Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities - Division on ...
Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities - Division on ...
Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities - Division on ...
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<str<strong>on</strong>g>Educati<strong>on</strong></str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Tra<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g><str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Developmental</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Disabilities</str<strong>on</strong>g>, 2005, 40(1), 14–23<br />
© <str<strong>on</strong>g>Divisi<strong>on</strong></str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Developmental</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Disabilities</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
Social Integrati<strong>on</strong> of Students with Autism<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> Inclusive Sett<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gs<br />
E. Am<str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g>a Boutot<br />
University of Nevada, Las Vegas<br />
Diane P. Bryant<br />
University of Texas at Aust<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
Abstract: Students with autism are <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>creas<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gly be<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g placed <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> general educati<strong>on</strong> “<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>clusi<strong>on</strong>” sett<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gs for the<br />
purpose of improved social <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>tegrati<strong>on</strong>. This article presents <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>formati<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong> the social <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>tegrati<strong>on</strong> of ten students<br />
with autism <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> elementary <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>clusive sett<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gs. The purposes were to describe three social <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>tegrati<strong>on</strong> c<strong>on</strong>structs<br />
of students with autism <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>clusive classrooms, <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>clud<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g their acceptance (social preference), visibility (social<br />
impact), <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> membership <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> a peer group (social network affiliati<strong>on</strong>) <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> to identify the extent to which severity<br />
of autism characteristics c<strong>on</strong>tributed to these social <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>tegrati<strong>on</strong> c<strong>on</strong>structs. Results suggest students with autism<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>clusive sett<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gs are as accepted, visible, <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> members of peer groups, as well as both their peers without<br />
disabilities <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> those with other disabilities. Post hoc observati<strong>on</strong>s revealed further factors that may impact these<br />
c<strong>on</strong>structs as well.<br />
Historically, literature <strong>on</strong> social status of children<br />
suggests that students prefer peers with<br />
whom they have someth<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> comm<strong>on</strong>, who<br />
are more like themselves, have good social<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> communicati<strong>on</strong> skills, who are leaders<br />
academically or athletically, <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> who do not<br />
exhibit extreme behaviors (Adler, Kless, &<br />
Adler, 1992). Children with low <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>cidence disabilities<br />
such as autism, which by its very def<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>iti<strong>on</strong><br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>volves limited social <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> communicati<strong>on</strong><br />
skills as well as unusual stereotypical<br />
behaviors, therefore, would be assumed to<br />
have lower status <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> fewer friendships. Hav<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g<br />
important, reciprocal relati<strong>on</strong>ships with<br />
peers is key to a child’s social, emoti<strong>on</strong>al, <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
even cognitive development (Scheuermann &<br />
Webber, 2002). Children with autism spectrum<br />
disorders, by the very nature of their<br />
disorder, often lack these basic skills (American<br />
Psychiatric Associati<strong>on</strong>, 1994). Increas<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gly,<br />
parents <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> professi<strong>on</strong>als are look<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g to<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>clusive sett<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gs to provide social <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>teracti<strong>on</strong>s<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> opportunities for children with autism<br />
that might otherwise be lack<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> a self-c<strong>on</strong>ta<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ed<br />
sett<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g.<br />
Successful social <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>tegrati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> the general<br />
Corresp<strong>on</strong>dence c<strong>on</strong>cern<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g this article should<br />
be addressed to E. Am<str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g>a Boutot, University of<br />
Nevada, Las Vegas, Department of Special <str<strong>on</strong>g>Educati<strong>on</strong></str<strong>on</strong>g>,<br />
4505 Maryl<str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> Parkway, Box 453014, Las Vegas,<br />
NV 89154-3014.<br />
14 / <str<strong>on</strong>g>Educati<strong>on</strong></str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Tra<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g><str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Developmental</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Disabilities</str<strong>on</strong>g>-March 2005<br />
educati<strong>on</strong> classroom means be<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g visible to<br />
other students (social impact), be<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g some<strong>on</strong>e<br />
with whom the other students wish to<br />
spend time (social preference), <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> be<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g a<br />
member of a group of friends that spend time<br />
together (social network affiliati<strong>on</strong>). Placement<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> programm<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g decisi<strong>on</strong>s for students<br />
with autism can be a difficult task. Often the<br />
academic abilities of these students fall beh<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>d<br />
that of their general educati<strong>on</strong> peers,<br />
caus<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>clusive placements to focus more <strong>on</strong><br />
social <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>tegrati<strong>on</strong> benefits than <strong>on</strong> academic<br />
<strong>on</strong>es. A student’s social <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>tegrati<strong>on</strong> abilities<br />
are often c<strong>on</strong>sidered significant to placement<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> programm<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g decisi<strong>on</strong>s. Compared to<br />
typical students, students with autism often<br />
have significant social skills deficits that may<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>terfere with their acceptance by others. In<br />
additi<strong>on</strong>, students with autism vary greatly <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
terms of severity of autism characteristics that<br />
may prohibit successful social <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>teracti<strong>on</strong>s<br />
(Mesibov & Shae, 1996). When decid<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g to<br />
place a student with autism <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>to <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>clusive classrooms<br />
for the purpose of social <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>tegrati<strong>on</strong>,<br />
<strong>on</strong>e must c<strong>on</strong>sider the characteristics of the<br />
disability as possible obstacles to success. Accord<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g<br />
to the Diagnostic <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> Statistical Manual<br />
(4 th Editi<strong>on</strong>) of the American Psychiatric<br />
Associati<strong>on</strong> (DSM-IV; 1994), primary characteristics<br />
of autism fall <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>to three categories:<br />
communicati<strong>on</strong> deficits or delays, stereotypic<br />
behaviors, <str<strong>on</strong>g>and</str<strong>on</strong>g> limited social relatedness. Sam-