Middle School Science: Access for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Beginning in the 2007-08 school year, all students will be required to demonstrate mastery of science standards, including students with disabilities (U.S. Department of Education, 2005). Given this requirement and the current era of teacher accountability, it is important that all science teachers be prepared to work with students with disabilities. Furthermore, it is important for teachers to ensure that students with disabilities, including students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), have access to the general science education curriculum. Unfortunately, teacher education programs often do not spend time preparing science teachers to work with students with disabilities (Cawley, Hayden, Cade, & Baker-Kroczynski, 2002). This is often compounded when science teachers reach the classroom and are often not included in the planning process for students with disabilities (Haskell, 2000).

Consequently, it is important to provide science teachers with information about students’ specific disabilities and the strategies that will help these students achieve in the science classroom. Students with ASD make up one set of students that requires support in the general education science classroom. This document focuses on the specific needs of students with ASD and on strategies that can help these students access the middle school general education science curriculum.

Middle School Science Instruction and Students with Disabilities

Science is often viewed as one of the more promising content areas in which to include students with disabilities in the general education curriculum (Cawley et al., 2002). This is true for several reasons. First, science classes frequently provide opportunities for students to interact and collaborate with each other and with teachers. Second, typical science tasks can easily be broken down into small, manageable segments that are helpful for students with disabilities and necessary for inclusive activities (Cawley et al., 2002; Brownell & Thomas, 1998). Third, a small body of literature indicates that students with disabilities benefit from hands-on science instruction in the general education classroom. The research in this area continues (Dalton, Morocco, Tinvan, & Mead, 1997).

Despite the fact that science appears to be an appropriate place to mainstream students with disabilities, it appears that mainstreaming is not occurring, or if it is, that it has not translated to measurable gains in achievement. Achievement gaps exist between students with disabilities and their non-disabled peers in the science classroom. This is particularly true once students enter middle school (Anderman, 1998), where science instruction becomes intensified, district-wide tests become a requirement, and for the first time many students receive instruction from certified science teachers. To decrease the achievement gap between students with disabilities and their non-disabled peers in a middle school science classroom, there must be a close relationship between curriculum and specially designed instruction (Cawley, Foley, & Miller, 2003). Students need to be taught grade-level science content using appropriate instructional strategies, accommodations, and modifications that allow them to access the curriculum.

Grade-level standards should be the starting point for the instruction of any middle school student. While each state’s standards may differ in content and format, the National Science Foundation has established a set of science standards appropriate for students in middle school. These standards encompass numerous topics that must be taught to students in the middle grades. It is important for teachers to ensure that all students, including those with autism spectrum disorder, have access to these science standards. The national science standards for middle school grades (grades 5-8) can be found in the box below.

Characteristics of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism was first included as a separate and distinct category of disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1997. Until that time, autism was categorized as “other health impaired” (Coffey & Obringer, 2004). This was because individuals with autism exhibit a wide range of characteristics, which can also be indicative of other disabilities (Bellini, 2004). Recently, autism has been viewed as a continuum, referred to as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (Coffey & Obringer, 2004).

Children with ASD have characteristics that range in severity and symptoms, but the characteristics tend to lie in several main areas (Wagner, 2002). It is important to remember the wide range of characteristics of students with ASD and to recognize the strengths that these students bring to the science classroom:

• Cognition. Cognition tends to be varied across the autism spectrum. Many students with ASD exhibit cognitive skills in the low average or below average ranges. Others, however, have cognition in the average to above average ranges. Often students with ASD exhibit an uneven skill profile and will show a large difference in scores between their verbal and performance ability on standardized testing (Wagner, 2002). In the science classroom, students with average to above average cognition have the capacity to understand middle school science content. Learning the content, in fact, may be a strength for these students and can be used as a place to begin focusing science instruction. Students with ASD who have lower cognitive skills may lack background knowledge in science, making it difficult to learn new concepts that build upon prior knowledge. These students may also have difficulty understanding science content, and difficulty with abstract reasoning, which is necessary for making some connections in science and for inquiry learning. These students may also have difficulty participating in traditional assessments.
• Social Functioning .Students with ASD may exhibit impairment in social functioning, including the ability to (1) understand and read nonverbal cues from others, (2) respond to eye contact and social smiles, (3) show interest in and/or share with others, (4) seek comfort when hurt and/or comfort others, (5) interact with others and make friends, and (6) use appropriate social responses (Wagner, 2002). In the science classroom impairment in social functioning may lead to a difficulty working in groups or with lab partners, both of which are often found in the general education classroom. The structures found in a science classroom, however, may lend themselves to opportunities for social skills instruction and support for students with ASD.

Opportunities for Social Skills Instruction in the Science Classroom

Direct Skill Instruction
Directly teaching social skills to students with ASD requires (a) identifying skills necessary to perform a task, (b) sequentially teaching each step for every skill, and (c) providing practice in multiple settings (Simpson, Myles, Sasso, & Kamps, 1997). Teachers use verbal and physical prompts and can enlist socially competent peers to assist.

The middle school classroom provides opportunities for direct skill instruction in laboratory and group work settings, where students can directly learn and apply social skills while working with partners. For example, a student with ASD can be directly taught appropriate social skills for sharing equipment and taking turns in a group. This skill can then be generalized to group work as well as lab partner work.

Peer Mediated Social Interaction In peer mediated strategies, socially competent peers are taught to initiate social interactions with students with ASD and are then paired with those students for social activities in natural settings (Simpson et al., 1997). Students with ASD may be paired with one or more peers. There is evidence that these relationships lead to increased and longer lasting interactions between students with ASD and socially competent peers (Sasso, Garrison-Harrel, & Rogers, 1994).

Because of the high level of group and partner work required in the middle school science classroom, there are many opportunities for peers to be trained and to serve as models and instructors for students with ASD.

• Communication. Students with ASD may have difficulty with both expressive (speaking) and receptive (understanding) language. They may have difficulties using language appropriately, including grammar, tense, and parts of speech. Other communication difficulties often include an inability to imitate the language of others in an appropriate context, difficulty with abstract reasoning, and literal interpretation of language (Wagner, 2002). In the science classroom communication skills are necessary for speaking, reading, and vocabulary. Some students with ASD have limited speaking abilities or are nonverbal, which can influence the ways in which such students work in groups and participate in whole-class activities. Some students have difficulty with receptive written language and therefore have difficulty gaining information from written sources, such as textbooks, which are often used to present and reinforce material in a science classroom. Vocabulary is also very important for science learning, and students with ASD may have difficulty retrieving unfamiliar verbal labels for vocabulary words, particularly with little or no previous background knowledge. Students with ASD are often able to memorize vocabulary in isolation, but can have difficulty with application. It is important to distinguish, therefore, whether a student has full comprehension of vocabulary or whether he or she is using verbatim repetition of words or facts.
• Behaviors. Some students with ASD may exhibit special skills, interests, and talents in certain areas (e.g., a student may have a narrowly defined interest such as photocopy machines or may have special skills, such as the ability to mentally solve complex math problems), although this is rare. Students with ASD may also exhibit behaviors such as the repetitive use of objects, compulsions or rituals, hand and finger mannerisms, self-injury, and unusual preoccupations. Some students also show little interest in engaging in new activities (Wagner, 2002). Students with ASD may exhibit rigidity in their behaviors, which can appear to be defiance or non-compliance when in reality the student may be following his or her own set of rules and may feel that they cannot be broken. In the science classroom student interests and special skills can be motivating and lead to opportunities for independent study projects. These skills and talents can allow students with ASD to develop expertise that can be shared with their classmates. Some behaviors exhibited by students with ASD may hinder work in lab groups and may make it difficult to engage students in new classroom activities. These behaviors can also be distracting to other students in the classroom, and can hinder the development of social relationships.

Providing Middle School Students with ASD
Access to the General Education Science Curriculum

Several research-based strategies have been identified as effective in helping provide access to the general education curriculum for students with disabilities. The table, “Strategies for Students with ASD in the Science Classroom,” presents some of these research-based strategies, their applications to the science classroom, and ways in which each strategy helps to provide access to the middle school science curriculum for students with ASD. The table is intended to be a guide for teachers or other practitioners who are including students with ASD in a science classroom. It is important to remember that implementing strategies takes time and may differ depending on each student’s need. It is also important for teachers to become familiar with each of the strategies before implementing them in the classroom. To that end, included in the table are links where teachers can gain more information about each strategy. Teachers may also want to seek out professional development opportunities that will provide them with information and additional strategies for teaching students with ASD in the middle school science classroom.

Strategies for Students with ASD in the Science Classroom

_______________________

1 Kim, Vaughn, Wanzde, & Wei, 2004
2 Ryan & Deci, 2000
3 Simpson et al., 1997
4 Mastropieri & Scruggs, 1995
5 Beck, 2002
6 Rieth & Semmel, 1991
7 Mastropieri & Scruggs, 1995
8 Scruggs & Mastropieri, 1992
9 Alley & Deshler, 1979

References

Alley, G.R., & Deshler, D.D. (1979). Teaching the learning disabled adolescent: Strategies and methods. Denver, CO: Love.

Anderman, E.J. (1998). The middle school experience: Effects on the math and science achievement of adolescents with LD. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 31(2), 128-138.

Beck, J. (2002). Emerging literacy through assistive technology. Teaching Exceptional Children, 35 (2), 44-48.

Bellini, S. (2004). Social skill deficits and anxiety in high-functioning adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 19(2), 78-86.

Brownell, M.T., & Thomas, C.W. (1998). An interview with Margo Mastropieri: Quality science instruction for students with disabilities. Intervention in School and Clinic, 34(2), 118-123.

Cawley, J., Foley, T.E., & Miller, J. (2003). Science and students with mild disabilities: Principle of universal design. Intervention in School and Clinic, 38(3), 160-171.

Cawley, J., Hayden, S., Cade, E., & Baker-Kroczynski, S. (2002). Including students with disabilities into the general education science classroom. Exceptional Children, 68(4), 423-435.

Coffey, K.M., & Obringer, S.J. (2004). A case study on autism: School accommodations and inclusive settings. Education, 124(4), 632-639.

Dalton , B., Morocco, C.C., Tinvan, T., & Mead, P. (1997). Supported inquiry science: Teaching for conceptual change in urban and suburban science classrooms. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 30(6), 670-684.

Haskell, Deborah H. (2000). Building bridges between science and special education: Inclusion in the science classroom. Electronic Journal of Science Education, 4(3). Retrieved May 27, 2005, from http://unr.edu/homepage/crowther/ejse/haskell.html. Read article.

Kim, B.A., Vaughn, S., Wanzek, J., & Wei, J. (2004). Graphic organizers and their effects on the reading comprehension of students with LD. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 37(2), 105-118.

Mastropieri, M.A. & Scruggs, T.E. (1995). Teaching science to students with disabilities in general education settings. Teaching Exceptional Children, 27(4), 10-13.

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY). (1997). Interventions for students with learning disabilities ( News Digest 25). Retrieved August 15, 2005, from http://www.nichcy.org/pubs/newsdig/nd25txt.htm.

Rieth, H.J., & Semmel, M.I. (1991). Use of computer-assisted instruction in the regular classroom. In G. Stoner, M.R. Shinn, & H.M. Walker (Eds.), Interventions for achievement and behavior problems (pp. 215-239). Silver Spring, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.

Ryan, R.M., & Deci, E.L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55, 68-78.

Sasso, G.M., Garrison-Harrel, L., & Rogers, L. (1994). Autism and socialization: Conceptual models and procedural variations. In T. Scruggs & M. Mastropieri (Eds.), Advances in learning and behavioral disabilities (pp. 161-175). Greenwich, CT: JAI.

Scruggs, T.E. & Mastropieri, M.A. (1992). Classroom applications of mnemonic instruction: Acquisition, maintenance, and generalization. Exceptional Children, 58(3), 219-229.

Simpson, R.L., Myles, B.S., Sasso, G.M., & Kamps, D.M. (1997). Social skills for students with autism. Arlington, VA: The Council for Exceptional Children. U.S. Department of Education. (2005). Proven method: The facts about science achievement. Retrieved April 14, 2005, from http://www.ed.gov/nclb/methods/science/science.html.

Wagner, S. (2002). Inclusive programming for middle school students with autism/Asperger’s syndrome. Arlington, TX: Future Horizons.

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