Kristi Hoover and Faculty Mentor: Blake Hansen, Department of Counseling Psychology and Special Education
Introduction
The purpose of this study was to train three groups of pre-professional students on identification of behaviors associated with autism spectrum disorders. Johnson (2008) emphasized that “an increased awareness of early signs of autism can facilitate surveillance and enable [Professionals] to play a key role in early recognition that, when coupled with earlier access to appropriate interventions, could improve outcomes markedly” (p. 86). The study taught undergraduate students from nursing, early childhood education, and special education how to identify some of these behaviors that are red flags for autism.
Methodology
The study used the following method to train three groups of undergraduate students. Participants were recruited via email invitation to participate in a study about increasing pre-professional understanding of autism.
Measure
Participants were asked to use a coding sheet created for Early Autism Training and Support of Early Identification of Autism. With this coding tool each participant focused on three different factors. 1. Social Communication- Initiating and Responding to social interaction (play with people, talk, showing, pointing, eye contact, gestures, and vocalizations). 2. Play and Sounds- quality of play with toys and vocal sounds produced. 3. Response to Name- turning and looking on the first or second call from examiner (typical). These autism identification factors were coded in ten second intervals using a letter representation system. T-typically developing behavior; A- atypical behavior; U-Unclear (couldn’t see or hear); or an X was placed as a blank-no interaction during the interval for the child’s responses and actions.
Baseline
All participants consisted of Brigham Young University (BYU) pre-professionals. Eight majoring in Nursing, seven majoring in Special Education (three of which are specializing in mild/moderate and three in severe Special Education), three participants majoring in Early Childhood Education, and one participant majoring with Family and Consumer Science Education. This came to a total of nineteen participants. Fourteen of the participants stated having had experience working with individuals with autism, and six stated having a sibling with a disability.
Two separate studies were performed on two different days. Participants met in a classroom in the McKay building on BYU’s campus. They were trained on how to use the coding sheet Early Autism Training and Support of Early Identification of Autism with few ten second clips of an autistic child. Then they watched a randomly selected video clip of a child being screened for an autism evaluation in a variety of social situations. They coded this child every ten seconds and the video lasted ten minutes (the average length of stay for a doctors visit).
Training
Participants then received a 45-minute interactive training. The training used a multimedia presentation format to demonstrate the core features of autism; including, social skills, communication attributes, and repetitive behaviors. In addition to training participants on how to identify the signs of autism, they were introduced to the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT; Robins et al., 2001), a common autism screening tool used in medical, school, and home settings. Each participant was able to use this tool to identify a child’s need for further assessment and screening for autism. Finally, their future roles in the autism screening process, as professionals, as well as how to interact and talk with parents with children being screened for autism or already having children diagnosed with autism were discussed and handouts were distributed.
Follow up
After training, participants watched another ten-minute video session with a child being screened for Autism and were asked to again code this child’s Social Communication, Play and Sounds, and Response to Name as before.
Results
We trained nineteen people how to recognize signs and symptoms of Autism and how to use the MCHAT. Participants’ accuracy changed from (57.2-71.61). This positive accuracy percentage is important because pre-professionals are the first line of defense for many children with Autism. The baseline mean concluded at 57.2 and the follow-up mean at 71.61. The baseline standard deviation (SD) concluded at 19.79 and the follow-up SD at 15.62. The effect size of the study was d=0.81. The overall percent accuracy was positive. The pre-professionals performed better when asked to recognize signs of autism with more training and greater understanding.
Discussion & Conclusion
The purpose of this study was to train three groups of pre-professional students on identification of behaviors associated with autism spectrum disorders. Students from nursing, early childhood education, and special education learned how to identify specific autism behaviors. With more education and autism specific understanding pre-professionals will be better prepared to encourage, strengthen, and empower many families, children, parents, and associates that are struggling with the hardships that autism may create.
Pediatric nurses, early childhood educators, and special educators form an important part of the professional community that interacts with children who have autism. Oftentimes, nurses and teachers are the first professionals that children interact with. Early recognition plays an important role in future quality of life and prognosis of children with autism. The positive accuracy change from 57.2 percent to 71.61 percent among the pre-professionals ability to recognize and diagnose autistic behaviors proved that the effects of training pre-professionals on autism screenings is beneficial.
Many of the Special Education pre-professionals demonstrated a great appreciation for the information and well-designed training. They expressed desire for this type of information to be better presented in their classrooms, as it would be far more beneficial to their learning and understanding of autism. One of the Special Education research participants wrote after the study that “Learning about the MCHAT and going through this slideshow felt more applicable and I feel I learned a lot that I would have liked to learn in CPSE 300”. CPSE 300 is an entry-level course for all education students where autism is specifically discussed. Many of the research preprofessionals really enjoyed the information that they received from this study and wished that this kind of training and focus on autism could be presented more in their classroom studies. The way the information was presented and the process of going through the MCHAT was far more detailed and helpful than what they had learned before.
Johnson, C. P. (2008). Recognition of Autism Before Age 2 Years. Pediatrics in Review an Official Journal of The American Academy of Pediatrics, 29, 86-96. doi:10.1542/pir.29-3- 86
Robins, D. L., Fein, D., Barton, M. L., & Green, J. A. (2001). The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers: an initial study investigating the early detection of autism and pervasive developmental disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 31(2), 131-144.