Recent research and educational policy have focused on using evidence-based practices (EBP) in both special and general education classrooms. Identifying EBP for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is increasingly important due to the rising prevalence of ASD. Although the use of EBP has been a priority in research and policy, a research-to-practice gap persists. It is still unclear how Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) teachers are implementing EBP in their classrooms.
To fill this gap, the latest Crane Center study surveyed 45 preschool teachers serving children with ASD regarding their intervention priorities, instructional approaches, confidence, and desire for professional development.
These findings provide insight into the research-to-practice gap for educating young children with ASD and have the potential to help teacher educators refine their efforts to close this gap.
KEY FINDINGS
1
Preschool teachers prioritized outcomes for children with ASD differently than K-12 teachers in a previous study (see Brock et al., 2019). In the present study, social skills, communication, and addressing challenging behavior were the top priorities for preschool teachers, and pre-academic outcomes were the lowest priority.
2
Teachers’ belief that they were using EBPs was a significant predictor of their use of EBP. This study provides evidence that teachers may better understand which practices are evidence-based and the degree to which they are implementing them than previously reported.
3
Teacher use of EBPs was relatively high, with nearly all teachers describing at least one instructional approach that included an EBP. However, a relatively small number of EBPs — visual supports, modeling, prompting, reinforcement, and social narratives — accounted for most EBP use.
ACTION STEPS
Teachers
Teachers may want to participate in professional development on EBPs in order to use more EBPs with their students with ASD.
Researchers
Researchers could create an observational measure to provide an even more reliable indication of whether teachers are implementing EBPs.