Students with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are increasingly included in general education and are expected to access core content, including science. Development of science content knowledge, scientific literacy, and scientific thinking are areas emphasized in legislation as well as the National Science Education Standards as critical for all students, particularly as they progress to middle and high school. However, participation in science discourse is often challenging for students with ASD given their difficulties with communication. Moreover, evidence on teaching academic content, such as science, to students with disabilities is limited. In this article, the use of visual supports is described as an evidence-based practice to promote engagement in science discussions among students with high-functioning ASD.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.