Adventures in Direct Instruction Implementation: The Devil Is in the Details.

Area of Science:

• Education
• Special Education
• Applied Behavior Analysis

Background:

• Public charter schools serving students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often seek effective instructional methods.
• Direct Instruction (DI) is an evidence-based curriculum recognized for its structured approach to academic skill development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To document the implementation process of Direct Instruction (DI) as a primary instructional model in a school for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
• To evaluate the impact of DI on student reading outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A public charter school serving students with ASD adopted DI using a common implementation framework.
• Student reading scores were assessed using the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement (KTEA-II Brief) for 67 students participating in a DI reading program for at least two years.

Main Results:

• The implementation of DI resulted in statistically significant improvements in student reading scores.
• Some students exhibited notably accelerated learning rates in reading, exceeding age-based expectations.

Conclusions:

• The adoption of Direct Instruction (DI) can yield powerful positive outcomes for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), despite a potentially lengthy implementation process.
• The study provides a practical guide for educators and behavior analysts interested in implementing DI in similar settings.