The Effectiveness of Direct Instruction in Teaching Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder to Answer "Wh-" Questions.
Direct Instruction in small groups can effectively teach secondary students with ASD to answer most types of "wh-" questions.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Cadette et al. (2016) worked with secondary students who have autism.
They used Direct Instruction lessons in small groups.
The goal was to teach the kids to answer "who," "what," and "where" questions.
What they found
Most students mastered "who" and "what" questions.
They made good progress on "where" questions too.
Direct Instruction helped them learn these skills fast.
How this fits with other research
Leaf et al. (2017) also taught verbal skills in small groups.
They slipped extra facts into their lessons and kids learned those too.
Both studies show group teaching can work for language goals.
Shillingsburg et al. (2014) taught kids to ask "who" and "which" questions.
Cadette et al. (2016) flipped the coin and taught kids to answer those same questions.
Together they cover the full talk-and-listen loop.
Why it matters
You can run these lessons with three or four students at one table.
Use the scripted DI sequence and keep data on each question type.
If a student stalls on "where," add extra examples and quick prompts.
The format fits neatly into a middle-school resource period.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Research on the effects of Direct Instruction (DI) among students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has only recently emerged. A benefit of DI is that it can be implemented with groups of students, which makes it potentially a cost effective method of instruction for some skills. In this study, we examined the effects of DI on teaching secondary students with ASD to answer three "wh-" questions. Using a multiple probe design across behaviors, results indicated the participants mastered two of the three "wh-" question types and made progress with the remaining question type. These results are discussed along with implications for educators instructing students with ASD.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2016 · doi:10.1007/s10803-016-2825-2