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Related Experiment Videos

Editorial: What Constitutes "Evidence-Based" Educational Practice?

Patricia Howlin1

  • 1The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK.

Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
|May 26, 2019
PubMed
Summary

Computer-assisted interventions (CAI) show promise for children with autism, but a small study on TeachTown: Basics yielded nonsignificant results. Further research is needed to validate its effectiveness in educational settings.

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Area of Science:

  • Education
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Special Education

Background:

  • Evidence-based educational practices are mandated for all children.
  • Children with autism incur significant educational costs, driving demand for cost-effective solutions.
  • Computer-assisted interventions (CAI) are explored for their potential to meet the educational needs of autistic students.

Discussion:

  • This study evaluates TeachTown: Basics, a CAI program designed for children with autism and developmental disabilities (nonverbal mental age 2-7 years).
  • A prior small-scale randomized control trial (RCT) of TeachTown: Basics showed generally nonsignificant changes in language and cognitive measures.
  • Despite limited evidence, the School District of Philadelphia adopted TeachTown: Basics for its autism support classrooms.

Key Insights:

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  • TeachTown: Basics aims to enhance vocabulary, listening skills, socio-emotional development, and academic/cognitive abilities.
  • The prior RCT involved 22 children aged 3-6 years over 3 months, with daily 20-minute sessions.
  • Positive but nonsignificant outcomes were observed in the previous evaluation.

Outlook:

  • The widespread adoption of TeachTown: Basics by a large school district warrants further investigation into its efficacy.
  • More rigorous, larger-scale studies are necessary to confirm the benefits of CAI for autistic children.
  • Understanding the long-term impact and cost-effectiveness of such interventions is crucial for educational policy.