Autism and iPads Shauna Huber EDU671: Fundamentals of Educational Research Instructor: Dennis Lawrence May 5, 2014

Area of Focus: My focus for this project will be to see if we can help the autistic students in our school by incorporating the iPad and an application called Able AAC. I want to do this action research in order to see if we can increase their ability to socialize, interact, and learn more in line with their classroom peers.

Explanation of Problem: Current legislation often encourages the inclusion into mainstream schools of children with special education needs, including those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (Reed, Osborne and Waddington, 2012). However, the children with autism are often nonverbal or have limited vocabulary in their early education years which means they are unable to interact and learn effectively with their classroom peers.

Variables: What could be variables in this study? Different levels of socialization skills Student Attendance Level of technology usage before study begins Parent involvement Internet/App Access at home

Research Questions: 1 - What is the speed and efficiency of language learning and socialization before the addition of technology (iPads)? 2- What is the previous knowledge of technology for each student? 3 – If I implement the addition of “Able AAC” will it increase the children’s language and socializing skills and enable them to spend more time in the classroom setting with their peers? content/uploads/2012/03/examine.jpg

Locus of Control: This action research project is trying to provide facts on whether technology can benefit children in the classroom, specifically those that are primarily visual learners and may have barriers in their learning, such as those with autism.

Intervention: My plan is to incorporate iPad usage with the Able AAC app into the ASD students daily instruction. We will begin incorporating in to small amounts to get each student comfortable with the change. I would like to eventually see about 90 minutes of tablet time inserted into their day by the conclusion of the study.

Data Collection: Qualitative Student Observation Parent and Teacher/Aid Focus Groups Quantitative Parent and Teacher/Aid Surveys Student Testing content/uploads/2014/07/teamwork.jpg mbtest.gif

Group Membership: Myself Teacher Aid Parents ASD Students Observation, Testing, teaching new app, holding focus groups Student Testing, observing, helping with app integration Encouraging technology usage, helping with student comfort, feedback Learning new app, testing on app Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. -Margaret Mead

Negotiations: Parent permissions Principal/administration permission It is very frustrating to get immersed in the action research process only to have the project quashed by uncooperative colleagues or administrators (Mills, 2014 p. 71).

Ethical Concerns: A big concern is to ensure that the children in the study are not emotionally or mentally harmed in any way. Autistic children are very sensitive to their surroundings and any changes that disrupt their daily schedules. The best way to resolve this ethical concern is to watch the children’s signals, be aware of their needs and ease changes into their lives as they feel comfortable. “We may not recognize sarcasm, or we may be easily misled. Interpretation of a situation may be totally different from other’s people’s emotional assessment, leaving us “in the wrong.” The result, fear and anxiety.” -Robison (2011) John Robison Pic Courtesy of: grcc.edu

Timeline: Initial parent Surveys and any teacher/aid surveys of students beginning knowledge – ONE MONTH Students learning tablet usage and incorporating early play time on iPads – ONE MONTH Increasing usage and incorporating into daily learning activities – TWO MONTHS (This period will include student observation, focus groups, and additional parent surveys.) Final review of learning and data collection via testing and observation notes, as well as parent reviews – ONE MONTH 05/change.jpg

Resources Needed: For study – Two iPads Download of the Able AAC app on both tablets Teacher and Aid after school time to hold focus groups Room for focus groups Back up observer, in case teacher or aid is unavailable

Action: In my proposed plan I would like to see action and improvement in language and social skills in autistic children in the classroom setting. I want to incorporate technology to help them keep up with their peers or at least put them in a better place than traditional teaching alone is doing thus far.

Assessment and Evaluation: (Is it working?) Formative Assessment: Student observations Faculty evaluation focus groups Asking questions to verify student progress Summative Assessment: Formal student evaluation on app usage and improvement Formal end of project survey find here: /change.jpg

References: Able AAC Free. (n.d.). Home. Retrieved May 5, 2014, from Courtade, G. R., & Ludlow, B. L. (2008). Ethical Issues and Severe Disabilities: Programming for Students and Preparation for Teachers. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 27(1/2), Landrum, R. E. (2013). Research design for educators: Real-world connections and applications. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. *This text is a Constellation™ course digital materials (CDM) title. Mills, G. E. (2014). Action research: A guide for the teacher researcher (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. Reed, P., Osborne, L. A., & Waddington, E. M. (2012). A comparative study of the impact of mainstream and special school placement on the behavior of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. British Educational Research Journal, 38(5), doi: / Robison, J. "Ethical Issues In autism research." N.p., 26 Sept Web. 10 Apr <