EDUC-EDRD
6305: Research Design
Kathy Challis
The University of Texas of
the Permian Basin
Abstract
The research case
study proposal topic is the Impact of
Environment on Learning in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. The hypothesis is: Are students
with Autism Spectrum Disorder positively or negatively affected by the
classroom environment? Special
education classroom environments are studied for objectivity in the placement of furniture, sensory input such as visual cues, smells, salivatory, tactile response, hearing (auditory) stimulus, and perceptions of comfort and well-being.
Two qualitative
classroom samples will be collected as evidence of existing research in
practice and compared with other datum collected from quantitative and
qualitative research studies articles. The focus will be on furniture
placement, light, sound, and food
stimuli. Autism Spectrum Disorder will be defined by the American Psychiatric Association APA.
Legislation about Public Law 106-310 (2000), and Public Law 109-416 (2006) will be defined. Other research studies are
included in this article. Finally, the Ziggurat Model is presented for study.
Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Classroom
Environment, Sensory sensitivities, emotional response, classroom performances,
behavior modification, Ziggurat Model, Public
Law 106-310 Public Law 109-416
Chapter One
Introduction
The purpose of this research study is to
determine what are the effects on Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder by the
classroom environment. The quantity of available research are limited ( ≤40) related topics. We will
discover the manners of which, students with Autism Spectrum Disorder are
affected by the classroom environment. The objective of this study is to identify
the effects of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the classroom
environment. To be
discussed are the questions; What environmental stimuli encourage or discourage
children with Autism Spectrum Disorders to be successful in the classroom?
What are the effects on Students with Autism
Spectrum Disorder by the classroom environment? How can
educators prepare their classroom environments for students with Autism
Spectrum Disorder (ASD)? We will look at how available research on the physical
environment of dependent variables such as light,
sound, furniture placement and the use of food reinforcers will affect student
behavior. The independent variables are the presence of an
Autism Spectrum Disorder student, length of school day, subjects taught in the
school day. And the dependent variables are lighting,
noise, temperature, smell, tactile, taste, change in routine (perceptions), and
legislation for research into Autism Spectrum Disorder.
The hypothesis is students with Autism
Spectrum Disorder are affected by the classroom environment. The
essential question is what environmental stimuli encourage or
discourage children with Autism Spectrum Disorders to be successful in the
classroom? The Foundation of
this paper is: My grandson is an Autism student in K-5 for
Eagle Mountain ISD, and my daughter teaches Autistic students K-5 for Fort
Worth ISD, I am interested in why their classrooms are successful.
What is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?
According to McAllister and Maguire (2012),
and Kinnealey and Pfeiffer, (2012) “Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a term
that covers many subgroups within the spectrum of autism. Autism can be termed
as a lifelong complex neurodevelopmental disorder. It is characterized by a
triad of qualitative impairments in social communication, social interaction,
and social imagination.”
These social
cues are essential to the normal function of human beings. In people with autism, their environment processes their
environment in over-stimulation of sight,
sound, noises, taste, and touch. “For
people with ASD to function properly,
their environment must be adapted whenever possible according to the experts.
The experts are defined as teachers, parents, behavioralist, and environmental psychologist”
according to McAlister and Maguire (2012), and Martin, (2016).
How common is ASD?
“In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported
a 1600% increase in the number of individuals between the ages of 6 and 22
years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from 1993 to 2013.” (Martin, 2014,
p.280) Although, Autism Spectrum Disorder
occurrences are on the rise in early childhood, today (2014) at a ratio of 1:68 children are born with ASD (Martin,
2014, p280) the physical classroom has been neglected by researchers to
determine the optimal sensory settings for ASU students.
“In 2012,
according to the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, the population of ASD is 9.0 per 1,000
population or 1 in every 110 children.”
(Kinnealey and Pfeiffer, (2012) that number is up from the Center for Disease
Control (CDC) in 2013, in children with ASD ages 6 years and 22 years old are estimated at 1: 88, with the incidence of boys to girls to be 5:1.
Definitions
Autistic
Spectrum Disorder is a disorder identified by a lifelong complex
neurodevelopmental disorder. It is characterized by a triad of qualitative
impairments in social communication, social interaction, and social
imagination.”
Developmental dyspraxia is a disorder characterized by an impairment in
the ability to plan and carry out sensory and motor tasks.
Health
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, a US law designed to
provide privacy standards to protect patients’ medical records and other health
information provided to health plans, doctors, hospitals and other health care
providers.
The Ziggurat Model was co-authored by Ruth Aspy, Ph.D., and Barry Grossman, Ph.D., licensed psychologists specializing in
assessment and intervention for individuals with autism spectrum
disorders. The model was created to address concerns and common pitfalls
of typical approaches to developing intervention plans, such as incomplete
pictures of the person’s challenges and failure to target specific behaviors.
Acronyms
American Journal of
Occupational Therapy -AJOT
American
Psychiatric Association- APA
Autism
Spectrum Conditions -ASC
Autism
Spectrum Disorder- ASD
Centers for Disease Control -CDC
Collaborative
Virtual Learning System (CVLE)
High
Visual Display – HVD
1nteragency Autism
Coordinating Committee (IACC)
Independent School District- ISD
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH),
National Institute
of Health -NIH
Public Law- PL
Sensory Processing
Measure (SPM).
What legislation regarding ASD is available
Legislation for research into Autism Spectrum Disorder. Directly
quoted from National
Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), (2006), “2000—Public Law 106-310,
The Children’s Health Act of 2000, Title I Autism, instructed the Director of
NIH to carry out this section through the Director of NIMH and in collaboration
with other agencies that the Director determined appropriate. The Act expands,
intensifies, and coordinates activities of the NIH concerning research on autism, including the establishment of not
less than 5 centers of excellence that conduct basic and clinical research into
autism. The Act also mandated that the Secretary, DHHS establish an Interagency
Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) to coordinate autism research and other
efforts within the Department. Authority to establish
the IACC was delegated to the NIH. The NIMH was designated the NIH lead for
this activity. 2006—Public Law 109-416, the Combating Autism Act of 2006,
authorized expanded activities related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
related research, surveillance, prevention, treatment, and education. Specifically, the Act authorizes research under
NIH to address the entire scope of ASD; authorizes a review of regional centers
of excellence for autism research and epidemiology; authorizes activities to
increase public awareness, improve use of evidence-based interventions, and
increase early screening for autism; and calls on the Interagency Autism
Coordinating Committee to enhance information sharing.” What these two laws mean to
the layperson is that the government is
paying for research into all Autism
related disorders that have been lumped into one umbrella of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Summary
What
environmental stimuli encourage or discourage children with Autism Spectrum
Disorders to be successful in the classroom? And What are the effects on Students
with Autism Spectrum Disorder by the classroom environment? The independent
variables are the presence of an Autism Spectrum Disorder student,
length of school day, subjects taught in the school day. And the dependent
variables are lighting, noise, temperature, smell, tactile,
change in routine (perceptions of comfort and well-being). The
purpose of this research is to determine the effects on Students with Autism
Spectrum Disorder by the classroom. Public Law 106-310 (2000) and Public Law 109-416 (2006) are established to
formulate government research and fund five agencies in the discovery and treatment
of ASD. In a future study, temperature, smell, and tactile dissemination could
be addressed in addition to the perceptions of a child’s well-being and
behavior analysis.
Chapter 2-
Review of Literature
Articles spanning
2001 to 2019 were utilized, with an emphasis on the more recent eight years
whereas possible. The following Keywords:
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Classroom Environment, Sensory
sensitivities, emotional response, classroom performances, behavior modification,
Ziggurat Model, are used to define the
research parameters. Topics are included in the Body
of Reviews, herein.
Body of Reviews
Hanley, Mary, Khairat, Mariam, et al. (2017) Classroom Displays-
Attraction or Distraction? Evidence of Impact on Attention and Learning from
Children With and Without Autism. Developmental Psychology, 4 May 2017, Vol.
53, No. 7, p1265-1275. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/dev0000271
The authors used
video recordings to tape children’s eye movements in a controlled setting
without any high visual displays (HVD) in their background and another group
with HVD. In both children with and without autism, had difficulty recalling
two stories and two mini-lessons on a worksheet after exposure to HVD
backgrounds as part of the presentation. The students with autism did not do as
well as students without autism when the HVD was present. It is noted that 8 of
the 34 students were tested at their homes in comparable environments of visual
displays. This quantitative paper covers time spent looking at teachers face
and looking at HVD’s. The math in this paper was hard to understand. I will use
it in my research papers to give credence to MacAllister and Maguire’s papers.
Kinnealey, Moya,
Pfeiffer, Beth, et al. (2012) Effect of classroom modification on attention and
engagement of students with autism or dyspraxia. American
Journal of Occupational Therapy (AJOT), 66, 511-519, http://ddx.doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2012.004010
The authors offer a
solution to poor behaviors in a classroom with an
autistic and dyspraxia student, by incorporating halogen lighting and
sound-absorbing walls and ceiling material. “Results included increased
frequency and stability of attending and engagement and improved classroom
performance, and mood.” I will use this summary as a primer to my hypothesis
about Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder are
positively or negatively affected by the classroom environment.
Ma Fernandez-Andres,
Inmaculada, Gemma Pastor-Venezuela, & et al. A comparative study of sensory
processing in children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder in the home
and classroom environments. (2015) Research in Developmental Disabilities, 38. P202-212. , http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2014.12.034
The authors did a
study on two groups of children ages five to eight years for Sensory Processing
Measure (SPM). They had parents (more mom than dad) and teachers (more women
than men) complete questionnaires based
on home environment or school classroom environment. They used a Likert-type scale on the questionnaires demographic datum, age, years
with ASD contact with student/child, and parental: education, occupation,
income, and marital status were all considered as variables in the research.
The teachers reported more dysfunction in social
participation, touch, and praxis (the ability to plan and organize movement).
Other areas to be considered were sensory processing, social participation, and
praxis of the ASD group. I will use this data DSM-5 definition of ASD in my
research.
Martin, Caren S.
(2016) Exploring the impact of the design of the physical classroom environment
on young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, Vol 16 No.4
280-298 doi: 10.1111/1471-3802.12092
This is a
quantitative report regarding students in preschool to 6th grade
with ASD; the ages whereas experts agree are critical in forming a foundation
for the students’ well-being and life-long learning practices. There was
limited research available at the time the article was written; there were limited resources available for
comparisons and most of the data were anecdotal in terms of creating an optimal
learning environment. Such anecdotal information came from designers, teachers,
and school administrators. This article
was concerned with the interactive relationships between humans and the
environment as explored by environmental. Psychologist and behavioral
psychologist. This article gets precise details with classroom modifications in
the comparison of 19 articles summarized.
I can use this article as a checklist of expectations in the development of a
classroom environment.
McAllister,
Keith, Maguire, Barry, (2012) A design model: the Autism Spectrum Disorder
Classroom Design Kit British Journal of Special
Education ©NASEN
The authors
present a study of a classroom environment that is specially equipped to handle students who have “sensory sensitivity
to visual, auditory, tactile, proprioceptive, gustatory, and olfactory
stimuli.” The difficulties that
architects have with interacting with the teachers and pupils are detailed as
architects use pictures to demonstrate the needs of a client, while teachers
use words to describe the needs of the child. This study was conducted in nine “key one” classrooms, (ages five to eight), and
one “key three” classrooms, (ages 11-16). The purpose was early intervention
strategies that would be conducive to the children feeling comfortable, and at
ease in their learning environment, The key three was a control unit of
expected behaviors, while the key one was working hypothesis to get to stage
three developmentally. I think this paper has merit, and I plan to use the
information in my own research paper in comparing the three elemental teaching
zones for the classroom.
McAllister,
Keith, Maguire, Barry, (2012) Design considerations for the autism spectrum
disorder-friendly Key Stage 1 classroom. 18 Sep 2012,
Https”doi-org.ezproxy.utpb.edu/10.1111/j.1467-9604.2012.01525.x
The authors
engaged classrooms in three stages of development over a two year period that
broke 16 components into “four category bands; control and safety, classroom
character, classroom usage, and classroom physical factors.” The purpose of the
design was so that teachers could define their ideal ASD-friendly classroom and
discover what worked and didn’t work.
The 16 areas of concentration are spelled out. I will use this article
to compare the results of my study to determine if there is a correlation of
findings between this study and my study herein, Becker-Smith.
Negilioni,
Kappa, and Ramani, Krishna Kumar, (2019) Environmental factors in school
classrooms: How they influence visual task demand on children. © Negiloni et
al. PLoS One 14(1):e0210299 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0210299
The authors did a quantitive study on the effects of light in a classroom on fixtures
such as chalkboard, green and black with white chalk and the students’ desks.
They discovered that 62% of the 29 classrooms they evaluated had low lighting
[<150lux] so that visual acuity was problematic as determined by light in
lumens. The optimal lumens is >150-300lux. The study found that the
classroom placement of desks in relationship to chalkboards
needed adjustments and the lighting needed to be increased. Once the lighting
was increased, assessments with the variables such as letter legibility, stroke-width,
and chalkboard contrast we took under
advisement. Also, regular audits of the
classroom and recommended eyes screening of the students are necessary. I will
use this article as reference material to
the placement of a zone of learning
between chalkboards and student desks and teacher placement.
Yufang, Xhen, and Jun Yee (2010) Exploring the social
competence of students with autism spectrum conditions in a collaborative
virtual learning environment- The pilot study. Computers and Education, Science
Digest, 54, p 1068-1077. Doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2009.10.011.
The authors
define autism spectrum conditions (ASC) and collaborative virtual learning system
(CVLE). The research is done with three students (one girl and two boys)
with social competence disorders with ASC, normal average IQ’s, and normal
cognitive abilities. There were two scenes; classroom and outside, for the
student to engage in using a self-expressive avatar in a 3D social situation. The students were able to use verbal and
non-verbal cues in selecting responses to stimuli. They were evaluated on a
post-game simulation by describing; what happened, what do you see, and why do
you feel, questions about the pictures or scenes in the game. The findings were
positive that students with ASC could benefit from using virtual reality games
to support their social confidences and
have improvement in reciprocal social behaviors. I will use this research to
validate the sensory tactile, visual, and oratory aspects of ASD in my research
paper.
The reason we
need to research this topic is that new to ASD teachers need to know the
environmental factor that will occur in their classroom, solutions, and support
of peer-to-peer teachers. The latest research study (Becker-Smith) was
conducted by me in February 2019, in The form of a questionnaire, a poll, and
an opportunity to share personal insights of teaching ADS Students. The study
was completed by Megan Becker, B.S. of Saginaw/Eagle Mountain ISD and Ms. Kassidey
Challis, M.Ed. of Fort Worth ISD. My hypothesis statement; Are students with
Autism Spectrum Disorder positively or negatively affected by the classroom
environment? The questionnaires gave me similar results on the
qualitative case study. The purpose
of this research study is to determine what are the effects on Students with
Autism Spectrum Disorder by the classroom environment.
Chapter III- Methodology
Research
Designs A Qualitative Study
How can educators prepare their classroom
environments for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?
- Independent
Variables, social cues,
- Ethics- Is self-contained classrooms
presenting the world view of living?
- Participants;
(Becker-Smith, 2019)
- methods of research: inventory of knowledge questionnaire
and opinion poll
We will look
at how the physical environment of dependent variables such as furniture
placement, light, and sound will affect
student behavior. In the research (Becker-Smith), Megan Becker
(2019) teacher stated, children, “tend to stim (stim- is a repeated behavior
consciously or unconsciously acted out), on lights or reflections created by
overhead fluorescent lighting. There is one child who avoids walking on the
reflections in the hallway.” She also conferred that natural lighting at
different levels in the classroom was best. She has noted that fluorescent
light can cause headaches to occur. Kassidey Smith (2019), the teacher stated
that different types of lights like florescent will aggravate kids more than
other types like ambient (lamps) lighting around a classroom. Smith has found
that LED lighting has the least flicker and is not as harsh on the eyes.
The dependent variables are lighting, noise, temperature,
smell, tactile, change in routine/perceptions. The effects of light and sound barriers are discussed. In the study by Kinnealey and Pfeiffer,
et al. (2012), six weeks study of
videotaping an empty classroom, for sound in decibels
(dB). In sixteen 10 minute intervals of
videotaping at various times day and night for the control group and
then adding sound barrier treatments for two weeks and halogen lights for the
final two weeks “improved the overall sensory comfort, attention, engagement, emotional mood response and
improved classroom performance of the four participants/pupils evaluated.”
In another
research group, they used four male participants, three of whom were on the spectrum (ASD), and one had
Dyspraxia. “Developmental
dyspraxia is a disorder characterized by an impairment in the ability to plan
and carry out sensory and motor tasks. Generally, individuals with the disorder appear “out of sync” with
their environment. Symptoms vary and may include poor balance and coordination,
clumsiness, vision problems, perceptions of comfort and well-being difficulties, emotional and behavioral problems, difficulty with
reading, writing, and speaking, poor social skills, poor posture, and poor
short-term memory.” (NIMH, 2019).
The four participants were in the age range of 13 years to 20 years, and the “participants demonstrated
classroom-ready behaviors as defined by the school and be free of special health
concerns, cognitive impairment, or a psychiatric
condition.” (Kinnealey and
Pfeiffer (2012)). The participants kept journals and answer pre-post surveys
and guided questions by the Occupational Therapist. The findings were conclusive; however, there is much more experimental
research that needs to be done in the area of a broader-based sampling of
participants, varying sequences of interventions, using a dB meter that has
lower than 50dB capabilities.
The
Becker-Smith research parameters such as; gender of teacher/aides,
student/teacher ratio, the age of teacher, the age range of students, and
education of teacher were noted. In my research, Becker said
that the placement of furniture can help control student behaviors by giving
them a well-defined workspace. Younger children do well in defined expected
areas like their desk and chair. Smith concurred with Becker that some students
do better with a specified single area, while others do better in groups.(Becker-Smith,
2019) This is especially true if they
are adapted to using visual cues. Visual cues can include pictures with written
labels on a sentence strip. Simple things like Velcro on a desk can help define
the parameter or focus for a child of ASD.
In Becker’s classroom, (Becker-Smith, 2019), she has repeatedly observed
the phenomena that removing as few as one child from the class due to absence
can cause a shift in behaviors, the students usually are quieter. However, when
adults focus their attention on other adults, the children start acting out;
much like in regular classrooms. Becker and Smith both state that when noise is
the over-stimuli, it is beneficial to offer headphones to the affected child or
switch the background noise type to quiet or soothing music. They both use
headphones on computer stations. Becker said because background noise competes
with internal noise, children on ASD need extra time to process responses to
questions. Smith also stated that
weather and full-moon stages positively affect children’s behaviors negatively.
Olfactory stimuli such as
smells/odors like disinfectant and cleaners can cause discomfort to those with
autism. (McAlister & Maguire, 2012).
Temperature, tactile, change in routine can all affect the comfort
perceptions of the student’s well-being, and the participants daily journaling
helped researches determine the cause-effect parameters
of the study.
Yufang, X. (2010). The research is done with three
students (one girl and two boys) with social competence disorders with ASC,
normal average IQ’s, and normal cognitive abilities. There were two scenes;
classroom and outside, for the student to engage in using a self-expressive
avatar in a 3D social situation. The
students were able to use verbal and non-verbal cues in selecting responses to
stimuli. They were evaluated on a post-game simulation by describing; what
happened, what do you see, and why do you feel, questions about the pictures or
scenes in the game. The findings were positive that students with ASC could
benefit from using virtual reality games to support their social confidences and have improvement in reciprocal
social behaviors. I have used this research to validate the sensory tactile,
visual, and oratory aspects of ASD in the Becker-Smith research paper.
Research Methodology
Ma Fernandez-Andres,
I. et al. did a study on two groups of children ages five to eight years for Sensory Processing Measure (SPM). They had parents (more
mom than dad) and teachers (more women than men) complete questionnaires based on home environment or
school classroom environment. They used a Likert-type
scale on the questionnaires, demographic
datum, age, years with ASD contact with student/child, and parental: education,
occupation, income, and marital status were all considered as variables in the
research. The teachers reported more dysfunction
in social participation, touch, and praxis (the ability to plan and organize
movement). Other areas to be considered were sensory processing and praxis of
the ASD group.
The
research parameters for the qualitative case study of Becker-Smith’s group I
and II are the gender of teacher/aides, student/teacher ratio, the age of
teacher, the age range of students, and education of teacher was noted. Foundation: My grandson is an Autism student in K-5 for
Eagle Mountain ISD, and my daughter teaches Autistic students K-5 for Fort Worth
ISD, I am interested in why their classrooms are successful. The intent for my
research paper is so that new or non-ASD teachers will have a basic
understanding of what autism is and how the environment
plays a factor in their success or
failure as a student. Hypothesis:
Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder are positively or negatively affected by
the classroom environment. Topic:
Impact of Environment on Learning in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Essential Question: What environmental
stimuli encourage or discourage children with Autism Spectrum Disorders to be
successful in the classroom? Independent
variables: Presence of an Autism Spectrum Disorder student, length of
school day, subjects taught in the school day. Dependent Variables: lighting, noise, temperature, smell, change
in routine (perceptions). Research question: What are the
effects on Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder by the classroom environment?
Research purpose: The purpose of
this research is to determine the effects
on Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder by the classroom environment. Research objective: The objective of
this study is to identify the effects of
Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the classroom environment.
In
my qualitative case study of group I and II, the teacher was female, white, and
age 36, taught in a structured self-contained classroom, taught a minimum of 5
years but not more than 10 years, taught students with ASD factors and taught
in public independent school districts. The variable that was different was the
ratio of student: teacher, Group I, 7:2 and Group II, 11:3 respectively. I propose that additional research is needed
with a broader sample of the ethnic background of teachers, ages of teachers,
years of teaching experience, type of classroom, private vs. public Independent
School Districts and comparable student to teacher ratios in order to see the
similarities and differences that sensory output and input has on a students
behavior.
One
final note is that food (taste/salvatory) was considered as a variable. Becker
said food can be a positive reinforcer of behavior if the student doesn’t
become over saturated. And Smith said that it is not the food item itself that
reinforces behavior, it is the “how” (methods) it is used, that makes the
difference.
Research Design:
Qualitative Research- The Ziggurat Model
Articles to
answer the research questions such as: “How to support the well- being and
education of children with ASD in the classroom environment” [from an
educator’s perspective.] (Martin, S. 2014 p.281). Martin states, ‘Sensory Differences’ area and
include issues such as responses to sounds, light (including reflections,
shadows) or color, temperature, smells (sometimes undetected by others), need
for movement (including pacing, rocking), avoidance of movement and sensory exploration of objects, as depicted in the
hierarchical approach in the Ziggurat Model.
(Aspy and Grossman, 2013) How it Works. See figure 1. The Ziggurat Model is
based on the premise that we must first understand why individuals are engaging
in specific behaviors and identify what is reinforcing for them before
attempting to teach them new skills. The Ziggurat approach centers on
three assessment tools and a five-level
hierarchal system, and it utilizes students’ strengths to address underlying
deficits. Each level represents an area that must be addressed for
an intervention plan to be comprehensive.
Figure 1: The
Ziggurat Model
Effects of
the Physical Classroom Environment
Architects
are employed by schools to decorate the schools’ environment with wall
placements and lighting designs, acoustics, and even furniture choices. ASU
student physical classrooms are not typically specialized by architects, their classrooms are designed for non-handicapped regular students. Usually, it is heuristic, anecdotal
information from other teachers, parents, and behaviorist that inform the school of classroom accommodations that are
needed, and as such are unreliable local knowledge. (Martin, 2014, p281).
According to
Doctoroff, (2001, pp105-109,), “Thoughtful arrangements of space and High
noise levels have the potential to impede materials can invite children’s
participation in play and communication during social play. In general, noise
level contributes to their efforts to organize and utilize materials should be
moderate so that children and teachers can also, engage peers, and persist in play.
In many instances, be responsive to each other’s social cues. (Ramsey,
environmental enrichment or modifications result
in 1991).”
Adaptions to the physical environment can
limit or enhance a child’s ability to play and learn at the same time. Natural or ambient lighting can be an asset
or a determent depending on the child’s needs for sensory input. Noise levels pose a challenge for some
children with handicaps like AUS students. Noise-canceling devices or
headphones can be given or take away input.
Accessibility to all play areas using ramps as needed to aid students with
physical limitations should be provided. Doctoroff (2001), sites examples of
modifications to play areas and inclusion of mixed play areas to keep student
interest elevated. “A classroom play environment that is careful
development. Adaptive play for special needs children: planned to meet the
developmental, sensorimotor, behavioral, social, and emotional needs of each
child has the potential to enrich and extend the play possibilities.)”
Summary
The HIPPA Law
required I use (in)formal questionnaire and poll format vs. in-person
classroom interviews. Due to the convenience of the Educators involved in the
Becker-Smith research, the datum were
collected by questionnaires and polls (Becker-Smith, 2019) and accessed to
assess the value of interpretations of open-ended questions and an opinion poll.
Martin and Doctoroff have essential revelations about the physical classroom. Martin is in
the design elements of the physical classroom
and Doctoroff is in the accessories within the physical classroom. Future empirical research evidence is needed to serve the classroom environment for students
with ASD.
The Ziggurat Model was co-authored by Ruth Aspy, Ph.D., and Barry Grossman, Ph.D., licensed psychologists specializing in
assessment and intervention for individuals with autism spectrum
disorders. The model was created to address concerns and common pitfalls
of typical approaches to developing intervention plans, such as incomplete
pictures of the person’s challenges and failure to target specific behaviors.
Chapter IV-
Ethics & Human Relationships/Timeline
There are not any threats to the educators
reporting the information, they are protected by the Hippa “gag” order. I am
physically handing the research documents to the educators and retrieving the
finished product. I gained formal consent to approach educators at their place
of employment. It took three weeks to get the information questionnaire and poll back from the educators.
Two weeks to synthesize and compare data
from the poll and questionnaire and one week to write proposal.
Reference[KAC1]
Aspy, R & Grossman, B.G. (2008) The
Ziggurat Model: A framework for Designing Comprehensive Interventions for
Individuals with High-Functioning Autism and Asperger Syndrome. Shawnee
Mission, KS. AAPC, Reviewed at http://www.aapcpublishing.net
Avissar,
Gilada. Partnerships between Special and Mainstream Schools., ERIC Number: EJ1184106
Record Type: Journal Publication Date: 2018-Jul Pages: 8 ISSN:
EISSN-1471-3802 Journal of Research in Special Educational
Needs, v18 n3
p149-156 Jul 2018
Becker-Smith,
(2019). Becker, Megan. Eagle Mountain Independent School District, Educator,
Bailey Boswell Elementary School. Smith, Kassidy M. Fort Worth Independent
School District, Educator, Wayside Elementary School.
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Grant Information: This study was supported by in part by the National
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CTSA Award UL1TR000445. Entry Date: Accession Number: 118940956 Today’s reference: 27 January 2019
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+ lines.
