The preliminary validity and reliability of the Assessment of Barriers to Learning in Education - Autism.
ABLE-Autism is a reliable teacher checklist that flags learning barriers for autistic pupils with ID in special schools.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Howell et al. (2021) built a new teacher form called ABLE-Autism.
The form lists 33 learning barriers that often block autistic pupils with ID in special schools.
Teachers filled it out twice and also completed an older teacher scale so the team could compare scores.
What they found
The new form gave almost identical scores from one week to the next.
Its total lined up strongly with the older teacher scale, showing it measures something similar.
Authors say ABLE-Autism is ready for everyday use in special-ed classrooms.
How this fits with other research
Szatmari et al. (1994) warned that stressed parents report more autism symptoms than teachers.
Greene et al. (2019) later showed teachers usually rate adaptive skills higher than parents.
These two older studies explain why ABLE-Autism stays teacher-only: one calm informant keeps the picture steady.
Charman et al. (2004) and Brown et al. (2011) already proved parent forms can track school progress.
Melanie’s team extends that work by giving teachers their own brief tool for the same job.
Why it matters
You now have a free, quick way to spot what is stopping learning before you plan instruction.
Run ABLE-Autism at intake, pick the top three barriers, and build your first teaching goals around them.
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Join Free →Print the 33-item ABLE-Autism, ask the classroom teacher to complete it, and use the highest-rated items to set priority goals.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Few robust autism-specific outcome assessments have been developed specifically for use by teachers in special schools. The Assessment of Barriers to Learning in Education - Autism (ABLE-Autism) is a newly developed teacher assessment to identify and show progress in barriers to learning for pupils on the autism spectrum with coexisting intellectual disabilities. AIMS: This study aimed to conduct a preliminary validity and reliability evaluation of the ABLE-Autism. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Forty-eight autistic pupils attending special schools were assessed using the ABLE-Autism. Multi-level modelling was used to evaluate test-retest reliability, internal consistency and convergent validity with the Teacher Autism Progress Scale. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Results showed excellent test-retest reliability and internal consistency. A large effect size suggested that the ABLE-Autism is strongly correlated with the Teacher Autism Progress Scale. Teacher feedback was positive and suggested that the ABLE-Autism is easily understood by teachers, relevant to autistic pupils in special schools, and adequately covers the skills and behaviours that teachers believe are important to assess for these pupils. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Although further validation is recommended, the preliminary evaluation of the ABLE-Autism suggests that it is a useful and has the potential to be an effective outcome assessment for autistic pupils in special schools.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2021 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2021.104025