Effective instructional strategies to improve mathematical problem solving skills are critically important to student success in both school-based and real-world mathematics tasks. This study reports effects of a Virtual-Representational-Abstract Integrated framework on the mathematical problem solving skills of three middle school students with…

To live independently, it is critical that students with disabilities maintain the basic mathematical skills they have acquired so they may apply these skills in daily life. To support maintenance of mathematical skills among students with developmental disabilities, the researchers used a multiple probe across participants design to examine the…

Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have problem behaviors that interfere with learning and social interaction. This randomized controlled trial compared treatment with functional communication training (FCT) to "treatment as usual" for young children with ASD (n=38, ages 21-84 months). FCT was conducted by parents with…

The use of robots to teach students with autism spectrum disorder communication skills has basis in the literature; however, research investigating the effects of teaching coding or programming of robotics to promote learning in STEM to this population has not yet been conducted. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effects of…

This study examined the acceptability of a mobile application, "SpeechPrompts," designed to treat prosodic disorders in children with ASD and other communication impairments. Ten speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in public schools and 40 of their students, 5-19 years with prosody deficits participated. Students received treatment with…

The use of technology in intervention and instruction for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is increasing at a striking rate. The purpose of this paper is to examine the research literature underlying the use of technology in interventions and instruction for high school students with ASD. In this paper, authors propose a theoretical…

This study evaluated computer assisted instruction in social skills using hypothetical animated social situations. Evaluation with eight preschool children with autism (and eight matched normal children) suggested the program's potential for teaching problem-solving skills to children with and without autism. Children with autism were…

A study examined the effectiveness of properly constructed social stories that had been introduced into the natural environment to target the disruptive behavior of three children (ages 7-15) with autism. A decrease in disruptive behavior was evidenced when the intervention was implemented for all participants. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

The consensus statement of a panel of experts on treatment of destructive and self-injurious behaviors in persons with developmental disabilities addresses such areas as approaches used to manage these behaviors; evidence for the effectiveness of various approaches; the risks and benefits of the various approaches; recommendations; and needed…

This study of teaching methods in language interventions with three preschool children with autism found greater improvements in responding and considerably less disruptive behavior during the natural language (using functional stimuli and natural reinforcers) teaching condition compared to the traditional language condition. (Author/DB)

A study evaluated a 7-month cognitive behavioral intervention for facilitating social-emotional understanding and social interaction of 15 high-functioning children (ages 8-17) with autism. Intervention focused on interpersonal problem solving, affective knowledge, and social interaction. After treatment, children were more likely to initiate…