First Advisor

Murry, Francie R.

Document Type

Dissertation

Date Created

12-2019

Department

College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, Special Education, Special Education Student Work

Abstract

Statistical data from the Centers for Disease Control (2018) indicated autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects 1 out of 59 children in American schools. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of special education teachers regarding teaching social skills for K-5 students with ASD; specifically, to see how teachers viewed the effective use of two promising practices (i.e., peer-mediated interventions and social stories) and one evidence-based intervention (i.e., video modeling). The experiences of special education teachers regarding teaching social skills to K-5 students with ASD were explored. Seven special education teachers from school districts in Colorado were interviewed and their responses were coded. After reading the transcripts and reviewing the responses to the questions as demonstrated above, the researcher found the following themes emerged from the contextual descriptions: collaboration, using pictures, using peers, equipment, training, and using social stories. For each core theme, there were sub-themes. A discussion of how the teachers implemented interventions revealed a possible lack of fidelity and understanding of how to use specific interventions as they had been defined.

Extent

184 pages

Local Identifiers

Aldawood_unco_0161D_10797.pdf

Rights Statement

Copyright is held by the author.

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