The current trend analysis was conducted to empirically document the characteristics of individuals with autism who participated in intervention research published between 1995 and 2009 in three journals ("Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis," "Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders," and "Focus on Autism and Other…

Although legislation mandates that students with autism receive instruction linked to the general education core content, there is limited research supporting the effectiveness of interventions for teaching core content to these students. In this study, the author reviewed research conducted between the years 1997 and 2008 using computer-assisted…

Video instruction as an intervention for teaching skills to children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is gaining increased momentum in applied settings.Video instruction, comprised of video modeling, video self-modeling, and point-of-view video, has been utilized in various fields of study with various populations and target behaviors.…

Considerations for college-based programming for transition-age students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are addressed in this article, with particular attention to social communication supports necessary to facilitate student success. An overview of current literature related to college-based programming and support for students with ASD in…

Legislation mandates that all children, including children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), be taught to read in ways that are consistent with reading research and target the five components of evidence-based reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension strategies. This review synthesized…

This article explores the current research literature on adult outcomes of individuals with Asperger syndrome (AS). Specific areas addressed are the characteristics associated with adulthood AS, including employment issues, comorbid mental and physical health conditions, neurological issues, possible problems with the legal system, mortality…

The authors reviewed studies on teaching reading comprehension to students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) with a focus on text (academic reading) comprehension and sight word (functional) comprehension. Eleven of 754 studies met the inclusion criteria: participants with ASD, published in English in a peer-reviewed journal, and use of an…

A review of selected literature suggests that integrating multimedia computer supports with activity schedules can be an effective way to teach students to manage their work, play, and skill-building activities independently. Activity schedules originally were a means of promoting independent execution of previously learned responses by using…

The purpose of this study was to assess the degree to which behavioral intervention studies conducted with children diagnosed with autism operationally defined the independent variables (IVs) and evaluated treatment integrity (TI). The study replicated the criteria from Gresham, Gansle, and Noell (1993) and focused exclusively on research studies…

The purpose of this study was to collect and examine intervention studies conducted with young children with autism. The synthesis looked at inferential studies reported between 1975 and April 2001 that included preestablished criteria such as, for example, at least two thirds of the participants ages 3 to 8 years and 50% or more of the…

There are frequent claims in the literature that a majority of children with autism are mentally retarded (MR). The present study examined the evidence used as the basis for these claims, reviewing 215 articles published between 1937 and 2003. Results indicated 74% of the claims came from nonempirical sources, 53% of which never traced back to…

The purpose of this study was to mobilize the stories of parents of autistic children as a prism for understanding the adjustment process. To do so, I qualitatively analyzed 20 personal stories by parents of children diagnosed with a pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) that those parents published on the Internet. I analyzed the narratives from…

This introductory article discusses cultural considerations in the design and delivery of services to families whose children have a moderate to severe disability. It calls attention to the lack of consideration of culturally and linguistically diverse families in the current research and summarizes the following articles. (CR)

This article reviews literature on barriers to the participation of culturally and linguistically diverse families in the special education process, highlights cultural issues educators need to consider, and discusses strategies for facilitating family participation in the development of the Individualized Family Service Plan and the…

This article provides background and a description of person-centered planning (PCP) based on process, components, and outcomes and examines each in relationship to working with culturally and linguistically diverse families. Vignettes illustrate how professionals can be sensitive to differences in culture and language within the process.…