Module 9 Blog

                The article I chose for this week’s blog discusses strategies and intervention for students who are diagnosed with autism and emotional behavior disorders.  I was interested in this article because at the alternative school I work at, there has been several students I have worked with that are diagnosed with both ASD and EBD.  The authors in this article researched a multi-tiered problem solving model (MTPS) and how to implement this model for these students. 

                The authors begin the article with a brief review of the prototypical MTPS model which is a useful framework to address a wide range of student learning and behavioral problems. 

According to Magyar and Pandolfi,  “Several core components guide assessment and intervention practices and include: (a) a standardized assessment protocol with decision making guidelines for evaluating and addressing student support and intervention needs, (b) use of evidence-based interventions and protocols to address skill deficits related to participation and learning, (c) a professional development protocol for capacity building, and (d) a protocol for monitoring the integrity of model implementation.” (Magyar, Pandolfi, 2012)

                The assessment protocol includes activities such as surveillance, screening, and progress monitoring.  “The assessment protocol enables personnel to describe the student’s unique developmental, learning, and behavioral characteristics.” (Magyar, Pandolfi, 2012)  The authors also suggest that the surveillance must be formal for students with ASD regardless of their placement.  The reason the surveillance must be formal is because of the neurodevelopmental nature of ASD, specific symptoms can change over time and through interactions with different contexts.  The author recommends that this assessment is applied prior to the emergence of EBD issues.  The next component in the MTPS model is the intervention protocol.  The structure and interventions of this protocol are very similar to the three tier RTI triangle model.  The first tier is supports and interventions, the second is targeted intervention, and the third tier is more targeted supports and interventions.   

According to Magyar and Pandolfi, “Tier 1 supports include: (a) direct instruction on classroom routines and the establishment and training on scheduling and visual support systems to support independence in executing the routines, (b) a formalized classroom management system to assist students in meeting behavioral expectations that includes posting of classroom rules/expectations, teaching of the behaviors that enable a student to meet expectations, and differential reinforcement for appropriate behavior, and (c) various incidental teaching methods to assist the student to learn and apply functional communication and social interaction skills needed for classroom participation.” (Magyar, Pandolfi, 2012)

According to Magyar and Pandolfi, “Tier 2 targeted interventions will be needed for functional communication, social skills, self-regulation of repetitive and stereotyped behaviors, and the self-regulation of emotions and behavior.” (Magyar, Pandolfi, 2012) 

According to Magyar and Pandolfi, Tier 3 addresses student problems that have not responded to Tier 1 and 2 interventions.  They include development of formalized behavior support plans, referral for wraparound and mental health services, and in some cases, placement in specialized settings (for those students in the general education setting).”  (Magyar, Pandolfi, 2012)

Finally, the authors discussed a case study of this model at a rural school serving about 5,500 students from diverse backgrounds.  The superintendent reported that approximately five percent of students are diagnosed with ASD.  However, the superintendent believes that many more students present ASD symptoms and are either undiagnosed or not diagnosed with ASD.  Also, the superintendent reported a high percentage of EBD students among the ASD student population.  To implement this model the school had to establish a professional learning committee, establish an assessment protocol, establish the intervention protocol, professional development: implementing the ASD support model, and monitoring implementation.  The authors reported that the school had success with the MTPS model.  The short comings of the program were the teachers needed additional professional development, and the teachers who were not part of the PLC needed the most training on how to implement the model.  The author did not discuss the success rates of the students or if the model was more effective in a general education setting or an alternative setting. 

Next, I will discuss if the article is useful and if I would recommend this article to other professionals.  Overall, I thought this article was well written and the research was clear and to the point.  I liked how the authors summarized the model and the methods to implement the model in a school.  I thought the three tier intervention graphic and explanation of the tiers was very informative.  Also, I thought case study was informative and after reading how the school was able to roll out the model, I was clear about the process.  However, the authors in this article did not discuss the students and there was not data to state if the program was successful. I would have liked to see more technology examples and examples of activities the PLC team used as interventions.  I would recommend this article to my colleagues mainly because the tier graphic and explanation of the tiers was very informative.

In conclusion, because ASD is now classified as a high-incident disability, and many of the symptoms of EBD can co-exist in students with ASD.  I believe it is important to find more interventions and research to best serve students who are diagnosed with ASD and EBD.                

 

References

Magyar, C. I., & Pandolfi, V. (2012). Considerations for Establishing a Multi-Tiered Problem-Solving Model for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Comorbid Emotional-Behavioral Disorders. Psychology In The Schools, 49(10), 975-987.

 

                     

           

Stuttering and Autism Blog

                “Stuttering and autism can co-occur and when they do it presents a significant communication challenge.” (Brundage, Whelan, & Burgess, 2013)  The article I will review this week is about a study that measured strategies and the impact they had on students with autism who stutter.  There are two widely used methods of stuttering treatment, stuttering modification and fluency shaping.  Fluency shaping focuses on the behavioral aspects of stuttering and the goal is to teach a new way of speaking that is incompatible.

                The purpose of this study was to document the effectiveness of a rule-based fluency intervention program in decreasing his stuttering. (Brundage, Whelan, & Burgess, 2013)  The participant was a 21 year old male who was diagnosed with Asperger’s disorder.  The participant had a full scale IQ of 82 and he had never received treatment for his stuttering.  The participant was also taking Prozac and Wellbutrin during the study.  One year prior to this study, the participant was evaluated for his stuttering, the evaluation indicated severe stuttering as well as a lack of awareness of his stuttering behavior.  “To measure the behavioral aspect of stuttering during all phases of this study, conversational samples of 400-500 words were collected, transcribed, and coded for percentage of stuttered words.” (Brundage, Whelan, & Burgess, 2013)

                The treatment the experiment used for this program was the fluency rules program (FRP), which is a fluency shaping program originally developed for children who stutter.  “The FRP aims to decrease stuttering by teaching a set of speaking rules to follow in order to speak fluently.  Examples of these rules include: Speak slowly and Say a word only once.” (Brundage, Whelan, & Burgess, 2013)  This method of treatment has been proven to reduce the frequency of stuttering without changing the speaking rate or words spoken.  The participant in the study learned the rules of the program by writing them repeatedly until he was able to state the rules independently.

                The results of this experiment were measured in the percentage of stuttered words (%SW) in conversational speech.  The baseline of this participant averaged 14.57 %SW in conversational speech.  By the end of the program the participant maintained a low level of 2.07 %SW.  The author concluded the article by suggesting that the FRP has promise in reducing the frequency of stuttering when autism co-occurs with it.  “However, to date, no published research studies exist that described the effectiveness of treatments for persons who exhibit both ASD and stuttering.” (Brundage, Whelan, & Burgess, 2013)

                I chose to write about this article because I had a mild stutter when I was younger and I always want to learn more about stuttering and stuttering treatment.  I found this article interesting because it addressed stuttering and ASD.  Another reason this article was interesting because the participant had a limited awareness of his stuttering behaviors and social norms.  Currently, I do not work with any students who stutter and have ASD.  However, since ASD is becoming more common among school aged children, I believe that more speech problems will arise in time.  Therefore, learning different strategies to help with their speech is important for teachers and school staff. 

                Overall, I found this article useful and I would recommend this article to teachers and school staff.  I liked that the authors were thorough with the different variables in the experiment; such as, the medication, age, and IQ of the participant.  Also, I thought that the author was very accurate with the percentage of the words stuttered before and after the study.  However, this article was brief and I would have liked to read more about the strategies and materials the testers used for this participant.  Also, I think that the author could have included sample work or activities for the studies.  Other than those small criticisms, I thought that the article was well written and the research was thorough. 

                In conclusion, stuttering and autism can co-occur in school aged students and adults.  Since autism is occurring more often with students, it is important to know strategies to address speech deficits for these individuals.                     

References

Brundage, S. B., Whelan, C. J., & Burgess, C. M. (2013). Brief Report: Treating Stuttering in an Adult with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal Of Autism And Developmental Disorders, 43(2), 483-489.

Strategies to Implement a Vocation Program for Students with Autism

                “Among youth with ASD, 76 percent of teenagers over the age of sixteen have never applied for a job and 79 percent of adults with ASD continue to live at home” (Barnett, Crippen, 2015). This statistic is not only shocking, but it is also upsetting.  Disability or not, everyone deserves to be able to get a decent job that pays enough to support themselves.  The article I chose for this blog is about a high school that incorporated vocational skills to teach students with ASD how to work in the restaurant industry. 

                I will begin this blog with a brief summary of the article.  The author started this article with eight research based steps that created a high quality vocational program for students with ASD.  The first step is to observe other programs and collaborate with district teacher. 

The author’s research found that the first step in the design of a vocational program is to locate and observe other classrooms in the area and take into account the methods and strategies they employ to promote vocational instruction and job skills among their students with disabilities.

                The next step in the article is to align the program with core academic state standards.  In order for a vocational program to be in compliance with federal laws, the program must align to Common Core Standards. 

“For example, high school language arts common core standards require students to be able to understand the meaning of words (including technical text) from a variety of sources to solve a problem.  The comprehension of informational text and the corresponding skills that the standard requires are demonstrated by the students in a vocational restaurant setting (e.g., comprehending menus, using order forms), a copy center (e.g., retrieving meaning from order forms and following the process to complete the order) or when delivering mail (e.g., comprehending names on the envelopes, navigating maps of the campus in order to deliver).    

The third step in the program is to involve the students in the planning process in a meaningful way.  To get students engaged in the vocational program, the program must consider the students’ prefaces and interests” (Barnett, Crippen, 2015). 

The authors’ research found, incorporating meaningful participation in the vocational programs by securing student input in job choices, services offered, and outcome-related rewards may increase student “buy-in.”  This “buy-in” will consequently increase student motivation and engagement, which are related to improved achievement.

                The fourth step in the program is to connect the program to real-world experiences.  The authors found that in order for the program to be successful, the job skills should be taught in a realistic vocational setting.  “A critical step in a vocational training program is to give students with ASD and ID the opportunity to gain experience that will logically lead to jobs after high school in a variety of settings” (Barnett, Crippen, 2015).  The fifth step in the program is to create training materials and pre-vocational tasks that mimic real-world processes.  “For students with ASD and other developmental disabilities, visual supports have been found to be particularly helpful” (Barnett, Crippen, 2015).  In this particular vocational program, the teachers added pictures and adaptive writing materials to help students who had difficulty in writing applications.  The sixth step in the program was to use research-based training methods. 

“According to Barnett and Crippen, for students with significant disabilities at the transition stage, it is critical that these research-based approaches be applied to the development of their vocational skills in a functionally relevant way.  Teachers must investigate evidence-based and scientifically validated practices and apply these in their training programs.  For example, the students used social scripts to train the servers in a restaurant setting.  The kitchen staff was trained using video models, and the video model could be paused, rewound, and fast-forwarded if necessary for review and reinforcement” (Barnett, Crippen, 2015).

                The seventh step in the program is to integrate the program within the school community.  One of the goals of vocational programs should be to encourage meaningful interactions between the students and the staff in self-contained classrooms as well as, the rest of the school community. 

The authors’ research suggests that students in self-contained settings often become accustomed to communicating only with other students and staff in their own classroom.  By expanding the program to personnel outside of the self-contained setting, atypical school communication was encouraged and expansion of students’ language use and abilities was facilitated.  Furthermore, school-wide recognition of the students’ efforts creates a sense of responsibility and identification that increases the students’ sense of self-worth and self-esteem. 

                The final step is to use authentic “real-world” reinforcement.  People stay at jobs because they have a sense of pride and purpose for their work and the satisfaction should be applied to vocation training as well.  “Naturally occurring reinforcers such as social praise from a job well done can increase generalization of learned skills.” (Barnett, Crippen, 2015)  Following these steps to create a vocational program is how one high school was able to help students with ASD be more successful in the employment process. 

                Next, I will talk about my experiences with vocational programs and useful strategies that I found from this research.  The high school I work at has a work program for the special education students.  The program at my school works similar to the program in this article.  However, the program in the article seemed to have more hands on and real work materials such as the model restaurant.  I thought the model and the real kitchen were excellent training tools, I wish that my school could have a classroom like the one in the article.  Unfortunately, most public schools do not have the funding to make vocational programs like this possible.  I am a firm believer in vocational studies for general education and special education.  To explain, classes like auto shop and home economics make learning engaging and school more meaningful.  Cutting vocational classes out of the curriculum to make room for more math and reading is counterproductive.  Mechanics need to read and research repair manuals to diagnose cars, chefs need to use measuring skills to add ingredients in recipes, and salespeople need to communicate properly.  Math and reading skills lend themselves to vocational programs.  The EBD students I work with may not always be “college bound”, however, the vocational programs we have teach them how to fill out an application correctly, or gain entry level employment in a trade. 

                Next, I will critique this article and discuss the useful strategies I read.  Overall, I thought this article was informative and it contained good strategies and visuals.  In this article, there were several examples of how to modify job applications with visuals for students with ASD.  The article also gave examples of social scripts and modified menus.  The only criticism I have for this article is I would have liked to have read about more of the success rate of their students.  For instance, how many students found better jobs after this training versus before the program was created?  Also, the authors explained the steps of the program vastly, but they could’ve have described the strategies and modifications made for the student with ASD more thoroughly. 

                In conclusion, vocational programs promote learning, social skills, and life skills.  I believe that more schools need to focus on “real-world” vocational studies, especially schools that only accommodate special education students.        

Hart Barnett, J. E., & Crippen, R. (2014). Eight Steps to School-Based Employment Training for     Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability. Physical Disabilities:             Education And Related Services, 33(2), 1-15.