Teacher ratings of evidence-based practices from the field of autism

Students who have a hearing loss and a comorbid diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have multiple obstacles to overcome. Using Gallaudet Research Institute data, Szymanski, Brice, Lam, and Hotto calculated 1 deaf student in 59 received services for both a hearing loss and an ASD (Szymanski, Brice, Lam, & Hotto, 2012). Teachers of the deaf (TOD) in a Midwestern state completed a survey (N = 68) to indicate familiarity with evidence-based practices (EBP) from the field of ASD in order to confirm or reject the hypothesis that they would not report familiarity with these practices. Further analyses explored use and perceived effectiveness of EBP for those TOD who had familiarity with the instructional practices. Results of the study indicated that there was wide variance in TOD familiarity, use, and perceived effectiveness of the EBP.