Improvement of vocational skills of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) through structured teaching method

Abstract Background and objectives The purpose of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of a structured teaching strategy to teach vocational skills to children with ASD. The participants were students in a rehabilitation... [ view full abstract ]

Abstract
Background and objectives The purpose of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of a structured teaching strategy to teach vocational skills to children with ASD. The participants were students in a rehabilitation research center for children with ASD. Methodology We adopted pretest-posttest control group design to assess the efficacy of structured teaching. 45 children with ASD aged 9-15 years old were involved. The participants were randomly assigned into two groups: the experimental group (n=22) which received vocational training based on structured teaching, and the control group (n=23) without training, matched in the severity of autism symptoms and IQ. All the participants completed Adaptive Behavior Assessment System-Ⅱ(ABAS-Ⅱ),Scale for Children-Third Fourth(WISC-Ⅳ),Vocational Skills &Vocational Behavior assessment before the intervention. Results After 3.5 month‘s intervention, The Vocational Skills &Vocational Behavior were evaluated again. Results indicated that the experimental group showed significantly improvement in vocational skills after intervention.Conclusion The study indicated that structured teaching can improve the vocational skills of children with autism.
Keywords:Autism, structured teaching, vocational skills