Introduction
Currently, the aspect of inclusion has been given key consideration in the school setups in the country. Most learning institutions are promoting diversity whereby they enroll students with various abilities. The curriculums are as well formulated to accommodate the needs of each of the special cases that the educators might encounter in their respective classrooms. Such improvements are facilitated by the rapid increase in cases of autism among children causes a significant challenge to the education community. By making the classrooms more inclusive, the learners having special abilities are well incorporated into the learning environment to enable them to access the required education without discrimination (Hsiao & Sorensen, 2019). To enhance diversity, educators and schools must provide relevant support to aid in the practices. Several researchers have conducted a number of studies and proved various strategies that can be used to effectively ensure that learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are well included in the learning activities (Hart Barnett, 2018). The assessment will critically examine inclusive strategies that can be used together with evidenced-based practices to promote the inclusion of ASD students in the education environment.
Understanding the Status of ASD Students
Generally, learners with ASD have several developmental disabilities as a result of variations in their brains. In most cases, such individuals have issues with social communication, repetitive behaviors, and problems with interaction (Boroson, 2020). These aspects make them have unique ways of learning, thus prompting the school administrations to formulate effective inclusive and evidence-based approaches to ensure their educational needs are catered for accordingly amongst the normal students. As mentioned above, most of the students further display extreme motor mannerisms and other distinct behaviors that differentiate them completely from their peers without ASD. The crucial challenges faced by ASD learners are the inability to properly understand lesson concepts (Boroson, 2020). However, some have the potential to capture contexts that involve repetitive actions and those they have a specific interest.
Definition of Inclusive
The term inclusive refers to the act of incorporating people with different needs and making them co-exist together as a unit despite their respective special demands. Previously, public schools had the tendency to form mainstream classes where students having unique abilities were somewhat grouped and separated from those with normal health conditions (Roberts & Webster, 2022). However, currently, most schools have opted to develop a system that accommodates all learners with diverse statuses, including the ones with ASD (Dukpa, Carrington & Mavropoulou, 2021). There are several interventions and approaches being used to ensure that ASD individuals obtain the required support from the administration and educators.
Definition of Evidenced-Based Practice (EBP)
Evidenced-based practice (EBP) is the approach of using some of the best available shreds of evidence to aid in decision-making and to offer effective and efficient care to patients based on scientific facts. These practices are aimed at improving the well-being of ASD students (Sam, Cox, Savage, Waters & Odom, 2020). Some of the applicable EBP include self-management, antecedent-based intervention, cognitive behavioral intervention, differential reinforcement, naturalistic interventions, social skills intervention, and peer-mediated instruction interventions (Will et al., 2018). The involvements might produce different levels of outcome for ASD learners; therefore, it is upon the educators and other relevant bodies to choose the most appropriate set to enhance the result.
Why Inclusive and EBP Terms are Critical in the Selection of Interventions
When selecting the most appropriate intervention strategy, school administrators are supposed to consider the aspect of inclusion and EBP to ensure the approach meets the needs of the diverse student population. By choosing an intervention that promotes inclusion, educators will be able to protect and cater to the interests and demands of ASD students displaying both external and internal symptoms of the disorder (Watkins, Ledbetter-Cho, O’Reilly, Barnard-Brak & Garcia-Grau, 2019). In addition, the technique will make it easier to effectively integrate other normal students with ASD in the education environment. Inclusion is significant, especially during class lessons, since the teacher will have to develop curriculums that encompass the needs of the ASD learners. This limits the impact of discrimination that can cause isolation among ASD students in school compounds.
Similarly, EBP is essential for the selection of an intervention strategy because it allows educators to choose the most appropriate approach that is scientifically proven to have a positive impact on the well-being of ASD students. Generally, EBP procedures are aimed at generating proper outcomes for people having ASD as outlined by the National Autism Center (NAC) and the National Professional Development Center (NPDC) (Kingsbury, Sibert, Killingback & Atchison, 2020). Furthermore, EBP provides adequate criteria for a given target group. In addition, the EBP entails specific facts from the research studies that make them receive the quality of the intended interventions (Bolourian, Losh, Hamsho, Eisenhower & Blacher, 2022). Therefore, combining both the aspect of inclusion and EBP is a vital consideration for the school administration and the families whose children are suffering from ASD.
Assumptions and Conclusions Made from Research about Strategies Perceived as Inclusive and EBP
Some of the assumptions include student-centered practice whereby the impact of the strategy is directed towards the learner with ASD. In other words, the given strategy must specify how it will significantly influence the behavior of the target group in order to obtain a positive outcome. Another supposition is that the procedure is scientifically proven, and there is adequate literature support that the given approach, when used, can generate maximum benefit for ASD students (Da Hora & Sella, 2022). In addition, the chosen strategy must accommodate both the ASD learners portraying external and internal autism symptoms as well as the other group of learners that do not have the disability. Moreover, the plans are assumed to facilitate the participation of the ASD students in any activity they undertake, either in the class setting or outside the classroom. They must provide tangible opportunities for ASD learners to grasp the necessary knowledge and experience to enhance their overall well-being in the education community. The techniques must promote the social development of the individuals to enable them to develop the required ability to correlate with their peers in the school environment.
Similarly, some of the conclusions made from the research concerning the strategies are that the financial decision is made from the available evidence that supports the practices. In addition, for it to be inclusive, the target population and the other group that does not have autism disorder should be able to correlate effectively. In some cases, the strategies are not implemented accordingly; however, there is room for adjustments to meet the needs of the specific category of learners. Furthermore, the approach used must guarantee improvement in the quality of life of ASD students at school and at home.
The Appropriate Strategy
In order to promote the ability of ASD students to effectively integrate and learn in the school environment, there are a number of strategies that have been developed by different scholars to enable educators to provide educational instructions accordingly to diverse learners. When choosing the approaches to apply, it is necessary for educators to ensure the plans encompass both inclusive and EBP. Some of the key strategies used by teachers to facilitate the learning process of ASD learners include Direct Instructions, Discrete Trial Training (DTT), Milieu Teaching (MT), Grouping, and Embedded ABA Strategies. The mentioned approaches are all essential to delivering educational instructions to ASD students.
However, after reading about the various strategies, I believe the Direct Instructions (DI) approach is the best technique for promoting learning activities amongst ASD learners in the school. The strategy is promising because it covers the aspect of inclusion so that both ASD students and learners without the disorder can receive instructions from the educator in the classroom (Thompson, Wood, Preston & Stevenson, 2019). The procedure exists in two forms that is direct instructions (‘di’) and Direct Instructions (‘DI’), championed by Rosenshine in 1986 and Engelmann et al. in the 1960s (Scheuermann, Webber & Lang, 2018). The DI tactic has well-structured lessons, instructional methods of delivery, and reviews of past contents.
Why the DI Strategy is Appealing
The DI strategy structure appealed to me because its educational instruction focus is categorized into two models. Having varied classifications that are ‘di’ and ‘DI,’ the technique has widened the scope for learning for ASD students in the school. For instance, ‘di’ is based on teaching procedures, while the ‘DI’ encompasses a “research-based integrated system of Curriculum design and effective instructional delivery based on over 30 years of development” (Scheuermann, Webber & Lang, 2018). This implies that the ‘DI’ perspective draws heavily from already tested and approved mechanisms that are essential in promoting the teaching and learning processes of ASD students.
How to Use the DI Strategy
In order to use the DI approach effectively, I would use the two models that are ‘di’ and ‘DI,’ separately to ensure effective delivery of lesson content. In the case of ‘di,’ I will capture the overall attention of the students by using a simple stimulus such as a stretch before the lessons commence. After that, I would recap the previous lessons that closely relate to the upcoming topics (Scheuermann, Webber & Lang, 2018). In the third phase, I would explore the content of lessons in finer detail using a variety of examples to ensure all the students, especially the ones with ASD, have adequate time to comprehend the context being taught. Upon completing the session, I will ask random questions from within the covered subtopics to test the understanding of each learner based on the content delivery.
Supposing the students show proper comprehension of the areas studied, I will then issue practices to be done within the class and provide feedback and corrections in areas where the ASD learners failed. Once the learners have shown skill acquisition, I will then give them exercises to do independently. This approach will ensure I have better insight into the potential of each person in person. Moreover, I will ensure I conduct a weekly review of how the target individuals have performed in order to know areas of weakness that require other approaches to better their outcomes.
For the case of the ‘DI’ model, I will formulate a proper and specific lesson plan that covers core areas. In order to deliver the content, I will group the ASD students in various groups to ensure they effectively comprehend the content of the topics being taught. I will apply the technique to subjects such as mathematics, arts, and sciences because they require more attention and focus. The procedure will entail showing the students the book to be used, giving learners examples at an increased speed, choosing the right words to emphasize, and monitoring whether the students respond accordingly and in unison. In case any errors are made, I will correct them instantly and recommend the students increase their participation and concentration.
Areas to Improve on the Strategy
Since the DI strategy is more focused on content delivery and acquisition of skills, it does not address the socio-communication aspect, which is a major challenge facing students with ASD. Therefore, in order to make the approach effective, I would incorporate a lesson plan that contains debating sessions that are in both ‘di’ and ‘DI’ models. By allowing ASD students to discuss, the chances of them being more confident and interactive will increase, which is essential for their well-being (Andy & Masters, 2019). I will ensure there is one lesson a week dedicated to a student-student teaching platform where each of them is given at least five minutes to showcase their understanding of the already covered subtopics. The technique will further give proper insight into the behaviors of the learners, thus making it easier to improve on other areas that can better their quality of education.
Conclusion
In summary, ASD students in learning institutions require proper inclusion practices to make them remain active and able to pursue their education. School administrations should formulate various strategies based on EBP and enhance inclusiveness to ensure that ASD individuals can study together in the same classroom with their peers who do not show ASD symptoms. Approaches such as DI are essential, and when utilized accordingly, educators will have the ability to facilitate skill acquisition among ASD students.
References
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