The shift towards the inclusion of students with disabilities in regular schools has meant that general classroom teachers need to be skilled in educating students with a diverse range of needs and abilities. Together with theoretical study and as a supplement to practical experience, teacher educators have begun to explore virtual and simulated…

Nonhandicapped fifth-grade students conducted tutoring sessions in math, language, and reading for two elementary-aged children with autism. Results demonstrated that normal peers could effectively increase academic behaviors of autistic students through tutoring activities. (Author/JDD)

Using the concepts of normalization, mainstreaming, and individualized instruction, a big brother/big sister program was developed in which 16 severely handicapped autistic children (4 to 15 years old) were tutored by nonhandicapped and educable mentally retarded elementary students. (CL)

A multiple baseline design was used to examine the effects of classwide peer tutoring relative to traditional reading instruction on reading skills and social interaction time for three high-functioning students with autism and their typical peers in integrated elementary classrooms. Results revealed increased reading fluency and reading…

This research abstract describes two studies: first, "Class Instructional Programs with Autistic Children; Group Structures and Tutoring Models" (Debra M. Whorton et al.) and, second, "The Use of Explicitly Trained Peers To Facilitate the Social Behavior of Autistic Children" (Andrew Egel and Michael Shafer). Both studies investigated effective…

Three typical preschoolers were trained as peer tutors for three young children with autism. Tutors used incidental teaching to obtain verbal labels of preferred toys by children with autism. Adult supervision and assistance were faded systematically with resulting maintenance of increased reciprocal interactions. (Author/JDD)