Background: Children and youth with autism spectrum disorder have significant, multi-system needs that require supports, such as the autism waiver (AW) service delivery model. This study aimed to identify and describe characteristics of the AW, define obstacles and strengths in the provision of adequate services and provide recommendations for…

Way to Play is an approach that supports adults to promote the engagement of young children with autism spectrum disorder through play. The Ministry of Education in New Zealand has collaborated with Autism New Zealand to ensure the sustainable delivery of Way to Play within Auckland's early learning services by training early intervention staff to…

This study examined the impact of culturally focused classroom staff training on delivery of praise and its collateral effects on student on-task behavior. Training involved self-monitoring and performance feedback to promote staff delivery of culturally adapted praise to students. Four classroom staff and four students with autism spectrum…

Training courses on autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are required to meet the needs of the increasing numbers of children attending schools and care centers with a diagnosis of this condition internationally. A 14-day active learning course was developed based on three self-contained workshops which took place nationally in Iran over a 6 month…

This qualitative case study explored how parents of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) perceive their child's emotional competence and social function related to interactions with their non-disabled peers and church staff in disability ministry inclusion programs in the Southwest. The study was established on the foundation of…

Several interventions have demonstrated efficacy in improving social outcomes for children with autism, but they often are not used in schools. This study examined individual and organizational factors associated with the use of a research-informed social engagement intervention, Remaking Recess, for children with autism in elementary schools. A…

A Day Through My Eyes focuses on the topic of visual perception in school-age children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This program addresses a need to improve the training, knowledge, and skills within the area of visual perception amongst school staff members working at Bridgeway Academy. This program contains three interrelated components…

Both the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation and the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) clause within Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004 have impacted the educational service delivery for students with disabilities and the paraeducators that provide support services. As more schools turn to inclusionary practices, the…

With the increase of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) leaving the public school systems with centralized training environments, there needs to be innovation in supporting staff who will find themselves working in various community environments with adolescent or adult learners. Staff training and ongoing supervision is important for…

Background: In this study, we explored the impact of staff training that used video feedback to help staff see the effect of their interactional work with service users. The study was based at a large organization delivering services for children and adults with autism. Materials and Methods: A longitudinal qualitative study with semi-structured…

Deficits in question-asking are common in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Furthermore, their opportunities to self-initiate questions are often hindered by directive behavior of their conversation partners. This study assessed the effectiveness of staff training in pivotal response treatment (PRT) on staff member-created…

Given that more paraprofessionals are hired to deliver one-on-one intervention to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) under the auspices of behavioral health agencies, it is important that these paraprofessionals receive adequate supervision to support their implementation of high quality intervention while often working alone without…

An important line of research relates to whether school personnel, such as paraprofessionals, who are present during unstructured social periods, such as lunch-recess, could successfully implement interventions to improve socialization between students with ASD and their typical peers in a group setting. Therefore, within the context of a multiple…

Several recent studies have shown that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are less physically active than their typically developing peers and are thus at risk of health problems associated with inactivity (e.g., obesity or diabetes). There is a need to examine the effectiveness of interventions such as swimming that are aimed at…

Discrete-trial instruction (DTI) is a teaching strategy that is often incorporated into early intensive behavioral interventions for children with autism. Researchers have investigated time- and cost-effective methods to train staff to implement DTI, including self-instruction manuals, video modeling, and interactive computer training (ICT). ICT…