Related Experiment Videos
Do Student Characteristics Affect Teachers' Decisions to Use 1:1 Instruction?
Heather J Nuske1, Melanie Pellecchia2, Viktor Lushin2
1Penn Center for Mental Health, Psychiatry Department, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. hjnuske@upenn.edu.
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
|April 12, 2019
Summary
Teachers use more one-to-one instruction, like discrete trial training (DTT) and pivotal response training (PRT), for autistic students with more severe symptoms. This suggests individualized support may be missed for other students needing it.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Special Education
- Behavioral Analysis
Background:
- One-to-one instruction is evidence-based for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) but underutilized.
- Student characteristics can influence treatment selection and implementation by teachers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between student clinical/demographic factors and teacher use of discrete trial training (DTT) and pivotal response training (PRT).
Main Methods:
- Survey data collected from teachers on their reported use of DTT and PRT.
- Analysis of associations between student characteristics (sensory symptoms, social approach, verbal skills, self-regulation) and frequency of 1:1 instruction.
Main Results:
- Higher sensory symptoms, lower social approach, lower verbal skills, and greater self-regulation difficulties were linked to more frequent 1:1 DTT and PRT.
- Teachers provided more frequent 1:1 instruction to students with more apparent impairments.
Conclusions:
- Teachers tend to provide more intensive 1:1 instruction to students with more visible challenges.
- Current practices may not align specific 1:1 interventions with student needs and could lead to overlooking students who would benefit from individualized support.