Factors Influencing Teachers' Decisions About Their Use of Community-Based Instruction

Teachers of high school students with severe disabilities are charged with making decisions about educational programming that prepares students for life post-school. This includes decisions about using community-based instruction (CBI) to teach skills that students will need to participate in the community. This qualitative study investigated the factors 13 high school special education teachers considered when making decisions about whether to use CBI with 26 students with severe disabilities and the factors they considered when selecting skills to teach these students during CBI. Data were collected using in-depth interviews and analyzed using a constant comparative method. Findings indicate that program organization and individual student needs influenced teachers' decisions to use CBI. When selecting skills to teach during CBI, teachers considered the student's current and future needs, the classroom curriculum, skills needed in the community, and the student's ability to learn.

An iPad™-based picture and video activity schedule increases community shopping skills of a young adult with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the iPad 2™ with Book Creator™ software to provide visual cues and video prompting to teach shopping skills in the community to a young adult with an autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability.

METHODS

A multiple probe across settings design was used to assess effects of the intervention on the participant's independence with following a shopping list in a grocery store across three community locations.

RESULTS

Visual cues and video prompting substantially increased the participant's shopping skills within two of the three community locations, skill increases maintained after the intervention was withdrawn, and shopping skills generalized to two untaught shopping items. Social validity surveys suggested that the participant's parent and staff favorably viewed the goals, procedures, and outcomes of intervention.

CONCLUSIONS

The iPad 2™ with Book Creator™ software may be an effective way to teach independent shopping skills in the community; additional replications are needed.