Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T17:06:34.621Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Preservice Teachers’ Learning Among Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 May 2014

Anne Power  and
Debra Costley
Anne Power*
Affiliation:
University of Western Sydney, Australia
Debra Costley
Affiliation:
University of Western Sydney, Australia
*
Correspondence: Anne Power, School of Education, University of Western Sydney, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia. E-mail: am.power@uws.edu.au
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This article reports on a collaborative venture between Autism Spectrum Australia and the University of Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Social Club network was formed for children and adolescents to provide structured opportunities for positive peer interactions in safe, stimulating and nonjudgmental environments. The Social Clubs were run by expert facilitators with additional workers drawn from preservice teachers undertaking a service-learning unit of study within the Master of Teaching Secondary course at the University of Western Sydney. The research design included surveys and reflections. Data were drawn from 4 sources: 58 parent survey responses, 51 Social Club member survey responses, 9 facilitator survey responses and 9 preservice teachers’ reflections. Data analysis was framed by Bourdieu's work, which refers to the allocation of social power. After the experience, surveyed parents confirmed that their children were relaxed when changing topics in a conversation and working in groups. Members demonstrated that they engaged with other members and with preservice teachers. Club facilitators felt that the preservice teachers developed an understanding that students with autism spectrum disorder thrive in structured environments and that they would set up their own classrooms accordingly. For the future teachers, it was authentic learning that enriched their preparation for the classroom, however multilayered its student population might be.

Keywords

autism spectrum disorderpreservice teacherssocial skills training
Type
Articles
Information
Australasian Journal of Special Education , Volume 38 , Issue 1 , July 2014 , pp. 34 - 50
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Australian Advisory Board on Autism Spectrum Disorders. (2007). The prevalence of autism in Australia: Can it be established from existing data? Canberra: Commonwealth Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Retrieved from http://www.autismadvisoryboard.org.au/uploads/pdfs/PrevalenceReport.pdfGoogle Scholar
Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST). (2002). Senate inquiry into the education of students with disabilities. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia.Google Scholar
Australian Parliament, Senate Employment, Education and Training References Committee. (1998). A class act: Inquiry into the status of the teaching profession. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia.Google Scholar
Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect). (2012). ‘We Belong’: A study of the experiences, needs and aspirations of adults with high functioning autism or Asperger's disorder. Frenchs Forest: Author.Google Scholar
Barnhill, G.P., Cook, K.T., Tebbenkamp, K., & Myles, B.S. (2002). The effectiveness of social skills intervention targeting nonverbal communication for adolescents with Asperger syndrome and related pervasive developmental delays. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 17, 112–118. doi:10.1177/10883576020170020601CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bourdieu, P. (1977). Cultural reproduction and social reproduction. In Karabel, J. & Halsey, A.H. (Eds.), Power and ideology in education (pp. 487–510). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In Richardson, J.G. (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). New York, NY: Greenwood Press.Google Scholar
Bourdieu, P. (1997). The forms of capital. In Halsey, A.H., Lauder, H., Brown, P., & Wells, A.S. (Eds.), Education: Culture, economy and society (pp. 46–58). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Bourdieu, P., & Passeron, J.-C. (1977). Reproduction in education, society and culture. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Bowman, P., & Weinkauf, T. (2004). Implementing SRV: Post-secondary education as a pathway to socially valued roles. International Journal of Disability, Community & Rehabilitation, 3 (1). Retrieved February, 2011, from http://www.ijdcr.ca/VOL03_01_CAN/articles/bowman.shtmlGoogle Scholar
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77–101. doi:10.1191/1478088706qp063oaCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Camarena, P.M., & Sarigiani, P.A. (2009). Postsecondary educational aspirations of high-functioning adolescents with autism spectrum disorders and their parents. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 24, 115–128. doi:10.1177/1088357609332675CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders — Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 14 sites, United States, 2008. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Surveillance Summaries, 61 (SS03), 1–19. Retrieved February 27, 2011, from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss6103a1.htm?s_cid=ss6103a1_wGoogle Scholar
Chadbourne, R. (1997). Including children with intellectual disabilities in regular schools: A review of the Western Australian project. Perth: Education Department of Western Australia and Disabilities Services Commission.Google Scholar
Charmaz, K. (2002). Qualitative interviewing and grounded theory analysis. In Gubrium, J.F. & Holstein, J.A. (Eds.), Handbook of interview research: Context & method (pp. 675–693). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Cohen, L., & Manion, L. (1994). Research methods in education. London, UK: Routledge.Google ScholarPubMed
Department of Education of Western Australia. (2001). Review of the educational services for students with disabilities in government schools. Perth: Author.Google Scholar
Department of Education Tasmania. (2000). Review of the policy on inclusion of students with disabilities in regular schools in Tasmania. Hobart, Australia: Author.Google Scholar
Fagan, B., & Dowling, R. (2005). Neoliberalism and suburban employment: Western Sydney in the 1990s. Geographical Research, 43, 71–81. doi:10.1111/j.1745-5871.2005.00298.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ford, J. (2007). Educational supports for students with disabilities and significant behavioural challenges: Teacher perceptions. Australasian Journal of Special Education, 31, 109–127. doi:10.1080/10300110701704978CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Forlin, C. (2001). Inclusion: Identifying potential stressors for regular class teachers. Educational Research, 43, 235–245. doi:10.1080/00131880110081017CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garrison-Harrell, L., Kamps, D., & Kravits, T. (1997). The effects of peer networks on social–communicative behaviors for students with autism. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 12, 241–254. doi:10.1177/108835769701200406CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldstein, H., & Cisar, C.L. (1992). Promoting interaction during sociodramatic play: Teaching scripts to typical preschoolers and classmates with disabilities. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 25, 265–280. doi:10.1901/jaba.1992.25-265CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Grossman, L., & Barozzo, P. (2007). The next global human rights issue: ASA's declaration on the human rights of persons with autism spectrum disorders. Autism Advocate, 4, 8–12.Google Scholar
Hay, I., & Winn, S. (2005). Students with Asperger's syndrome in an inclusive secondary school environment: Teachers’, parents’, and students’ perspectives. Australasian Journal of Special Education, 29, 140–154. doi:10.1080/1030011050290206Google Scholar
Keane, E. (2007). The integration of students with autism into NSW primary schools: A multiple case study of inclusion (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Charles Sturt University, Australia.Google Scholar
Mee, K. (2002). Prosperity and the suburban dream: Quality of life and affordability in western Sydney. Australian Geographer, 33, 337–351. doi:10.1080/0004918022000028725CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mehring, T.A., & Dow, M.J. (2001). Preparing future teachers for students with autistic spectrum disorders. In Wahlberg, T., Obiakor, F., Burkhardt, S., & Rotatori, A.F. (Eds.), Advances in Special Education: Vol. 14. Autistic spectrum disorders: Educational and clinical interventions (pp. 69–88). Bingley, UK: Emerald. doi:10.1016/S0270-4013(01)80008-8Google Scholar
Merriam, S.B. (1998). Qualitative research and case study applications in education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar
Miles, M.B., & Huberman, A.M. (1984). Qualitative data analysis: A sourcebook of new methods. Newbury Park, CA: SageGoogle Scholar
Ministerial Taskforce. (2004). The report of the Ministerial Taskforce on Inclusive Education (Students with Disabilities). Brisbane, Australia: Queensland Government.Google Scholar
Morgan, G. (2006). A city of two tales: Distinction, dispersal and dissociation in Western Sydney. In K. Anderson, R. Dobson, F. Allon, & B. Neilson (Eds.), After Sprawl: Post-Suburban Sydney: E-Proceedings of the ‘Post-Suburban Sydney: The City in Transformation’ Conference, 22–23 November 2005. Sydney, Australia: Centre for Cultural Research, University of Western Sydney. Retrieved June 18, 2010, from http://www.uws.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/7174/Morgan_Final.pdfGoogle Scholar
Mundy, P., & Burnette, C. (2005). Joint attention and neurodevelopmental models of autism. In Volkmar, F.R., Paul, R., Klin, A., & Cohen, D. (Eds.), Handbook of autism and pervasive developmental disorders (Vol 1., 3rd ed., pp. 650–681). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murphy, P., & Watson, S. (1997). Surface city: Sydney at the millennium. Annandale, Australia: Pluto Press.Google Scholar
Nitschke, D., & McColl, M. (2001). Schooling options for students with disabilities in South Australia: A parent survey. Adelaide: Ministerial Advisory Committee: Students with Disabilities.Google Scholar
NSW Institute of Teachers. (2005). Professional Teaching Standards. Retrieved from http://www.nswteachers.nsw.edu.au/Main-Professional-Teaching-Standards/nsw-professional-teaching-standards/Google Scholar
Perry, R. (2004). Early diagnosis of Asperger's disorder: lessons from a large clinical practice. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 43, 1445–1448. doi:10.1097/01.chi.0000140451.43582.f8CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Plimley, L., & Bowen, M. (2006). Autistic spectrum disorders in the secondary school. London, UK: Paul Chapman.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Plimley, L., & Bowen, M. (2007). Social skills and autistic spectrum disorders. London, UK: Paul Chapman.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Prizant, B. (2010). Straight talk about autism. Autism Spectrum Quarterly, (Summer), 29–32.Google Scholar
Sainsbury, C. (2000). Martian in the playground: Understanding the schoolchild with Asperger's syndrome. Bristol, UK: Lucky Duck.Google Scholar
Stake, R.E. (1995). The art of case study research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Tourangeau, R., & Yan, T. (2007). Sensitive questions in surveys. Psychological Bulletin, 133, 859–883. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.133.5.859CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vinson, T. (2002). Inquiry into the provision of public education in NSW. Sydney, Australia: NSW Teachers Federation & Federation of P&C Associations of NSW.Google Scholar
Weiss, M.J., & Harris, S.L. (2001). Teaching social skills to people with autism. Behavior Modification, 25, 785–802. doi:10.1177/0145445501255007CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Williams, T.I. (1989). A social skills group for autistic children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 19, 143–155. doi:10.1007/BF02212726CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wing, L. (1993). The definition and prevalence of autism: A review. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2, 61–74. doi:10.1007/BF02098832CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wolfberg, P.J., & Schuler, A.L. (1993). Integrated play groups: A model for promoting the social and cognitive dimensions of play in children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 23, 467–489. doi:10.1007/BF01046051CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yin, R. (2002). Case study research: Design and methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar