International review of the evidence on best practice in educational provision for children on the autism spectrum

Abstract

There is considerable debate regarding the most appropriate and effective ways of supporting the learning of children and young people on the autism spectrum. This international review provides a synthesis of empirical research and expert evidence (dated 2002-2008) to identify best practice in educational provision for these children. Five bibliographic databases were systematically searched using clearly defined keywords, and abstracts assessed according to explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria; 92 research papers that focused on children and young people were included. Expert evidence was drawn from policy documents and government strategies, or research reports, from the UK and Ireland. Findings show that there is insufficiently strong evidence regarding the effectiveness of one type of intervention approach compared with another. A range of educational provision should be maintained in order to cater appropriately for a wide diversity of needs. Interventions most often researched were those involving intensive behavioural techniques and some studies showed these can be successful in teaching specific skills to some children. There was limited evidence regarding the needs of older children as well as consideration of educational provision more widely, including the effects of type of setting (as distinct from a specific type of intervention or learning approach). More research is needed on other types of educational interventions currently used by parents and in schools as well as greater collaboration between researchers and practitioners to establish what works best for children and young people on the autism spectrum.

Reflections on the role of the ‘users’: challenges in a multi-disciplinary context of learner-centred design for children on the autism spectrum

“…For example, such differences in approaches to learning are particularly contentious in the field of autism education -the focus of the project example included below -where there is considerable debate about the effectiveness and desirability of learning approaches informed by behaviourism compared to those informed by other learning theories (see Parsons, Guldberg et al, 2011 for a summary). Moreover, there is much discussion about the specific learning needs of children on the autism spectrum and the extent to which these require special or particular pedagogic approaches (see Norwich &Lewis, 2005 andJordan, 2005 for discussion).…”

‘It’s the most important thing – I mean, the schooling’: father involvement in the education of children with autism

“…(F4) These findings illustrate the extent to which fathers showed themselves to be skilful, sensitive and responsive to the needs of their children, adopting individualised nurturing practices to reduce children's anxiety during busy morning routines. Such highly structured approaches have been widely accepted as best practice for children with autism in terms of facilitating learning and stress reduction (see Parsons et al, 2011). …”

Inclusion of an Autistic Child in Kindergarten Facility: A Case Study

“…More research is needed in this area due to the lack of empirical data to support one view over the other. (Humphrey & Symes, 2011;Parsons et al, 2011) Educational Program at the Child Care Center, Sultan Qaboos University …”

“…These programs are highly structured and aim to provide the student with basic skills that will promote adult independence by developing and maintaining useful and adaptive behaviors and eradicating inappropriate or dysfunctional behaviors. (Parsons et al, 2011) Discrete Trial Training (DTT) is one particularly highly utilized teaching technique which comes under the umbrella of IBI. This technique involves breaking down tasks into multiple steps which are then taught gradually and repeatedly until mastery is achieved.…”