Search

Autistic young adults experience challenges participating in the workforce, post-secondary schooling, and living in the community. We examined how participation outcomes have been measured in autistic young adults. Articles (n = 113) were identified through database searches and citation tracking. Guided by current models in the literature, data were extracted for each measure of participation. Results include a description of the studies in the review, the extent to which participation across life situations has been addressed, and a critical analysis of the measures used to describe participation. While there is some breadth in the investigation of participation across diverse life situations, there is limited depth in what the measures capture and many measures used lack psychometric support.

Students on the autism spectrum who complete a regular high school diploma are a growing population; little is known about how these students are currently supported. A large sample of special education administrators, special education and general education teachers, and related school personnel completed an online survey that documented levels and types of educational support provided to these students in one Northeast state. School personnel reported that they regularly provided services and supports to address these students' academic (organizational and study skills) and social skills. Few participants reported providing supports or services to address disability disclosure or advocacy, self-care, and mental health symptom management for this population. Special education teachers, general education teachers, and school counselors provided most supports and services. There is a need to evaluate and determine which services provide optimal preparation for academically capable students on the autism spectrum. [This article was published in "Journal of Special Education Leadership" (EJ1283155).]

Background/Objectives: The objectives of this study were to explore (a) the influence of different types of background noise and their informational content on the ability of speakers to initiate and maintain clear speech (CS), a widely utilized technique for enhancing speech intelligibility, and (b) the impact of background noise and CS usage on speakers' mental demand. Method: Five adult females were asked to read sentences using both habitual and CS under four distinct noise conditions--quiet, multitalker (MT) noise, reversed multitalker (RevMT) noise, and speech-shaped (SS) noise. Following this, speakers rated their perceived level of mental demand for each speaking condition using the modified NASA Task Load Index scale. A two-part listening experiment with 48 listeners was conducted to evaluate the speakers' effectiveness in initiating and maintaining CS. Results: Speakers initiated CS more successfully in noise than in quiet, with better performance observed in the presence of RevMT noise as compared to SS noise. Regarding the maintenance of CS, none of the speakers were successful in a quiet environment. Furthermore, the ability to maintain CS was most adversely affected in MT noise, followed by RevMT noise and SS noise. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the effect of background noise on speech production is complex and multifaceted. The noise type affected speakers' ability to initiate and maintain CS as well as the mental demand associated with the speech task. The results underscore the importance of considering the characteristics of background noise and cognitive aspects of speech production when training and evaluating speakers' performance.

Modern societal functions for meeting basic needs contribute to the lack of understanding many Americans have about agriculture's connection to human health and environmental quality. Consequently, this limited understanding has produced a need to measure agricultural literacy to develop programming or enhance existing agricultural educational efforts. Research literature has identified the need for agricultural literacy instruments to be developed that measure current understandings. The National Agricultural Literacy Outcomes (NALOs) served as the conceptual framework for the development of an agricultural literacy criterion referenced progressive measurement tool for grades 3-5. A theoretical framework using assessment models was used to develop items to measure agricultural literacy in three proficiency stages: exposure, factual literacy, and applicable proficiency. A modified Delphi method was used to create the Longhurst Murray Agricultural Literacy Instrument (LMALI) with the intent of assessing elementary student understanding of the NALOs. Items were tested with students from regional representative states using exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and discriminant analysis in the investigation. The development process resulted in a validated 15-item instrument for grades 3-5. Overall, the instrument provides a way for educators and stakeholders to measure agricultural literacy based on proficiency stages within the five NALO themes.

This paper develops an economic and social capital model linking single mothering in poverty to adolescent violence. Our model focuses on bonding social capital within parent-child relationships, negative social capital in delinquent peer groups, and bridging social capital residing in youths' friendship networks. Our research is the first to consider that the family experiences of adolescents' peers affect adolescent violence. We test hypotheses using the Add Health, finding that peer networks are a source of bridging social capital through which collective parenting helps explain youth violence as well as the links between family structural (dis)advantages and youth violence.

Social communication and executive functioning challenges as well as co-occurring anxiety/depression may make acquiring the skills needed to manage daily life tasks difficult for diploma-track autistic youth, thus limiting their participation in adult roles. This study describes the associations between executive function, social communication skills, and internalizing behaviors on task management in academically capable autistic adolescents (n = 46) using multiple regression with mediator analysis. The three predictors and youth age explained a moderate amount of variance in task management. Metacognition mediated the effect of social communication skills and internalizing behaviors on task management. Relations between underlying factors that influence self-management of daily life tasks are complex, supporting the need for multifaceted assessment and intervention approaches for academically capable autistic youth. [For the corresponding grantee submission, see ED618413.]

In the United States and internationally, there has been an increased emphasis on the practice turn or a focus on engaging students in more authentic representations of how science is practiced. In this article, we describe the development of a student questionnaire to investigate the extent to which students report being engaged in learning experiences similar to those explicated through the practice turn. We developed a questionnaire that consisted of 35 questions that were separated into four constructs. The questionnaire was determined to be internally consistent, with a high reliability estimate. Confirmatory factor analysis showed item clustering consistent with the research-derived constructs indicative of a practice turn focus in science classrooms. Furthermore, early evidence from this pilot study is provided to reveal the ability of the questionnaire to detect student experiences that are differentiated at the teacher-level. Based on the analyses completed, the questionnaire appears to be a needed and useful measure of student-reported learning experiences that can provide an indication of students' opportunity to learn in ways aligned to the most recent reforms in science education.

Youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have poor post-secondary outcomes, including those with high-functioning ASD (HFASD), who do not have intellectual disability. Special education services for youth with HFASD often focus on academic outcomes rather than preparing students for negotiating other aspects of adult life. This scoping review aims to synthesize research describing interventions that could be delivered in schools to support students with HFASD develop the ability to self-manage daily life tasks. A review of six databases and citation tracking was performed to identify interventions that can be implemented in a school setting to support youth with HFASD learn self-management of daily life tasks. Data related to intervention content and level of evidence were extracted from selected articles. The 14 articles that met inclusion criteria included eight unique interventions categorized into six intervention types. Three interventions qualified as evidence-based, two were research-based, and one intervention was considered unestablished. All met at least eight of the 15 best-practice recommendations. There are gaps between what is currently being recommended as best-practice for transition planning and available evidence-based interventions that improve self-management of daily life tasks in youth with HFASD.

There is a growing need to provide appropriate services to help students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) transition to employment. Limited research has investigated what aspects of support should be prioritized when preparing youth with ASD for employment. By conducting structural equation modeling using a nationally-representative dataset on high school students receiving special education services (NLTS-2), this study examined the malleable predictors of employment during the transition and developed a model to examine the relationships between predictors and employment outcomes. The findings suggested two pathways for youth with ASD. For youth with higher daily functioning skills (DFS), academic performance mediated the relationship between parent participation and employment. For youth with lower DFS, school-based transition supports was the key mediator.

This study explored regression patterns in 100 children with ASD (3-11 years) using several approaches to enhance the validity of retrospective parent report. Both early development and outcome were examined in regression groups defined by 36 months age cut-off and two underlying empirical patterns based on type and onset age. Results over regression groups were generally consistent. During early development, children with regression showed a similar amount of social atypicalities and stereotyped behaviour as compared to children without regression. However, parents indicated less communication skills which could be a valuable predictor of regression. Development after regression was characterised by early language delay and more restricted and repetitive behaviour. The findings provide insight into the diagnosis and prognosis of regression in ASD.