The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how special education teachers and practitioners implement assistive technologies in the general education elementary classroom to improve the writing skills of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge (TPACK) and Vygotsky's social…

This dissertation is an exploration of the experiences and perceptions the behavior support plan (BSP) had on individuals placed into residential services or an independent living facility through a state waiver in Indianapolis, Indiana. Autistic high school graduates were addressed in this study to look at the various behaviors they faced when…

This study examined the response of high school principals as instructional leaders to the rise of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in public schools within the state of South Carolina. It specifically researched the impact of instructional leadership on students with ASD and the development of instructional leader principals when following the…

Systematic reporting of cultural variables in research publications is important to address disparities in diagnostics and treatment for children with ASD from diverse backgrounds. The present review examined reporting of cultural factors in ASD publications in the Swedish research context by using the GAP-REACH checklist developed by the Cultural…

Little is known about services for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in India. We systematically reviewed the literature to identify studies of ASD interventions in India. Among the 13 articles meeting review criteria, nearly all described efforts to culturally adapt interventions and/or outcome measures for Indian participants.…

This systematic literature review examines single-case intervention research targeting academic and related skills for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in school settings. Fifty-four studies published between 1995 and 2014 met inclusion criteria. Tau-U was calculated for each study to examine the effectiveness of interventions. The…

Increased participation in structured exercise (SE) routines has positive effects on physiological, cognitive, and social development (SD) for students of all ages and abilities. SE offers unique opportunities for social learning in a non-academic context. SE allows students to practice vital social skills such as observation, imitation, and…

Preschool classrooms provide a unique context for supporting the development of children with social-communication challenges. This study is an uncontrolled clinical trial of an adapted professional development intervention for preschool teachers (Social Emotional Engagement-Knowledge & Skills-Early Childhood). Social Emotional…

Provision of services for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and developmental disabilities (DD) in Nigeria has been influenced by US and international research and awareness efforts. Forces that impact progress include Nigerian cultural beliefs and family involvement, societal attitudes, inadequate infrastructure and resources, and inconsistent…

Purpose: Social media have been associated with social benefits and enhanced psychological well-being among non-disabled individuals; the purpose of this study is to examine whether social media may have similar benefits for young neurodivergent adults with autism, anxiety, or attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder who may experience…

Virtual reality (VR) has evolved to include non-immersive to fully-immersive experiences for the classroom. This study seeks to understand the potential effects VR may offer, specifically characteristics associated with how a student experiences a VR intervention and the effects of using a VR device for learning. A group experimental design was…

Leisure activities are important in assisting individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to build relationships, learn to behave socially appropriately, and acquire new interests--competences that assist in cultivating positive self-consciousness (Specht et al., 2002; Womack et al., 2011). Statistics indicate that 2.3% of 8-year-old children…

Typically developing (TD) children, as young as four years of age, have demonstrated enhanced noun learning when orthographic representations are presented during learning tasks. This dissertation investigated the impact of orthographic support on word learning in diverse populations, focusing on children from a variety of clinical categories…

This study examined the level of social communication problems (SCP), social anxiety (SA), and mood problems (MP) among children with ASD (age 4-13 years) enrolled in special classes (n = 74) and regular classes (n = 73) and grade level (kindergarten, 1st-3rd, 4th-6th) from teachers' perspective in schools of Palestinian Arabs in Israel. Teachers…

Arabic is characterized by diglossia, which involves the use of two language varieties within a single speech community: Spoken Arabic (SpA) for everyday speech and Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) for formal speech and reading/writing. Earlier research suggests that some Arabic-speaking children with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) might favor MSA…