Faculty: Ryan Kellems

Highlights
This study evaluated the use of a live animation avatar to teach five individuals with autism to initiate conversations.
The use of an avatar with explicit instruction was effective and preferable to participants and their parents.
Participants generalized the use of the acquired skill to interactions with peers.
Avatars are more dynamic than some applications of technology-aided instruction and may be equally effective.

Functional neuroimaging research in autism spectrum disorder has reported patterns of decreased long-range, within-network, and interhemispheric connectivity. Research has also reported increased corticostriatal connectivity and between-network connectivity for default and attentional networks. Past studies have excluded individuals with autism and low verbal and cognitive performance (LVCP), so connectivity in individuals more significantly affected with autism has not yet been studied. This represents a critical gap in our understanding of brain function across the autism spectrum.

Teacher educators are always looking for instructional strategies that are easy to create and use but are powerful for promoting learning among preservice teacher candidates. Content acquisition podcasts (CAPs) is an example of an instructional strategy that embeds evidence-based instructional design principles to package and deliver critical content in courses such as introductory and foundational special education classes. In this column, a brief overview of current problems of practice that create a need for CAPs, a review research on the use of CAPs for preservice teacher education, and an overview of the processes used to create CAPs are provided.

Although there are many activities (e.g., transition services), derived from correlational research, that occur while students are in school that increase the likelihood of positive post-school outcomes, many teachers continue to provide services shown to have little to no effect on outcomes of students with disabilities. The purpose of this study was to operationally define the predictors of post-school success for educators to understand what is necessary to develop, implement, and evaluate secondary transition programs based on predictor research. Results conclude experts in the field reached consensus on an operational definition and set of essential program characteristics for each predictor of post-school success to aid practitioners in implementing these practices.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of using video modeling delivered through a Portable media player (video iPod) as a means of teaching three job-related tasks to four young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in a community-based employment setting. The videos used in the study were enhanced by adding written instructions to a blank white screen prior to the step being modeled. Videos for two of the individuals were further enhanced with voiceovers of the written instructions. The effectiveness of the video modeling was evaluated using a multiple probe across tasks design. Results indicated that the introduction of the video iPod was associated with immediate and substantial gains in the percentage of steps the young adults were able to complete correctly. All of the participants demonstrated maintenance of the acquired tasks. In addition, all four of the young adults were able to use the video iPod independently to access and watch the videos. Social validity data indicated that using an iPod was a socially acceptable and appropriate way to deliver a video modeling intervention in some vocational settings.

The Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) states that transition planning should begin at the earliest age appropriate and no later than age 16. IDEA requires schools to make collaborative efforts to provide students access to an array of postschool activities including integrated employment, postsecondary education and training, community participation, and independent living. IDEA defines transition services but does not give examples of these services. The current state of research in transition practices has resulted in several efforts examining transition activities, services, and practices implemented throughout the United States. One such effort is the What Works Transition Research Synthesis Project of Colorado State University. The goal of this project is to review and synthesize 20 years of research and advancements in the area of transition for youth with disabilities. To date, the project has published several papers synthesizing transition research studies on functional life skills curricular interventions, social and communication interventions, transition planning/coordinating interventions, and self-determination. The study found a relationship between functional life skills, social/communication interventions, transition planning/coordinating interventions, and transition-related outcomes. It was also found that multi-component self-determination interventions provided more positive effects than single component interventions. The National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center (NSTTAC) has also been working to identify evidence-based transition practices. Researchers from NSTTAC first focused on analyzing research specific to experimental studies (both group and single-subject designs). During the second phase of the research, NSTTAC expanded its review to include correlational research studies. Using the results from both stages of the study, NSTTAC systematically evaluated the effectiveness of transition practices and identified 16 predictors associated with improved postschool outcomes, including career awareness, community experiences, inclusion in general education, interagency collaboration, and parental involvement. From these recent efforts to identify and document transition practices, the Division on Career Development & Transition (DCDT) launched an effort to identify field-based transition practices that align with the evidence of effective practices. The primary purpose of the DCDT effort was to identify grassroots transition practices currently in use by practitioners. The goal was to collect, document, and share transition practices that aligned with the evidence as well as to provide ideas and suggestions to others in the field. Tips were solicited through an online survey that was sent to various stakeholders including practitioners, parents, and other professionals who work with students with disabilities. The solicitation for tips included eight specific domains that aligned with Kohler's (1996) broader taxonomy. This article briefly illustrates the types of tips submitted in each category. The tips included were selected because they can be easily implemented by practitioners and they serve to complement current transition-related services and activities.