Doing Qualitative Research

Handbook of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders

The titleThinking in Pictures: And Other Reports From My Life With Autismwould suggest a first-person account of an individual's experiences with autism. In fact, the book is much more. In it, Temple Grandin, PhD, provides not only a vivid account of her life, but also an extensive overview of the state of knowledge about autism. The primary focus is, of course, Temple Grandin's experiences as they relate to her life with autism. I have never had the opportunity of attending one of Grandin's many lectures. However, I have heard about them and about her earlier writings for years, and have always wondered how someone who is described as autistic could be so successful at communication. Thus, it was with some skepticism that I undertook to review her book. Having finished it, I am satisfied that her unique personality traits and cognitive idiosyncracies do place her on "the great

Thinking in Pictures: And Other Reports From My Life With Autism

This study comprised of two experiments was designed to teach complex social sequences to children with autism. Experimental control was achieved by collecting data using means of within-system design methodology. Across a number of conditions children were taken to a room to view one of the four short videos of two people engaging in a simple sequence of activities. Then, each child's behavior was assessed in the same room. Results showed that this video modeling procedure enhanced the social initiation skills of all children. It also facilitated reciprocal play engagement and imitative responding of a sequence of behaviors, in which social initiation was not included. These behavior changes generalized across peers and maintained after a 1- and 2-month follow-up period.

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Using Video Modeling to Teach Complex Social Sequences to Children with Autism.

This study investigated the relative engagement potential of four types of electronic screen media (ESM): animated video, video of self, video of a familiar person engaged with an immersive virtual reality (VR) game, and immersion of self in the VR game. Forty-two students with autism, varying in age and expressive communication ability, were randomly assigned to the experimental conditions. Gaze duration and vocalization served as dependent measures of engagement. The results reveal differential responding across ESM, with some variation related to the engagement metric employed. Preferences for seeing themselves on the screen, as well as for viewing the VR scenarios, emerged from the data. While the study did not yield definitive data about the relative engagement potential of ESM alternatives, it does provide a foundation for future research, including guidance related to participant profiles, stimulus characteristics, and data coding challenges.

Engagement with Electronic Screen Media among Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Most traditional teaching methods used in working with autistic children rely heavily on auditory instruction. Autism is a spectrum disorder, with a wide variety of needs and abilities within the range of children with the disability, and not all children within this grouping benefit from copious oral instruction. This paper discusses the type of child that would benefit from an educational approach that emphasises a visual approach and discusses the benefits and disadvantages of some of the more well known of these.

Visual Teaching Strategies for Children with Autism.

The physical and emotional changes that occur in adolescence are part of the process of sexual maturity. These changes occur irrespective of ability and are often aligned with psychological and social factors. When the nature of a disability has an inherent limitation in social awareness, as is the case for individuals with autism, the achievement of personal sexual identity can become much more complex. Challenges in supporting individuals in this respect can be caused by the sensitive aspects of inappropriate behaviour, the abstract nature of teaching the topic, and the general reluctance on the part of parents and staff to discuss sexuality in individuals with disabilities. This article explores how a residential school addressed this gap. It provides details of how this need was met for seven students and the process undertaken to involve staff, parents and other stakeholders to establish ongoing support.

Establishing a Sexual Identity: Case Studies of Learners with Autism and Learning Difficulties.

Background: There is general agreement across all interested parties that a process of working together is the best way to determine which school or educational setting is right for an individual child with autism spectrum disorder. In the UK, families and local authorities both desire a constructive working relationship and see this as the best means by which to reach an agreement to determine where a child should be educated. It has been shown in published works 1 that a constructive working relationship is not always achieved. Purpose: This small-scale study aims to explore the views of both parents and local authorities, focussing on how both parties perceive and experience the process of determining educational provision for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) within an English context. Sample, design and method: Parental opinion was gathered through the use of a questionnaire with closed and open responses. The questionnaire was distributed to two national charities, two local charities an...

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Working together? Parent and local authority views on the process of obtaining appropriate educational provision for children with autism spectrum disorders

The year 2014 marks an important milestone for the SENCo role. It is the 20-year anniversary of the requirement for schools to have a named person as lead for special educational needs. This article, by Catherine Tissot from the University of Reading, explores the vision of the role as seen in Government guidance and documents and compares this with the views of those in post who are undertaking a required training programme to become a qualified SENCo. An optional questionnaire was distributed to all SENCos at Induction (Time 1) and repeated upon completion of the course (Time 2), and ten semi-structured follow-up interviews were conducted with volunteers to explore emerging themes. Differences were seen in the sample between those that were part of the senior leadership team in terms of their views on their ability to lead and direct practice, resource management and the strategic goals of the role.

The Role of SENCOs as Leaders.

For children with autism, social challenges may be both part of the disability and a barrier to accessing education. This article reports on a project that used drama to address such challenges by drawing on the social skills of non-autistic peers in a special school setting. The article demonstrates how drama's flexibility may be harnessed in order to help students support each other's development of creative and communicative skills. Focusing on two children in particular, specific examples are given to illustrate how they participated in group work, made imaginative contributions to verbal and physical representations and engaged with abstract ideas. The project's outcomes suggest that, given a concrete structure and an invitation to collaborate, drama can be a powerful learning medium for children with autistic spectrum disorder. The conclusion reflects on the diverse meaning of inclusive practice that can be achieved within specialist settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Catherine Tissot

Papers

Visual Teaching Strategies for Children with Autism.

Establishing a Sexual Identity: Case Studies of Learners with Autism and Learning Difficulties.

Working together? Parent and local authority views on the process of obtaining appropriate educational provision for children with autism spectrum disorders

The Role of SENCOs as Leaders.

The use of drama to teach social skills in a special school setting for students with autism