A Childrens Book Read Aloud And Discussion Intervention

Educating students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment is mandated by special education law (Individuals with Disabilities Act [IDEA], 2004). For many students with disabilities, this type of placement may include varying amounts of time in the general education setting. However, simply including children with disabilities in the general education setting has not been without problems. In fact, classrooms may even have some negative implications for students with disabilities (e.g., social isolation). Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are particularly at risk for social exclusion. One way to address negative outcomes associated with including students with ASD in general education classrooms is improving typically developing peers' attitudes about ASD. The goal of this study was to provide information about ASD and provide extended contact to typically developing third grade students (N = 118) by reading children's books with a character with ASD. Moreover, the goal of this study was to improve the typically developing third grade students' knowledge about and attitudes toward individuals with ASD through the Autism Read Aloud and Discussion (ARAD) intervention program, developed specifically for this study. Two split plot factorial ANOVAs indicated that the participants displayed increased knowledge about and attitudes toward individuals with ASD when compared to control group participants.