Autism i skolan - Beprövade metoder att utveckla skrivförmågan hos elever med autism

Sammanfattning: Abstract Streblow, Heike (2022). Autism in School - Evidence Based Methods to Develop Writing Skills of Students with AutismType of Essay: Master’s thesis (15 credits) Master’s degree, 120 credits, Malmo University, Department of School Development and Leadership Malmo University  There is a great number of international and national studies on younger pupils with autism. Some research indicates that there is a gap between what research results show and what impact it has on classroom activities. Aim: The aim of this study is to find out what evidence-based methods four students with autism and four teachers find successful when developing students’ writing skills. The participating students of this study were between 14 and 15 years old. Research questions: 1.                      What methods do students use to develop their writing skills? 2.                      What methods do students consider helping them the most? 3.                      What methods do teachers use to develop students' writing skills? 4.                      What methods do teacher consider helping students with autism to develop their writing skills? 5.                      How do teachers describe successful teaching to develop students' writing skills in mainstream classrooms versus self-contained classrooms? Theoretical framework: Dewey's democracy and education and learning by doing (hands-on thinking), Vygotsky's sociocultural theory and Bandura's social cognitive theory are used when analyzing the results. Method:This study uses triangulation with both quantitative (questionnaires) and qualitative (semi-structured interviews) methods. Results:The results of this study show that there are similarities but differences, too, in what evidence-based methods students or teachers use to develop the students’ writing skills. Students for example rate to use technical devices (with text-to-speech and speech-to text software), writing in pairs and to have extended time when writing highest, their teachers on the other hand rate supporting questions, model texts and goalsetting highest. Teachers consider modelling and scaffolding as being very important.The results of this study also show that effective methods proven by Asaro-Saddler et al. (2017) are both used in mainstream and self-contained classrooms in Sweden.Teachers point out that each student with autism is an individual and that there isn´t one solution that fits all because of that. They discuss furthermore that there should be flexible circumstances in school organization that make it possible to act quickly. Future Research: Future research should be conducted on older students with autism and their development of writing skills.  Implications for special education: The results of this study show the importance of:·      organizing school environments in a way that students with ASD can participate in the curriculum, ·      providing them with digital assistant devices and if necessary,·      giving them the opportunity to fulfill their education in self-contained classrooms.Special educational needs coordinators need to organize, together with the principals, rich opportunities for teachers to plan their lessons together in a way that students with ASD will meet the same teaching scaffolding methods to develop and improve their writing skills. It is also important to have a dialogue with teachers to deepen their understanding of working with students with ASD.It is necessary to build consistent relationships between the students and their teachers.