Pragmatic language difficulties of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can significantly impact their ability to engage in socially appropriate conversations and form peer relationships. Using a multiple baseline design across participants, this study evaluated the effects of a novel peer-mediated intervention (PMI) on improving the…

Purpose: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and complex communication needs are increasingly taught to use tablet-based speech-generating devices (SGDs). An important issue in designing such interventions is the selection of an appropriate format for displaying vocabulary. The purpose of this study was to determine (a) whether young…

Students with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are being educated in general education content classrooms that use lessons directed to whole groups of students which limit use of visually presented material. For some students with ASD, having limited visual support hinders their abilities to process and comprehend material. Research shows…

This study evaluated the effects of progressive time delay (PTD) to teach four elementary students with intellectual disability on how to self-instruct using a video activity schedule. A single-case multiple probe across participants design with a multiple probe across environments design for each participant was used to assess the generalization…

Deficits in social communication and interaction have been identified as distinguishing impairments for individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). As a pivotal skill, the successful development of social communication and interaction in individuals with ASD is a lifelong objective. Point-of-view video modeling (VM) has the potential to…

Previous research has demonstrated that the way adults interact with children with autism can have a great impact on their spontaneous communication. However, to date, few studies have focused on modifying adults' behaviour and even fewer have been conducted in school settings which actively involve teaching staff in designing the intervention.…

In the current study, we investigated the effects of an instructional package (i.e., response prompting, sentence frames) on sentence writing for three middle school participants (ages 12-13) with moderate to severe disabilities. We employed a multiple probe across behaviors design to evaluate the efficacy of the intervention package and also used…

Despite the importance of written expression to the lives of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), there is limited research on teaching writing skills to this population. In the current study, we used a multiple probe across behaviors design to evaluate the effects of simultaneous prompting (SP) and computer-assisted instruction (CAI)…

Supported electronic text (eText), or text altered to provide support, may promote comprehension of science content for students with disabilities. According to the Center for Applied Special Technology, Book Builder™ uses supported eText to promote reading for meaning for all students. Students with autism spectrum disorder experience difficulty…

Students with disabilities trail behind their peers without disabilities while in school, as well as in post-secondary outcome areas. Given that self-determination and enhanced academic skills are associated with improved post-school outcomes, one possible solution is to identify interventions that teach self-determination and academic skills…

Literacy skills are important for accessing all areas of academic content as well as for increasing quality of life. The use of shared stories to teach early literacy skills to students with extensive support needs, including students with autism, is an evidence-based practice. This project extends the research by examining the effects of…

More than a decade has passed since the National Research Council described the common elements of effective educational programs for young children with autism. Since that time, few studies have attempted to understand the mechanisms of change and factors affecting the effectiveness of research supported interventions implemented in community…

In November 2001, the Greek Society for the Protection of Autistic People (GSPAP) established the first residence for people with autism in Greece, following the guidelines of structured teaching and the TEACCH method with all 12 of the residents. Using interview questionnaires and systematic naturalistic observations, this case study explored the…