Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental delay that is increasing in prevalence among children in the United States. Those being educated in general education classrooms see benefits in various areas. However, there are a number of barriers to effective education, which may be overcome through teacher education and professional…

As the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) increases every year, so has the literature on early identification and early interventions (EI) that can result in better outcomes for children with ASD. There has been a focus on core deficits that are impaired in ASD and that appear to prevent other areas of development from flourishing,…

The role of early childhood educators (ECE) is changing as a result of increasing numbers of young children with autism participating in natural preschool classrooms. To understand what ECE know about autism and the evidence-based practices (EBP) that support children with autism to make progress in learning and development, 125 preschool teachers…

This is an exploration of the perceptions and perspectives of early childhood leaders and practitioners with regards to preschool learners with autism engaged in inclusive educational settings. At a time when inclusive education is acknowledged as best practice, there is still a concern that many preschool learners with disabilities are receiving…

This dissertation identifies social skills as the central treatment concern for young children with Asperger's Syndrome (AS)/High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (HFASD) in an educational setting (Attwood, 1998; Macintosh & Dissanayake, 2006; Rao, Beidel, & Murray, 2008; Sansosti, 2010; Sansosti, Powell-Smith, & Cowan, 2010).…

Given the rise in students identified as having autistic-like characteristics that are impeding their ability to receive educational benefit without support, evidenced based interventions are a vital part of educational services. Children presenting with social and communication deficits require appropriate interventions in order to make progress…

The purpose of this research was to explore the teacher self-efficacy beliefs of early childhood preservice educators and their preparedness to teach students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Phase One of this mixed-methods approach asked preservice early childhood educators (N = 34) to complete the short form of the "Teacher Sense of…

The purpose of the current study was to determine the efficiency of an electronic data collection method compared to a traditional paper-based method in the educational field, in terms of the accuracy of data collected and the time required to do it. In addition, data were collected to assess users' preference and system usability. The study…

This single-subject research study was designed to examine the effects of point-of-view video modeling (POVM) on the symbolic play actions and play-associated language of four preschool students with autism. A multiple baseline design across participants was conducted in order to evaluate the effectiveness of using POVM as an intervention for…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of function-based interventions on the challenging behavior of three young boys with autism in rural Tennessee. Tennessee preschool teachers serve primarily rural communities, marked by high poverty rates and lack of access to ongoing teacher training and consultation. Positive Behavior…