Do Student Characteristics Affect Teachers’ Decisions to Use 1:1 Instruction?
Teachers over-allocate 1:1 DTT/PRT to the most visibly impaired autistic students, so BCBAs must audit caseloads for overlooked, quieter children.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The authors asked teachers how they decide which autistic students get one-to-one DTT or PRT.
Teachers filled out a survey about each child’s talking level, sensory habits, social approach, and self-control.
The team then looked for patterns: did kids with certain traits get more solo time?
What they found
Teachers gave extra 1:1 DTT or PRT to students who looked more impaired.
Kids with big sensory issues, little speech, low social approach, or poor self-regulation got the most minutes.
Quiet, compliant children received less individual instruction even if they still needed it.
How this fits with other research
Perrot et al. (2021) extends the equity worry: within autism, White and higher-income students already capture more total services.
Giangreco (2010) contradicts the “more 1:1 is better” idea, warning that full-time one-to-one paraprofessionals can cut peer interaction and independence.
Together the three papers paint a tug-of-war: teachers rush extra help to the loudest needs, yet too much 1:1 can backfire, while family privilege also skews who gets what.
Why it matters
Check your caseload for the quiet kids. If you rely on teacher referrals, the compliant, low-verbal student may be invisible. Use brief screeners or direct observation to spot who still needs individualized teaching, then balance 1:1 minutes with peer-based goals so independence does not shrink.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
One-to-one instruction is a critical component of evidence-based instruction for students with autism spectrum disorder, but is not used as often as recommended. Student characteristics may affect teachers’ decisions to select a treatment and/or implement it. This study examined the associations between students’ clinical and demographic characteristics and teachers’ reported use of discrete trial training (DTT) and pivotal response training (PRT). Children’s higher sensory symptoms, lower social approach, lower verbal skills and higher self-regulation difficulties were associated with more frequent 1:1 DTT and PRT. Results suggest that teachers give more frequent 1:1 instruction to children with more observable impairments, do not match children to type of 1:1 intervention, and may inadvertently neglect other students for whom individualized intervention may still be beneficial.
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2019 · doi:10.1007/s10803-019-04004-1