Autism Spectrum Disorders and Visual Impairment Are Here to Stay: Using an Expanded Core Curriculum to Implement a Comprehensive Program of Instruction

Abstract

In this article, we provide a conceptual framework for an expanded core curriculum for students who have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in addition to visual impairment (ASDVI). Drawing from known evidence-based practices, as well as existing models of an expanded core curriculum, the framework presented in this area addresses (1) the foundational components of a comprehensive educational program; and (2) a corresponding expanded core curriculum, that, in the experiences of the authors, provides a structure to help ensure the best outcomes for learners with ASDVI. BACKGROUND In the last several years, the field of special education has brought considerable focus to the identification of evidence-based practices that teams can use to design and implement quality educational programs for students. These efforts serve to ensure that teachers are able to implement the highest quality instructional strategies for their students and can pair such strategies with the craft of teaching to best address each learner's individualized needs. Concurrently, leaders in the disability-specific fields of education for children who are visually impaired (that is, those who are blind or have low vision) and for children with ASDs have brought focus to a conceptual framework for curriculum through which evidenced-based and other practices can be implemented to best address individual students' learning needs. In the field of visual impairment, this focus led to the development and implementation of an expanded core curriculum--a curriculum of instruction provided in conjunction with the standard core curriculum that is designed to meet the unique learning needs of children who are visually impaired. Most teachers of students with visual impairments, orientation and mobility (O&M) specialists, other service providers, and parents have embraced the expanded core curriculum for students with visual impairments. In the field of autism, two recent efforts relative to curriculum development that rely on evidence-based practices are important to note. First, Educating Children with Autism (Lord & McGee, 2001) identified the major components of a curriculum for learners with ASDs. In 2009, the National Standards (National Autism Center) report identified interventions based on research that produce the best results for individuals with ASDs. In addition, the National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders, a multiuniversity center funded to identify and promote the use of evidence-based practice for children and adolescents with ASDs, works collaboratively with state departments of education or Part C agencies (that is, state agencies that administer the early intervention aspect of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) and the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities to provide professional development to teachers and others serving students with ASDs. With these efforts, there now exists a solid base of evidence and access to training to assist teachers and other services providers to implement a quality program of instruction for learners with ASDs. However, when addressing the needs of learners with ASDVI, relatively little research-based evidence exists. Best practice and curriculum design for these students, then, must reflect empirical knowledge of what is known about ASDs and visual impairment, and must be informed by the experiences of teachers and others working with both populations. Educators who understand the strengths of each set of learners need to match those strengths with interventions that have been identified to demonstrate positive outcomes. A COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM FOR LEARNERS WITH ASDVI Using a simple analogy of the basic structural framing of a house (see Figure 1), a comprehensive program of instruction for learners with ASDVI must include components that serve as the foundation, the walls and supportive interior, and over-arching roof. …