Graduation Year

2017

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

M.A.

Degree Name

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Degree Granting Department

Child and Family Studies

Major Professor

Kimberly A. Crosland, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Kwang-Sun Cho Blair, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Andrew Samaha, Ph.D.

Keywords

transitions, computer-assisted instruction, autism spectrum disorder, classroom

Abstract

Transitions within the school setting have been a challenge for school staff working with students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Teachers and students lose valuable academic time when the procedures in place are not working to create a quick transition - decreasing problem behavior, and increasing learning time. Students with ASD typically have a difficult time transitioning frequently throughout a school day, and problem behavior can be more apparent during this time. Hine, Ardoin, and Foster (2015) found that a computer-assisted instruction (CAI) based intervention was successful in decreasing classroom transition times for students in general education. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a similar CAI based intervention to decrease latency to on-task behavior during transitions in a classroom with students diagnosed with ASD. Two different transitions within a classroom were evaluated using the CAI-based intervention with three student participants diagnosed with ASD. Results indicated using a CAI-based intervention in collaboration with teacher input decreased latency to on-task behavior for all three participants for both transitions without the use of a group contingency or reinforcement component. High implementation fidelity and social validity scores demonstrated acceptance of the intervention by both teacher and student participants.

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