Dear colleague,
As you may already know, the issue of inclusive education continues to attract the attention of educators, policymakers, and researchers. The goal is to have an education system where students with disabilities can learn with other students in general classrooms. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in one of the common disabilities in the USA; it affects about one in 59 children (Autism Speaks, n.d) . Autism affects social skills, behavior, and communication. More than half of the students with autism spend more than 50 percent of their time in general classrooms (Carter et al., 2017). This means increased peer interactions between them and other students. With the integration of students with autism in general education, different researches have been conducted to measure the impact of the integration on students with autism. I have highlighted two pieces of research in this letter; one covers the impact of peer support while the other explores the impact of peer victimization.
Observational studies reveal that students with autism tend to have few social interactions with their peers in general classrooms; also, they tend to avoid group work. To address this, peer-mediated interventions such as cooperative learning are recommended. Cooperative learning is where students with autism and other students are placed to work together to achieve common learning goals. Carter et al. (2017) explore the efficacy of peer-mediated interventions; the research question is, “are peer support programs effective in improving the academic participation and social interactions of high school students with (ASD)?”
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Carter et al. (2017) used four students with autism, classmates as peer partners, and educators to organize peer support arrangements. The variables of interest were the extent of social and academic participation of the four students. Using momentary sampling and partial-interval recording, the researchers observed and recorded the extent of verbal and non-verbal interaction. They also recorded the student’s participation in group work and the distance the students with ASD kept from their peers. Carter et al. (2017) analyzed the data by calculating the mean percentage of the intervals in which the students registered consistent social interaction and participation in group work. The research concluded that peer support arrangement increases the social interactions between students with ASD and other students; also, they do not impact academic participation negatively.
Different literatures associate peer victimization in general classrooms with negative educational outcomes among students with ASD. Adams, Taylor, Duncan, and Bishop (2016) explore the research question, “is there a relationship between peer victimization and educational outcomes.” Adam et al. (2016) conducted a survey among 1,211 parents of children who spend more than half of their school hours in a general classroom setting. The variables of interest included ways in which the students had been victimized and the student’s overall academic performance. The researchers analyzed the data by conducting multiple and logistical regressions with educational outcomes as the output variables. They also combined the different peer victimization measures into a single regression. Adams et al. (2016) reached the conclusion that students with ASD are victims of peer victimization in mainstream schools on a regular basis, and the victimization affects their psychological health and educational performance.
The two researches complement each other to show the problems that students with ASD face in mainstream schools and how the challenges can be remedied. The challenges include social isolation and peer victimization. Carter et al. (2017) show that peer-mediated interventions are effective in addressing the challenges students with ASD face in mainstream schools.
References
Adams, R., Taylor, J., Duncan, A., & Bishop, S. (2016). Peer victimization and educational outcomes in mainstreamed adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 46 (11), 3557-3566. doi:10.1007/s10803-016-2893-3
Autism Speaks. (n.d). What is Autism? Retrieved October 4, 2019, from Autism Speaks: https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism
Carter, E. W., Gustafson, J. R., Sreckovic, M. A., Dykstra Steinbrenner, J. R., Pierce, N. P., Bord, A., . . . Mullins, T. (2017). Efficacy of peer support interventions in general education classrooms for high school students with autism spectrum disorder. Remedial and Special Education, 38 (4), 207-221. doi:10.1177/0741932516672067
