Autism and iPadsShauna Huber

EDU671: Fundamentals of Educational Research

Instructor: Dennis Lawrence

May 5, 2014

Area of Focus:

My focus for this project will be to see if we can help the autistic students in our school by incorporating the iPad and an application called Able AAC. I want to do this action research in order to see if we

can increase their ability to socialize, interact, and learn more in line with their

classroom peers.

Explanation of Problem:

Current legislation often encourages the inclusion into mainstream schools of children with special education needs, including those

with Autism Spectrum Disorder (Reed, Osborne and Waddington, 2012).

However, the children with autism are often nonverbal or have limited vocabulary in their early education years which means they are

unable to interact and learn effectively with their classroom peers.

Variables:

What could be variables in this study?

Different levels of socialization skills

Student Attendance

Level of technology usage before study begins

Parent involvement

Internet/App Access at home

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Research Questions:

1 - What is the speed and efficiency of language learning and socialization before the addition of technology (iPads)?

2- What is the previous knowledge of technology for each student?

3 – If I implement the addition of “Able AAC” will it increase the children’s language and socializing skills and enable them to spend more time in the classroom setting with their peers?

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Locus of Control:

This action research project is trying to provide facts on whether technology can

benefit children in the classroom, specifically those that are primarily visual

learners and may have barriers in their learning, such as those with autism.

Intervention:

My plan is to incorporate iPad usage with the Able AAC app into the ASD students

daily instruction. We will begin incorporating in to small amounts to get

each student comfortable with the change. I would like to eventually see

about 90 minutes of tablet time inserted into their day by the conclusion of the

study.

Data Collection:Qualitative

• Student Observation

• Parent and Teacher/Aid Focus Groups

Quantitative• Parent and Teacher/Aid

Surveys

• Student Testing

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Group Membership:

• Myself

• Teacher Aid

• Parents

• ASD Students

• Observation, Testing, teaching new app, holding focus groups

• Student Testing, observing, helping with app integration

• Encouraging technology usage, helping with student comfort, feedback

• Learning new app, testing on app

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. -Margaret Mead

Negotiations:

• Parent permissions

• Principal/administration permission

It is very frustrating to get immersed in the action research process only to have the project quashed by uncooperative colleagues or administrators (Mills, 2014 p. 71).

Ethical Concerns:A big concern is to ensure that the

children in the study are not emotionally or mentally harmed in any way. Autistic

children are very sensitive to their surroundings and any changes that

disrupt their daily schedules. The best way to resolve this ethical concern is to watch the children’s signals, be aware of their needs and ease changes into their

lives as they feel comfortable.

“We may not recognize sarcasm, or we may be easily misled. Interpretation of a situation may be totally different from other’s people’s emotional assessment,

leaving us “in the wrong.” The result, fear and anxiety.”

-Robison (2011)

John RobisonPic Courtesy of:

grcc.edu

Timeline:Initial parent Surveys and any teacher/aid surveys of students beginning knowledge

– ONE MONTH

Students learning tablet usage and incorporating early play time on iPads –

ONE MONTH

Increasing usage and incorporating into daily learning activities – TWO MONTHS

(This period will include student observation, focus groups, and additional

parent surveys.)

Final review of learning and data collection via testing and observation

notes, as well as parent reviews –

ONE MONTH

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Resources Needed:

• For study – Two iPads

• Download of the Able AAC app on both tablets

• Teacher and Aid after school time to hold focus groups

• Room for focus groups

• Back up observer, in case teacher or aid is unavailable

Action:

In my proposed plan I would like to see action and improvement in language and

social skills in autistic children in the classroom setting. I want to incorporate technology to help them keep up with their peers or at least put them in a

better place than traditional teaching alone is doing thus far.

Assessment and Evaluation: (Is it working?)

Formative Assessment:

Student observations

Faculty evaluation focus groups

Asking questions to verify student progress

Summative Assessment:

Formal student evaluation on app usage and improvement

Formal end of project survey find here:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MGVTMWR

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References:

Able AAC Free. (n.d.). Home. Retrieved May 5, 2014, from http://www.autismspeaks.org/autism-apps/able-aac-free

Courtade, G. R., & Ludlow, B. L. (2008). Ethical Issues and Severe Disabilities: Programming for Students and Preparation for Teachers. Rural Special Education

Quarterly, 27(1/2), 36-42.

Landrum, R. E.  (2013).  Research design for educators: Real-world connections and applications.  San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

*This text is a Constellation™ course digital materials (CDM) title.

Mills, G. E.  (2014).   Action research: A guide for the teacher researcher (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson

Education, Inc.

Reed, P., Osborne, L. A., & Waddington, E. M. (2012). A comparative study of the impact of mainstream and special school placement on the behavior of children

with Autism Spectrum Disorders. British Educational Research Journal, 38(5), 749-763. doi:10.1080/01411926.2011.580048

Robison, J. "Ethical Issues In autism research." https://iacc.hhs.gov. N.p., 26 Sept. 2011. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.

<https://iacc.hhs.gov/non-iacc-events/2011/slides_elsi_john_robison_092611.pdf