Abstract
Inclusive education requires teachers to adapt to children’s learning styles. Children with autism spectrum disorder bring challenges to classroom teach- ing, often exhibiting interests restricted to particular topics. Teachers can be faced with a dilemma either to accommodate these restricted interests (RIs) into teaching or to keep them out of the classroom altogether. In this article, we examined all peer-reviewed studies of teaching children with autism spec- trum disorder with RIs published between 1990 and 2014. We find that posi- tive gains in learning and social skills can be achieved by incorporating children’s RIs into classroom practice: Of 20 published studies that examined 91 children, all reported gains in educational attainment and/or social engagement. Negative consequences were limited to a decrease in task per- formance in one child and a transient increase in perseverative behaviors in two children. The evidence supports the inclusion of RIs into classroom prac- tice. Methods of inclusion of RIs are discussed in light of practical difficulties and ideal outcomes.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 408-430 |
Number of pages | 23 |
Journal | Review of Educational Research |
Volume | 86 |
Issue number | 2 |
Early online date | 10 Sept 2015 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 30 Jun 2016 |
Keywords
- restricted interests
- classroom practice
- inclusive education
- autism
- repetitive interests