Social-emotional development, psychosocial functioning, and relational experiences have been shown to impact academic achievement and psychological well-being. Social skills have been identified as being particularly critical in promoting mental health and life-long success. Children with well-developed social skills (e.g., sharing, being…

This action qualitative study with a case research design investigated the impact of facilitated communication (FC) on the educational lives of high school students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The effect of FC on nonverbal students and schools' reactions to FC were also examined. The results from the four case studies indicate that FC…

As the number of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is rising, there is increasing demand for evidence-based interventions that are efficient and easy to implement in school settings. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention protocol featuring guided practice, coaching, modeling,…

This dissertation consists of four chapters. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the self-determination literature documenting the importance of promoting the self-determination of transition and secondary age students with disabilities, as well as a summary of research examining the self-determination of students with disabilities across…

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) suffer from numerous social and communicative deficits that create difficulties when interacting with their peers, adults, and their social community. An increased prevalence of problem behaviors has also been found in children with ASD, and it is likely that such problem behaviors interfere with the…