1. Fidelity of Implementation Fidelity 6-8 weeks following live workshop
Statewide Implementation of an Experiential Training Paradigm to Support Educators through In-Person and Teleconferenced Training, Coaching, and Mentorship
W. A. Loring1, S. E. Blumberg1, T. E. Foster2, A. H. Dubin2, and A. P. Juárez1
(1) Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, (2) Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE
Federal legislation calls for educators serving students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to use evidence-based practices (EBPs).
Feedback from educators indicates that correctly identifying and realistically implementing EBPs has become increasingly challenging for educators in recent years.
In addition to this, the amount of pre-service information educators receive regarding EBP’s and ASD varies greatly by program focus and the time period when they received their degree.
Therefore, preparation and training in EBPs for educators is a pressing national need.
In response to this, the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center’s Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD) “Foundations of Autism Workshop” focuses on the characteristics of ASD and its impact on learning, an introduction to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and EBPs for teaching students with ASD, and strategies to most feasibly and successfully implement EBPs in optimizing learning for all students.
Introduction
Results
Reported implementation frequency 2 months post-workshop for all strategies were at least weekly or daily
An increase in correct responding was noted across 91% of questions (10/11) and a statistically significant increase (p<0.05) was noted for 64% of the questions (7/11).
Training Paradigm
3-day workshop
Attend in teams of 2 (Teacher-ParaEducator or Teacher-Teacher teams)
Large group instruction, modeling, and discussion
Small group application and role play activities
Demonstration and hands on-practice with students with ASD
Planning and coaching with TRIAD Educational Consultants
Individualized goals and action plans
Site Visit
Three hour in-person classroom visit by a TRIAD Educational Consultant
Opportunity to receive live coaching and feedback based on goals set at the 3-day workshop
Distance Consultation
Up to 1 hour of consultation and coaching sessions provided through a teleconference platform by a TRIAD Educational Consultant monthly for the remainder of the school year provided
Fidelity of Implementation *
Extremely
Strategy
Fidelity 6-8 weeks following live workshop
Environmental Arrangement
78%
Class-wide Reinforcement
75%
Class-wide Schedule
60%
Task Analysis
77%
Individual Schedule
72%
Independent Work Systems
69%
Individual Token System
68%
Naturalistic Teaching
100%
First Then
82%
Overall Classroom Management ** ** ** * *
Not at all
*=significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed)
**=significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed)
Summary and Future Directions
Data indicate this training paradigm results in increased knowledge of evidence-based practices (EBP’s) for educating students with ASD, high reported frequency of implementation, and observed moderate levels of fidelity of implementation shortly following the live workshop.
This structure was seen as socially valid by participants regarding feasibility and utility of implementing these strategies in an academic setting.
These data are of great value in developing the most effective and efficient forms of professional development to support the critical need for educator training in the provision of EBP’s in working with students with ASD.
The goal of this paradigm is two-fold: to assist participating school districts statewide in moving towards more inclusive and evidence-based practices and to develop nationally replicable models of high-quality educator professional development. These goals are rooted in an effort to advance policies and practices related to successfully building capacity and sustainability in educating students with neurodevelopmental disabilities.
50 educators participated across 14 counties, with the majority being special educators (54%) and paraeducators (32%) in elementary and middle school settings
This work was funded through a technical assistance grant (# ) awarded by the Tennessee Department of Education. We would like to thank our colleagues from TRIAD who work with educators across the state and provide administrative support and the Tennessee Department of Education.
Acknowledgements