<p>  </p> <p><strong>Abstract</strong></p> <p>According to the Center for Disease Control, approximately one in 44 children are identified with Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD at the age of 8 in the United States (Centers for Disease Control, 2022). As the number of children with ASD is increasing, so do the concerns of early childhood educators about how to help them (Schafer Whitby et. al, 2015). The generally accepted criteria for ASD includes a deficit in communication and/or language, restricted and/or repetitive interests, indicators started manifesting young, the symptoms cause diminished functioning. Communication difficulties in children with ASD can be challenging for educators to handle (Grygas Coogle et al., 2018). Educators in a general education early childhood classroom may not be prepared to handle the influx of students with ASD due to their lack of knowledge and skills about appropriate communication strategies.</p> <p><br></p> <p>The master’s degree special project contains two separate elements: a survey and the development of a handbook. The purpose of the IRB approved study was to investigate common communication strategies and research-based strategies being used with students with ASD in an early childhood setting. The survey sought licensed teachers’ responses on their levels of understanding about communication strategies and recommendations for future professional learning and training materials. </p> <p>Twelve early childhood educators (PreK-2) from one urban elementary school, in a midwestern state were sent the anonymous 11 question Qualtrics survey, including rating questions and open-ended questions. Nine educators completed the survey. The results revealed teachers’ lack of familiarity and knowledge about communication strategies for students with ASD. All nine participants answered they had no previous specific training on ASD and communication strategies in college and zero hours of professional learning on communication strategies for students with ASD during the current school year. Educators also rated themselves as poorly or moderately prepared to teach children with ASD and their communication deficits. Not a single participant rated themselves as well prepared or very well prepared.</p> <p><br></p> <p>The study results and previously published research indicated the need for the professional learning handbook to provide early childhood educators with research-proven communication strategies written in a teacher friendly manner. The special project handbook has six sections: play strategies, environmental adaptation, visual supports, motivation, sensory integration, and collaboration with parents. ASD is multifaceted and complex for educators, and many of their struggles are rooted in the area of communication. These strategies were designed for students with ASD but can also be applied with all students.</p>

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Many high school math teachers are not trained for teaching students with mild disabilities. Math curriculum is not typically developed with the needs of students with mild disabilities in mind. Teachers may not be aware of the unique barriers for students with mild disabilities, and strategies to help them master mathematics. The purpose of this study was to identify research-based techniques used by general education and special education teachers for teaching math to high school students with mild disabilities. The study also investigated teachers’ perceptions of and willingness to implement specific strategies to teach math skills to students with mild disabilities. Academic research articles were reviewed to identify strategies. A survey was taken by nine high school general education and five special education teachers who teach math. The results showed a reasonable degree of knowledge, experience, and positive perceptions of evidence-based strategies, especially co-teaching. There were significant differences between the responses of teachers with math teaching licenses compared to those with special education licenses. Based on the existing literature and the survey results, a handbook of resources was created for teachers of secondary math classes to support learning for students with mild disabilities.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is an increasingly common developmental disability. Students diagnosed with ASD can be challenging to incorporate into mainstream classrooms due to a lack of understanding and negative attitudes of neurotypical peers towards those students. This thesis aims to address the problem in a unit plan centered on the use of young adult literature with a main protagonist on the Spectrum in the English Language Arts classroom. Specifically, it argues the use of such texts in conjunction with a literature circles unit in providing better understanding and greater acceptance of students with ASD. The unit and lesson plans were written to reflect how Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development, Bishop’s windows, doors, and mirrors , and the texts students read can influence their thinking and behavior. Using goodreads and local ELA book lists, I selected four YAL texts which portrayed the main character with ASD as they go about their daily lives. These texts were then incorporated into the twenty-lesson unit plan which aims at supporting positive attitudes and acceptance of neurotypical students towards their peers with ASD.

<p> The purpose of this study is to use close textual analysis, informed by the neurodiversity paradigm and critical disability theories, to explore the coverage of CA in an introductory public speaking collegiate textbook to see how the experience is depicted and what thematic narratives about dis/ability are included in its coverage. This research is required to comprehend the phenomena more holistically and aid communication educators in creating curricula attentive to the needs of the high CA student, embodying best practice for a diverse set of students.  Incorporating dis/ability perspectives into public speaking pedagogy signals an opportunity to advance interdisciplinary knowledge about CA, mental health, dis/ability, neurodiversity, and education accessibility at large. By analyzing literary representations of CA, this research furthers the goals of critical dis/ability studies by de-naturalizing ideas about the binaries in which “ableness”/“disability” and “normality”/abnormality, are typically read and related to “success”. The overarching goal of this project is to demonstrate that these rhetorical representations of communication/performance bound anxiety are not only relevant, but of central importance for contemporary discussions on dis/ability within education.</p>

The thesis deals with the creation of Snoezelen room, its characteristics and properties. He is more closely involved with the creation of snoezelen for pupils with mental and combined disabilities who are trained in special primary schools. The work describes the target group, defines the snoezelen method and describes its origin and development in our country and abroad. The main goal of the thesis is to explain to the reader how the rooms are created and what it is necessary to know before deciding to launch the snoezelen room. This information was used mainly by special teachers who operate snoezelena in facilities where they work in schools. The thesis also touches on the topic of education at special schools, methods of working with these pupils and describes types of expressive therapies, therapies, basal stimulation and sensory stimulation. The thesis also reflects the Snoezelen-MSE qualification course in theory and practice, which was the main source. The output of the thesis is a proposed room model, description of equipment and activities that are suitable for working with disadvantaged pupils.