Graduation Year

2012

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Granting Department

Special Education

Major Professor

Phyllis Jones

Keywords

Adaptive Behavior, Autism, Insider Perspectives, Low Incidence Disabilities, Peer-Mediated Instruction, PreKindergarten/Kindergarten

Abstract

This exploratory study assessed the effectiveness of a cross-age tutoring intervention on adaptive behavior goals of three PreKindergarten/Kindergarten-aged students with labels of autism spectrum disorder. Data were collected in an inclusive environment; the school library. Three fourth grade general education cross-age tutors were trained to use a simple, naturalistic least-to-most prompting strategy to support the young students with individualized adaptive behavior goals while in the library. A mixed method design was utilized in this study; a quantitative single case multiple baseline across participants design to show performance outcomes of the young students as a result of the tutoring intervention, and a constant comparison analysis of qualitative data gathered from observations of students, students' written work, and a research journal. Quantitative results indicated all three young students performed the target behavior in the library with support from their cross-age tutors and this behavior maintained one month after intervention ended as evident through a maintenance probe; all three students made progress on the achievement of adaptive behavior goals in an inclusive environment from this intervention. Qualitative results indicated the cross-age tutoring experience was positive and powerful for all six participants involved as evident through the construction of six themes that emerged from the qualitative data.

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