Mental Disorders and How to Deal With Them Autism - Research Paper Example

Mental Disorders and How to Deal With Them – Autism Chapter 1 Aim of the Study A wealth of literature was written about what autism is and what instructional strategies are the most effective for children with autism. Unfortunately, the current state of research does not provide any information about how teachers’ attitudes affect the choice of instructional strategies in classes with autistic children. More importantly, no information is provided about how teachers’ attitudes toward children with autism affect children’s educational and learning outcomes. The main goal of the current study is to determine how teachers’ attitudes influence the effectiveness of instructional and learning practices in ASD classrooms. The work is implemented to answer the following research questions: What attitudes do teachers hold in regard to children with autism? What instructional methods do teachers use to engage students with autism in learning activities and improve their learning outcomes? How do teacher attitudes influence their relationships with students with ASD? How do teacher attitudes influence the choice of particular instructional strategies for children with ASD? How do teacher attitudes affect the learning outcomes for students with ASD? Problem underlying the study That the number of children with autism constantly grows is difficult to deny. As of today, autism occurs in 1-2 children of every 500 births and is 3-4 times more likely to impact boys than girls (Wing, 1997). The risks of developing Autism in children are significantly affected by genetic predispositions, and a family with at least one relative diagnosed of Autism Spectrum Disorder is more likely to have a child with autism compared with families that do not have a history of autism. The more children with autism enter schools the more challenging the issue of educating such children grows. Teachers are not always able to help such children to meet the basic learning outcomes. The multitude of instructional approaches in ASD classes makes it difficult to choose the best and the most relevant instructional methodology. Given the growing number of children in autism, there is a need to explore into the effectiveness of existing instructional strategies and their effects on children with autism. The current state of autism research is overfilled with ideas and solutions, which teachers can use in ASD classes. Hume and Reynolds (2010) discuss the effectiveness of work systems that facilitate task completion and flexibility and help students to better understand adult expectations regarding the learning process. Sperry, Neitzel and Engelhardt-Wells (2010) continue this line of research and add to the current knowledge of peer-mediated instruction and its role in teaching children with autism. Pivotal response teaching is often cited among the basic instructional approaches in ASD classrooms (Stahmer et al, 2010; Nefdt et al, 2010). According to Carhanan (2009), personal individualized instruction could be more favorable for a student’s understanding but it can cause destructive effects on the teachers’ relations with other children; as a result, teachers must be increasingly selective in their choice of particular instructional approaches with children with ASD. However, none of the mentioned researchers explored the relevance of the teacher attitudes variable in the context of teaching in ASD classes. Meanwhile, teacher attitudes do play a significant role in how teachers treat such children and what instructional strategies they choose to support ASD children in their way to meeting the basic learning objectives. Attitudes are influenced by popular images and stereotypes, and unfortunately, there is a stereotype that students with autism are unsociable, and even teachers subconsciously may fear to communicate with them. Tucker et al. (2002) have shown that the stereotypes may me mollified by a ‘books-and-music’ approach which can assist the learning process. In such a way, teachers begin to consider students with autism not as students with disabilities, but as talented and open individuals. If stereotypes can be overcome then teachers focus their attention on student’s interests and strengths. Despite the importance of special strategies involved in the learning process of students with autism, the personal attitudes of teachers to these students should be taken into account too. In instances where there is an emotional or communication gap between a student with autism and his teacher, the learning process may cease (Klem & Connell, 2004).  Moreover, just as teachers are aware of the individualised approach and its importance in teaching autistic students, the students, too, have their own ‘individualistic approach’ to their teachers (McEachin, 1993). Unfortunately, the current state of research does not answer the question of how teacher attitudes influence ASD children’s learning outcomes. The link between teacher attitudes and learning outcomes in ASD classrooms is not established. That teacher attitudes do play a role in how children with autism learn in the classroom has long been established by scholars (Yumaka & Acgulb, 2010). However, this line of research should be continued, to investigate how important teacher attitudes are for ASD children’s learning outcomes. This research is justified by the need to close the existing gap in literature. The study is significant because it will lay the foundation for the development of more effective instructional approaches in ASD classes. This research will help teachers to better understand how they treat children with autism and what they can do to neutralize the potentially negative effects of their attitudes on children with ASD. This study is needed to break the line of silence and negligence in regard to the teacher attitudes variable and establish a new vision of instructional effectiveness in ASD classes. Significance of the study Given the scarcity of literature and research findings describing the link between teacher attitudes toward ASD children and their learning outcomes, this study adds to the current knowledge of instructional strategies for children with autism. The study is unique in the sense that it investigates the link between teacher attitudes and the effectiveness of the learning outcomes for children with ASD. The significance of the study is obvious because it will help to mediate the effects of teacher attitudes and perceptions on ASD children and their successes in the classroom. Research methods A detailed review of literature will be performed, to clarify the links between teacher attitudes and ASD children’s learning outcomes in ways they are presented in the existing literature. The detailed analysis of the existing literature will add to the reliability of primary investigation findings and will help to develop ideas for the future research. The following definitions will be used in the current work. Terms and definitions Autism – a developmental disability “that comes from a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain” (Columbia Encyclopedia, 2005). Autism is characterized by a wide range of abnormalities in reasoning, social, and communication skills of the child. Autism may be difficult to diagnose until the child is 30 months old. Instruction – the form of using the principles of “how people learn about the world”, to deliver knowledge to students. The five basic principles of instruction include: (a) engaging students in resolving real-life issues; (b) new knowledge is best learned through the activation of existing knowledge; (c) learning is possible only when new information is presented to the learner; (d) learning is possible only when the learner can apply new knowledge in practical situations; and (e) learning is possible only when new information is successfully integrated into the student’s world (Merrill, 2002). Learning outcomes – statements that define the knowledge, abilities, and skills a student was able to achieve, possesses, and can demonstrate at the end of the learning session (Merrill, 2002). Attitude – a complex set of beliefs, feelings, and values, which lead an individual to act in certain ways (Merrill, 2002). Limitations and delimitations The proposed research method and design reveals several important limitations. First, it is possible that when interviewed, teachers involved in the research will not be willing to reveal their true attitudes toward students. This is particularly serious in case teachers hold negative attitudes toward children with autism. As a result, it will be difficult to create the link between teacher attitudes and the learning outcomes in ASD classroom. To address this limitation, all teachers will be provided with the written form that confirms the complete anonymity of the information provided during the research. All information revealed and discovered during the research will be used for the discussed research only. Second, the lack of secondary literature can make the process of investigation particularly difficult. Here, the researcher will concentrate on the primary research findings, whereas secondary literature search will only be used to support and reinforce the validity and reliability of the research results. Finally, not all research participants may have a clear understanding of what attitudes are and how they should describe them in the current research. To meet this challenge, all participants will be invited to participate in a brief explanatory session, during which all definitions and possible issues will be clarified. All participants will be provided with the definitions of the basic terms in writing. References Al-Shammari, Z. (2006). Special Education Teachers' Attitudes toward Autistic Students in the Autism School in the State of Kuwait: A Case Study. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 33 (3), 170+. American Psychiatric Association (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, text revision (4th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association. Barnes, K. (2008). The attitudes of regular education teachers regarding inclusion for students with autism. Walden University. Biklen, D. (1990). Communication Unbound: Autism and Praxis. 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