have some of the worst postsecondary outcomes when compared to other students with disabilities indicating transition planning may not be working effectively. One source of support for postsecondary planning is development of the transition Individualized Education Program (IEP). However, little research is available to describe the current contents of transition IEPs for students with ASD. This study aimed to describe IEP and postsecondary planning quality for students with autism in their final year of high school.

METHOD

IEPs for 20 students with autism (Mage = 18.2 years; SD = 1.1) from two mid-southern states were analyzed. Descriptive analyses were used to identify strengths and weaknesses of IEPs and postsecondary goals based on federal law requirements and best practice recommendations.

RESULTS

IEPs contained an average of 3.1 IEP goals and 1.6 postsecondary goals. IEP goals were most frequently related to academic, learning/work, or communication skills. All IEPs contained an employment postsecondary goal while less than half of the IEPs included an independent living postsecondary goal. Key findings include lack of goals related to social skills and the lack of alignment between present levels of performance, IEP goals, and postsecondary goals.

CONCLUSIONS

IEPs for students with ASD in their final year of school do not consistently meet standards outlined by federal law or best practice recommendations necessary for successful transition from high school.

Consistency between provision, outcomes and functioning needs in statutory documents for young children with developmental disabilities in England

BACKGROUND

It is widely accepted that early childhood intervention for children with disabilities should address the assessment-intervention cycle holistically. Documenting both assessment and intervention is important to support provision effectively. In England, the official document that describes needs and provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities is the Education Health and Care plan. This document requires inter-professional collaboration and a focus on children's holistic participation, rather than diagnosis.

AIM

To examine the consistency between provision, outcomes and needs of young children with disabilities in England, as described in their Education Health and Care plans.

METHODS

The plans of 68 young children were examined and the relationships between documented needs, outcomes and provision actions analysed.

RESULTS

provision is more related to children's individual needs, than to their diagnoses, when needs are described in sufficient detail; interdisciplinarity leads to higher quality documentation of provision and outcomes. However, more needs to be done to support professionals in developing higher quality needs descriptions and interdisciplinary collaborations.

IMPLICATIONS

Training and interdisciplinarity with a common language between professionals have the potential to improve currently observed challenges regarding consistency between provision, needs and outcomes.

Design Elements During Development of Videogame Programs for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Stakeholders' Viewpoints

Introduction: Research has demonstrated that videogame programs can be an effective intervention targeting social challenges among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Despite the rapid growth in developing videogame programs, incorporation of stakeholders' views has been limited. Objective: This project aimed to identify the design elements that should be considered during development of videogame programs for children with ASD, from the perspectives of stakeholders. Materials and Methods: We involved 26 stakeholders, including parents of children with ASD, youth with ASD, and clinicians working with individuals with ASD in focus groups and interviews. Results: Thematic analysis yielded three themes: (1) addressing heterogeneity and diverse needs; (2) mirroring real world; and (3) teaching strategies. Conclusion: Incorporating these elements during development of videogame programs can help enhance the outcomes for children with ASD. By including stakeholders' voices, it is assumed that the developed videogame programs may serve as user-friendly and engaging tools to potentially complement traditional interventions when overcoming social difficulties in individuals with ASD.

Social Stories for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Validating the Content of a Virtual Reality Program

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects socio-emotional skills and perspective-taking abilities. Although social stories in a form of virtual reality program can help children with ASD, developing them and identifying appropriate responses might be subjective and thus challenging. Using Delphi method, and guided by general case training, we involved 63 parents and clinicians of individuals with ASD, in two rounds of online iteration to refine the stories. Scenarios that reached a 75% agreement level were accepted. This project is the first study to develop and validate a library of 75 short socio-emotional stories that illustrate various types and intensities of emotion in three social contexts of home, school, and community as the content of a virtual reality program.

Therapeutic Potential of Exogenous Ketone Supplement Induced Ketosis in the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders: Review of Current Literature

Globally, psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, autism spectrum disorder, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are becoming more prevalent. Although the exact pathological alterations are not yet clear, recent studies have demonstrated that widespread changes of very complex metabolic pathways may partially underlie the pathophysiology of many psychiatric diseases. Thus, more attention should be directed to metabolic-based therapeutic interventions in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Emerging evidence from numerous studies suggests that administration of exogenous ketone supplements, such as ketone salts or ketone esters, generates rapid and sustained nutritional ketosis and metabolic changes, which may evoke potential therapeutic effects in cases of central nervous system (CNS) disorders, including psychiatric diseases. Therefore, the aim of this review is to summarize the current information on ketone supplementation as a potential therapeutic tool for psychiatric disorders. Ketone supplementation elevates blood levels of the ketone bodies: D-β-hydroxybutyrate (βHB), acetoacetate (AcAc), and acetone. These compounds, either directly or indirectly, beneficially affect the mitochondria, glycolysis, neurotransmitter levels, activity of free fatty acid receptor 3 (FFAR3), hydroxycarboxylic acid receptor 2 (HCAR2), and histone deacetylase, as well as functioning of NOD-like receptor pyrin domain 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and mitochondrial uncoupling protein (UCP) expression. The result of downstream cellular and molecular changes is a reduction in the pathophysiology associated with various psychiatric disorders. We conclude that supplement-induced nutritional ketosis leads to metabolic changes and improvements, for example, in mitochondrial function and inflammatory processes, and suggest that development of specific adjunctive ketogenic protocols for psychiatric diseases should be actively pursued.

A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of the ACCESS Program: A Group Intervention to Improve Social, Adaptive Functioning, Stress Coping, and Self-Determination Outcomes in Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The purpose of this pilot randomized controlled trial was to investigate the acceptability and efficacy of the Acquiring Career, Coping, Executive control, Social Skills (ACCESS) Program, a group intervention tailored for young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to enhance critical skills and beliefs that promote adult functioning, including social and adaptive skills, self-determination skills, and coping self-efficacy. Forty-four adults with ASD (ages 18-38; 13 females) and their caregivers were randomly assigned to treatment or waitlist control. Compared to controls, adults in treatment significantly improved in adaptive and self-determination skills, per caregiver report, and self-reported greater belief in their ability to access social support to cope with stressors. Results provide evidence for the acceptability and efficacy of the ACCESS Program.

Social skills plus relaxation training with a child with ASD in the schools

A social skills plus relaxation training (SSRT) program was developed using direct training, relaxation training, and reinforcement principles. The aim was to examine the effectiveness of SSRT on increasing the frequency of three target behaviors for one 8-year-old, student classified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A multiple-baseline across behaviors design was used to evaluate the effects of SSRT. During baseline, intervention, and maintenance sessions the student's responses were videotaped and then subsequently viewed and coded after the session. During intervention, the student's correct responses for the targeted social skills increased and were maintained 17 weeks after SSRT ended. This study adds support for the use of this SSRT program in a school setting with children who have ASD.

Participation Versus Individual Support: Individual Goals and Curricular Access in Inclusive Special Needs Education

Following the recommendations and conventions of the United Nations on inclusion, many educational systems provide inclusive support for children with special educational needs (SEN) within mainstream classrooms. In this context, multiprofessional planning of inclusive support is crucial and individual educational plans (IEPs) are essential tools for professional implementation of inclusive education. IEP should at the same time provide suitable and achievable educational goals for individual learners with SEN as well as lead to adaptations in teaching methods, fostering participation and curricular access. These two functions are somewhat contradictory. Despite the importance of IEP for the inclusive support of children with SEN, its practical implementation has been often discussed and questioned, focusing on the quality of educational goals and on the curricular access of children with SEN.

This article investigates goal setting in IEP for children with SEN in inclusive classrooms. Domain and quality of educational goals are analyzed as well as important factors influencing goal setting in IEP. Furthermore, the curricular access of children with SEN is focused.

One hundred and twenty-five situations of children with SEN in inclusive classrooms in Switzerland were investigated using teacher questionnaires. Goals in IEPs were analyzed using categories from the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (World Health Education, 2007) and criteria for rating goal quality in IEP. Curricular access was investigated measuring the curricular distance of educational goals from the Swiss–French mainstream curriculum.

Results indicate an average to low quality of the goals. Most goals concerned academic topics (56%), and two thirds of the children had goals corresponding to the curricular level. Therefore, the curricular access can be judged as quite good. On the other hand, the question of the right to follow the child’s own pace with adequate curricular adaptations stays under scrutiny.

Autism Spectrum Disorder Updates - Relevant Information for Early Interventionists to Consider

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a pervasive developmental disorder characterized by deficits in social communication skills as well as repetitive, restricted or stereotyped behaviors (1). Early interventionists are often found at the forefront of assessment, evaluation, and early intervention services for children with ASD. The role of an early intervention specialist may include assessing developmental history, providing group and individual counseling, working in partnership with families on home, school, and community environments, mobilizing school and community resources, and assisting in the development of positive early intervention strategies (2, 3). The commonality among these roles resides in the importance of providing up-to-date, relevant information to families and children. The purpose of this review is to provide pertinent up-to-date knowledge for early interventionists to help inform practice in working with individuals with ASD, including common behavioral models of intervention.

Evaluating a Collaborative iPad Game's Impact on Social Relationships for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

This article describes how collaborative assistive technologies, housed on off-the-shelf, low-cost platforms such as the iPad, can be used to facilitate social relationships in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Through an empirical study of the use of a collaborative iPad game, Zody, we explore how assistive technologies can be used to support social relationships, even without intervention from adults. We discuss how specific design choices can encourage three levels of social relationship: membership, partnership, and friendship. This work contributes to research on both assistive technologies and collaborative gaming through a framework that describes how specific in-game elements can foster social skill development for children with ASD.

Special Education Services Received by Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders from Preschool through High School

Little is known about how special education services received by students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) differ by age, disability severity, and demographic characteristics. Using three national datasets, the Pre-Elementary Education Longitudinal Study (PEELS), the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study (SEELS), and the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2), this study examined the age trends in special education services received by students with ASDs from preschool through high school. Elementary-school students with ASDs had higher odds of receiving adaptive physical education, specialized computer software or hardware, and special transportation, but lower odds of receiving learning strategies/study skills support than their preschool peers. Secondary-school students had lower odds of receiving speech/language or occupational therapy and of having a behavior management program, but higher odds of receiving mental health or social work services than their elementary-school peers. Both disability severity and demographic characteristics were associated with differences in special education service receipt rates.

Linking autism measures with the ICF-CY: functionality beyond the borders of diagnosis and interrater agreement issues

PURPOSE

This study aims to: (1) link measurements used in the diagnosis of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health - Children and Youth Version (ICF-CY) and (2) analyse issues relating with interrater agreement within this process.

METHOD

Three instruments for ASD diagnosis were linked with the ICF-CY using deductive content analysis.

RESULTS

Correspondences between items' content and ICF-CY dimensions were identified for all ICF-CY components, except for environmental factors. Interrater agreement varied with the content of the units analyzed.

CONCLUSION

The linkage between the ICF-CY and the analyzed measures provides a way to document assessment-intervention outcomes using a common language, as well as to integrate diagnostic and functional data. Diagnostic measurements provide functional information beyond the diagnostic criteria defined for autism. A functional perspective is added to diagnostic outcomes, thus better informing educational and rehabilitation practices for children with ASD.

Physical education issues for students with autism: school nurse challenges

Extant studies indicate persons with autism have difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, repetitive behaviors, and poor ability to generalize learned skills. Obesity has also been identified as significantly affecting children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Negative experience in physical education (PE) may be the antecedent behavior to lack of activities that are mediators to sedentary lifestyles and contributors to the chronic illnesses associated with overweight and obesity. Students with ASD often cannot perform required activities to meet required PE standards. It is imperative school nurses be aware of the many challenges students with ASD bring into a PE class. School nurses provide education for the members of the school community, including the Individualized Education Plan team, regarding the need for attention to limitations, including physical activity, of students with ASD.

Identification of core functioning features for assessment and intervention in Autism Spectrum Disorders

PURPOSE

Framed within a biopsychosocial approach, this study aimed to identify the main functionality dimensions that experts in the field of child development and child psychopathology considered as essential in the assessment-intervention process with young children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), using the International Classification of Functionality, Disability and Health for Children and Youth.

METHOD

The Delphi method was used to obtain consensus among experts regarding the essential functionality features for the rehabilitation of young children with ASD. Therefore, web-based three-round survey was developed.

RESULTS

There are more functionality features identified as more essential for the age group 3-6 than from the group birth-2 years of age. 49.4% of activities and participation dimensions were regarded as essential by experts, while only 13.9% of body functions were selected. 39.9% of environmental factors were also marked by experts as essential.

CONCLUSIONS

Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) are classified in diagnostic manuals-DSM-IV-TR and ICD-10. These classifications are valuable to detect signs/symptoms of health conditions; however, they are often not sufficient to develop individualized interventions. More functional information is needed to complement diagnostic data. The identified functionality dimensions of the ICF-CY complement diagnosis by differentiating relevant functioning aspects in all life domains, according to the biopsychosocial model and should always be addressed in the process of rehabilitation of young children with ASD.

Examining the quality of IEPs for young children with autism

The purpose of this study was to develop an Individual Education Program (IEP) evaluation tool based on Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requirements and National Research Council recommendations for children with autism; determine the tool's reliability; test the tool on a pilot sample of IEPs of young children; and examine associations between IEP quality and school, teacher, and child characteristics. IEPs for 35 students with autism (Mage = 6.1 years; SD = 1.6) from 35 different classrooms were examined. The IEP tool had adequate interrater reliability (ICC = .70). Results identified no statistically significant association between demographics and IEP quality, and IEPs contained relatively clear descriptions of present levels of performance. Weaknesses of IEPs were described and recommendations provided.