The Use of Structured Teaching Strategies to Support Students on the Autism Spectrum to Stay on Task in Mainstream Classrooms

Abstract

Students on the autism spectrum can find the mainstream classroom environment challenging, and there is a need for effective strategies to support these students within the mainstream context. Staying on task and transitioning independently between tasks have been identified as activities that can be particularly difficult for students on the spectrum. This thesis presents a research project that aimed to develop and evaluate an intervention based on two structured teaching strategies – visual schedules and work systems – which have demonstrated potential in supporting students on the spectrum to stay on task. Whereas other research has mainly evaluated these strategies in special educations or autism specific settings, or outside the classroom, this project examined their use as inclusive, whole-class practices to support students on the autism spectrum in mainstream classrooms. The research presented here involved a mixed-methods design over three distinct phases. In Phase 1, a case-study approach was used to trial the intervention as well as to test and refine research methods for use in the study that followed. In Phase 2, a multiple baseline design was employed to evaluate the use of visual schedules and work systems to support students on the spectrum to stay on task in mainstream settings. Finally, in Phase 3, an online survey and interviews were used to investigate the attitudes of mainstream teachers toward the intervention package. The pilot study established the feasibility of using visual schedules and work systems in mainstream settings, and facilitated the development and refinement of research methods suitable for use in the mainstream classroom. The evaluation of the strategies during Phase 2 demonstrated that their use had a positive and significant impact on the on-task behaviours of students on the spectrum. In Phase 3, teachers who had viewed and trialled the intervention package reported that it was suitable for use in mainstream classrooms. Together, these studies provide evidence that visual schedules and work systems can be effectively implemented by teachers to support students on the spectrum to stay on task in mainstream settings. The research presented here has contributed to efforts to bridge the research-to-practice gap by evaluating these strategies in ecologically valid settings.