Evaluating IEPs of Elementary School Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Watkins, Pamela Lawrence

Evaluating IEPs of Elementary School Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

dc.contributor.author	Watkins, Pamela Lawrence	en
dc.contributor.committeechair	Williams, Thomas O.	en
dc.contributor.committeemember	Stewart, Trevor Thomas	en
dc.contributor.committeemember	Mesmer, Heidi Anne Edelblute	en
dc.contributor.committeemember	Billingsley, Bonnie S.	en
dc.contributor.department	Education, Vocational-Technical	en
dc.date.accessioned	2018-04-28T08:00:16Z	en
dc.date.available	2018-04-28T08:00:16Z	en
dc.date.issued	2018-04-27	en
dc.description.abstract	The prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has increased 54.7% from 2000 to 2016 nationally (CDC, 2016), and comparably, 52.38% in the district where this program evaluation was conducted. This increase, paired with legislative requirements through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and recommendations from the National Research Council on educating students with ASD, has challenged school districts to develop programming targeting specific impairments characteristic of students with ASD. The purpose of this study was to evaluate programming through the evaluation of individualized education plans (IEPs) of students with ASD in kindergarten through third grade for the presence of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requirements and National Research Council recommendations. Additionally, 13 special education teachers providing services to one or more students in the category of ASD completed a 30 item self-report questionnaire on their confidence in developing IEPs and programming for students with ASD. Sixty-three IEPs were evaluated in the study for IDEA and NRC indicator proficiency levels and cross-referenced with teacher confidence levels on developing IEPs and programming for students with ASD. The study concluded data analysis of IEPs and special education teacher confidence levels resulted in the identification of programming strengths and weakness that can be used by the district in this study to develop a structured plan for improvements in the development of IEPs specific to the identified areas of impairments for students with ASD (behavior, communication, socialization). Specific to the district in this study is a recommended focus on the development of IEP goals based on individual student needs and NRC recommendations for students with ASD, descriptions of student motivational systems when appropriate, specially designed instruction, educational placement and the relationship of teacher knowledge and confidence about ASD to IEP and program development.	en
dc.description.abstractgeneral	The prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has increased nationally by 54.7% from 2000 to 2016 (CDC, 2016), and 52.38% in the district where this program evaluation was conducted. The increase has challenged school districts to develop programming specific to the areas of impairment characteristic of students with ASD. The purpose of this study was to evaluate programming for students with ASD through the evaluation of individual education plans (IEPs). Additionally, special education teachers completed a self-report questionnaire on their level of confidence in developing programming and support systems for students with ASD. The areas of in need of improvement, indicated by the IEP evaluation, were cross-referenced with low confidence levels reported by teachers in the self-efficacy questionnaire. The study identified areas of weaknesses and strengths in programming that can be used by the district to develop a plan for improvement of the development of IEPs and programming specific to the areas of impairment (communication, socialization, behavior) characteristic of students with ASD.	en
dc.description.degree	Ed. D.	en
dc.format.medium	ETD	en
dc.identifier.other	vt_gsexam:14791	en
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10919/82932	en
dc.publisher	Virginia Tech	en
dc.rights	In Copyright	en
dc.rights.uri	http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/	en
dc.subject	autism	en
dc.subject	ASD	en
dc.subject	IEP	en
dc.title	Evaluating IEPs of Elementary School Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder	en
dc.type	Dissertation	en
thesis.degree.discipline	Curriculum and Instruction	en
thesis.degree.grantor	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	en
thesis.degree.level	doctoral	en
thesis.degree.name	Ed. D.	en