Promoting Inclusive Educational Environments for Children with Autism and Other Social-communication Challenges: Preschool Class and Primary School

Stockholm University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Autism Spectrum Disorder; Social Communication Challenges

Treatments: Behavioral: APERS-based model

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05509309

VR 2020-03267

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study evaluates the effect of using the Autism Program Environment Rating Scale (APERS) as the foundation for providing feedback, in-service training and coaching to teachers, to improve program quality for autistic (ASD) students and students with related social-communication challenges (SCC) in Swedish primary school classrooms. In the current study half of the participating classrooms will receive the APERS-based model for program quality improvement, while the other half will receive services as usual.

It is hypothesized that the APERS-based model will improve primary school program quality for children with ASD and SCC, as well as improve functioning for students with ASD/SCC and self-perceived self-efficacy among participating teachers, compared to the study's comparison group.

Enrollment: 24 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 6 to 9 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• autism diagnosis
• socio-communicative challenges identified by parents and/or school staff
• attending a primary school classroom (i.e., from pre-school class to third grade)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

---

24 participants in 2 patient groups

Experimental group

Experimental group

Description:

In the experimental group, in-service training on autism, program quality, and APERS will be provided to participating staff. Furthermore, APERS-rating to assess the program quality for students with ASD/SCC will be conducted. Pertaining feedback on program areas of strength and improvement will be provided by the APERS-raters to the classroom teachers. Subsequently, assigned coaches (already employed at the school as special educators or equivalent) will based on the APERS-ratings develop an action plan to improve program quality for students with ASD and SCC, in collaboration with classroom teachers. Subsequently, the coach will provide weekly or bi-weekly coaching to promote program quality during the course of two school semesters (approximately 8-9 months).

Treatment:

Behavioral: APERS-based model

Comparison group

No Intervention group

Description:

The classrooms in the comparison group will also be rated with the APERS, and feedback will provided to classroom teachers. However, no further support will be provided in transforming APERS-ratings with pertaining feedback into best practice.