Turkish Parents, Teachers, and Faculty Members’ Opinions and Experiences on Safety Skills Instruction for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Abstract
Although sometimes neglected, safety skills instruction should be considered as important a teaching area as others (e.g., self-care, academic, communication skills) because these skills can lead to more independence in a less restrictive environment. The researchers designed this study to reveal the opinions of Turkish parents, teachers, and higher education faculty members regarding safety skills instruction for children with an autism spectrum disorder.
They interviewed parents (n = 11), special education teachers (n = 16), and higher education faculty members (n = 11) and analyzed the resulting data descriptively. Findings showed both parents and teachers lacked information about safety skills and how to teach them. Higher education faculty members advised using evidence-based practices in teaching safety skills and stated that safety skills instruction was not covered in the special education teacher training curriculum in the programs in which they taught. Implications and future research needs are discussed.
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References
Agran, M., & Krump, M. (2010). A preliminary investigation of parents’ opinions about safety skills instruction: An apparent discrepancy between importance and expectation. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 45, 303- 311.
Agran, M., Krump, M., Spooner, F., & Traice-Lynn, Z. (2012). Asking students about the importance of safety skills instruction: A preliminary analysis of what they think is important. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 37, 45–52.
Akmanoglu, N., & Tekin-Iftar, E. (2011). Teaching children with autism how to respond to the lures of strangers. Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice, 15, 185-203. doi: 10.1177/1362361309352180
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). American Psychiatric Association.
Bergstrom, R., Najdowski, A. C., & Tarbox, J. (2012). Teaching children with autism to seek help when lost in public. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 45, 191-195.
Bergstrom, R., Najdowski, A. C., & Tarbox, J. (2014). A systematic replication of teaching children with autism to respond appropriately to lures from strangers. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 47, 861-865.
Calavari, R. N. S., & Romanczyk, R. G. (2012). Caregiver perspectives on unintentional injury risk in children with an autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 27, 632-641.
Chavelle, R. M., Strauss, D. J., & Picket, J. (2001). Causes of death in autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 31, 569–576.
Christensen, D. L., Baio, J., Braun, K. V., Bilder, D., Charles, J., Costantino, J. N., . . . Yeargin-Allsopp, M. (2016). Prevalence and characteristics of autism spectrum disorder among children aged 8 years - Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2012. MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 65(No. SS- 3), 1–23. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr. ss6503a1
Clees, T. J., & Gast, D. L. (1994). Social safety skills instruction for individuals with disabilities: A sequential model. Education & Treatment of Children, 17, 163-185.
Collins, B. C., Wolery, M., & Gast, D. L. (1991). A survey of safety concerns for students with special needs. Education and Training in Mental Retardation, 26, 305-318.
Collins, B. C., Wolery, M., & Gast, D. L. (1992). A national survey of safety concerns for students with special needs. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 4, 263-276.
Creswell, J. W. (2005). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. Merrill.
Dixon, D., Bergstorm, R., Smith, M. N., & Tarbox, J. (2010). A review of research on procedures for teaching safety skills to persons with developmental disabilities. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 31, 985-994.
Degirmenci, H. D., & Tekin-Iftar, E., (2019). Efficacy of social stories and video modelling in teaching safety skills to children with autism. Poster Presented at 13th Association for Behavior Analysis 13th Autism Conference, San Fransisco, CA, ABD.
Doyle, B.T., & Doyle-Iland, E. (2004). Autism spectrum disorders from A to Z. Future Horizons.
Ergenekon, Y. (2012). Teaching basic first-aid skills against home accidents to children with autism through video modeling. Educational Sciences, Theory, & Practice, 12, 2759-2766.
Gunby, K. V., & Rapp, J. T. (2014). The use of behavioral skills training and in situ feedback to protect children with autism from abduction lures. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 47, 856- 860.
Gunby, K. V., Carr, J. E., & Leblanc, L. A. (2010). Teaching abduction-prevention skills to children with autism. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 43, 107-112.
Harriage, B., Blair, K. C., & Miltenberger, R. (2016). An evaluation of a parent implemented in situ pedestrian safety skills intervention for individuals with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 46, 2017–2027.
Hoch, H., Taylor, B. A., & Rodriguez, A. (2009). Teaching teenagers with autism to answer cell phones and seek assistance when lost. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2, 14-20.
Istre, G. R., McCoy, M., Carlin, D. K., & McClain, l. (2002). Residential fire related deaths and injuries among children: Fire play, smoke alarms, and prevention. Injury Prevention, 8, 128-132.
Ivey, J. K. (2004). What do parents expect? A study of likelihood and importance issues for children with autism spectrum disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 19, 27–33. doi: 10.1177/10883576040190010401
Kenny, M. C., Bennett, K. D., Dougery, J., & Steele, F. (2013). Teaching general safety and body safety training skills to a Latino preschool male with autism. Journal of Child Family Studies, 22, 1092- 1102.
Kogan, M. D., Blumberg, S. J., Schieve, L. A., Boyle, C. A., Perrin, J. M., & Ghandour, R. M. (2009). Prevalence of parent-reported diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder among children in the US, 2007. Pediatrics, 124, 1395–1403.
Kurt, O., & Kutlu, M. (2019). Effectiveness of social stories in teaching abduction-prevention skills to children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49, 1-3807-3818. doi: 10.1007/s10803-019-04096-9
Milli Egitim Bakanligi. (2013). Talim terbiye kurulu baskanligi ozel egitim uygulama merkezi (okulu) birinci ve ikinci kademe egitim programi (otistik cocuklar için) (Cirriculum for children with ASD). Ankara. Retrieved from http://ttkb.meb.gov.tr/ dosyalar/programlar/ilkogretim/otistikcocuklar. pdf.
Miltenberger, R. G., & Gross, A. C. (2011). Teaching safety skills to children. In W. W Fisher, C. C. Piazza, & H. S. Roane (Eds.), Handbook of applied behavior analysis (pp. 417-432). NY: The Guildford Press.
Scheuermann, B., & Webber, J. (2002). Autism: Teaching does make a difference. Wadswoth/Thomson Learning.
Sirin, N., & Tekin-Iftar, E. (2016). Opinions of parents and teachers about safety skills instruction to children with ASD: A preliminary investigation. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 46, 2653-2665. doi: 10.1007/s10803-016-2809-2
Summers, J., Tarbox, J., Findel-Pyles, R. S., Wilke, A. E., Bergstrom, R., & Williams, W. L. (2011). Teaching two household safety skills to children with autism. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 5, 629-632.
Taylor, B. A., Hughes, C. E., Richard, E., Hoch, H., & Coello, A. R. (2004). Teaching teenagers with autism to seek assistance when lost. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 37, 79-82.
Tekin-Iftar, E., Olcay-Gul, S., Sirin, N., Bilmez, H., Degirmenci, D., & Collins, B. C. (2021). Systematic analysis of safety skill interventions to individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Special Education, 54(4), 239-250. DOI: 10.1177/0022466920918247
Volkmar, F. R., & Wiesner, L. A. (2009). A practical guide to autism: What every parent, family member, and teacher needs to know? Wiley.
Wiseman, K. V., McArdell, L. E., Bottini, S. B., & Gillis, J. M. (2017). A meta-analysis of safety skill interventions for children, adolescents, and young adults with autism spectrum disorders. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 4, 39-49. Doi: 10.1007/s40489-016-0096- 7
Agran, M., Krump, M., Spooner, F., & Traice-Lynn, Z. (2012). Asking students about the importance of safety skills instruction: A preliminary analysis of what they think is important. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 37, 45–52.
Akmanoglu, N., & Tekin-Iftar, E. (2011). Teaching children with autism how to respond to the lures of strangers. Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice, 15, 185-203. doi: 10.1177/1362361309352180
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). American Psychiatric Association.
Bergstrom, R., Najdowski, A. C., & Tarbox, J. (2012). Teaching children with autism to seek help when lost in public. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 45, 191-195.
Bergstrom, R., Najdowski, A. C., & Tarbox, J. (2014). A systematic replication of teaching children with autism to respond appropriately to lures from strangers. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 47, 861-865.
Calavari, R. N. S., & Romanczyk, R. G. (2012). Caregiver perspectives on unintentional injury risk in children with an autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 27, 632-641.
Chavelle, R. M., Strauss, D. J., & Picket, J. (2001). Causes of death in autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 31, 569–576.
Christensen, D. L., Baio, J., Braun, K. V., Bilder, D., Charles, J., Costantino, J. N., . . . Yeargin-Allsopp, M. (2016). Prevalence and characteristics of autism spectrum disorder among children aged 8 years - Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2012. MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 65(No. SS- 3), 1–23. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr. ss6503a1
Clees, T. J., & Gast, D. L. (1994). Social safety skills instruction for individuals with disabilities: A sequential model. Education & Treatment of Children, 17, 163-185.
Collins, B. C., Wolery, M., & Gast, D. L. (1991). A survey of safety concerns for students with special needs. Education and Training in Mental Retardation, 26, 305-318.
Collins, B. C., Wolery, M., & Gast, D. L. (1992). A national survey of safety concerns for students with special needs. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 4, 263-276.
Creswell, J. W. (2005). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. Merrill.
Dixon, D., Bergstorm, R., Smith, M. N., & Tarbox, J. (2010). A review of research on procedures for teaching safety skills to persons with developmental disabilities. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 31, 985-994.
Degirmenci, H. D., & Tekin-Iftar, E., (2019). Efficacy of social stories and video modelling in teaching safety skills to children with autism. Poster Presented at 13th Association for Behavior Analysis 13th Autism Conference, San Fransisco, CA, ABD.
Doyle, B.T., & Doyle-Iland, E. (2004). Autism spectrum disorders from A to Z. Future Horizons.
Ergenekon, Y. (2012). Teaching basic first-aid skills against home accidents to children with autism through video modeling. Educational Sciences, Theory, & Practice, 12, 2759-2766.
Gunby, K. V., & Rapp, J. T. (2014). The use of behavioral skills training and in situ feedback to protect children with autism from abduction lures. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 47, 856- 860.
Gunby, K. V., Carr, J. E., & Leblanc, L. A. (2010). Teaching abduction-prevention skills to children with autism. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 43, 107-112.
Harriage, B., Blair, K. C., & Miltenberger, R. (2016). An evaluation of a parent implemented in situ pedestrian safety skills intervention for individuals with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 46, 2017–2027.
Hoch, H., Taylor, B. A., & Rodriguez, A. (2009). Teaching teenagers with autism to answer cell phones and seek assistance when lost. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2, 14-20.
Istre, G. R., McCoy, M., Carlin, D. K., & McClain, l. (2002). Residential fire related deaths and injuries among children: Fire play, smoke alarms, and prevention. Injury Prevention, 8, 128-132.
Ivey, J. K. (2004). What do parents expect? A study of likelihood and importance issues for children with autism spectrum disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 19, 27–33. doi: 10.1177/10883576040190010401
Kenny, M. C., Bennett, K. D., Dougery, J., & Steele, F. (2013). Teaching general safety and body safety training skills to a Latino preschool male with autism. Journal of Child Family Studies, 22, 1092- 1102.
Kogan, M. D., Blumberg, S. J., Schieve, L. A., Boyle, C. A., Perrin, J. M., & Ghandour, R. M. (2009). Prevalence of parent-reported diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder among children in the US, 2007. Pediatrics, 124, 1395–1403.
Kurt, O., & Kutlu, M. (2019). Effectiveness of social stories in teaching abduction-prevention skills to children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49, 1-3807-3818. doi: 10.1007/s10803-019-04096-9
Milli Egitim Bakanligi. (2013). Talim terbiye kurulu baskanligi ozel egitim uygulama merkezi (okulu) birinci ve ikinci kademe egitim programi (otistik cocuklar için) (Cirriculum for children with ASD). Ankara. Retrieved from http://ttkb.meb.gov.tr/ dosyalar/programlar/ilkogretim/otistikcocuklar. pdf.
Miltenberger, R. G., & Gross, A. C. (2011). Teaching safety skills to children. In W. W Fisher, C. C. Piazza, & H. S. Roane (Eds.), Handbook of applied behavior analysis (pp. 417-432). NY: The Guildford Press.
Scheuermann, B., & Webber, J. (2002). Autism: Teaching does make a difference. Wadswoth/Thomson Learning.
Sirin, N., & Tekin-Iftar, E. (2016). Opinions of parents and teachers about safety skills instruction to children with ASD: A preliminary investigation. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 46, 2653-2665. doi: 10.1007/s10803-016-2809-2
Summers, J., Tarbox, J., Findel-Pyles, R. S., Wilke, A. E., Bergstrom, R., & Williams, W. L. (2011). Teaching two household safety skills to children with autism. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 5, 629-632.
Taylor, B. A., Hughes, C. E., Richard, E., Hoch, H., & Coello, A. R. (2004). Teaching teenagers with autism to seek assistance when lost. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 37, 79-82.
Tekin-Iftar, E., Olcay-Gul, S., Sirin, N., Bilmez, H., Degirmenci, D., & Collins, B. C. (2021). Systematic analysis of safety skill interventions to individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Special Education, 54(4), 239-250. DOI: 10.1177/0022466920918247
Volkmar, F. R., & Wiesner, L. A. (2009). A practical guide to autism: What every parent, family member, and teacher needs to know? Wiley.
Wiseman, K. V., McArdell, L. E., Bottini, S. B., & Gillis, J. M. (2017). A meta-analysis of safety skill interventions for children, adolescents, and young adults with autism spectrum disorders. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 4, 39-49. Doi: 10.1007/s40489-016-0096- 7
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Published
2021-03-09
How to Cite
Tekin-Iftar, E. ., Sirin, N., & Collins, B. C. . (2021). Turkish Parents, Teachers, and Faculty Members’ Opinions and Experiences on Safety Skills Instruction for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 13(3). Retrieved from https://www.iejee.com/index.php/IEJEE/article/view/1489
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