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Brenda Smith Myles

Brenda Smith Myles
Independent Researcher

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108
Publications
140,897
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4,251
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Introduction

Publications

Publications (108)
Chapter
Full-text available
The elements of written expression require a set of complicated skills that go beyond the act of holding a pencil and putting words on paper and encompass the complex interaction among physical, cognitive, and sensory systems. Most students on the autism spectrum are likely to have difficulties with written expression that impact their academic per...
Chapter
Full-text available
Social competence includes a complex set of skills that impacts quality of life across all environments: home, school, employment, and the community. Elements that impact social competence, such as theory of mind, weak central coherence, regulation and relationship building, must be taught to individuals with disabilities, including those with auti...
Article
Access to the common core and the general education environment are attainable goals for learners on the autism spectrum when their autism is clearly understood and meaningful supports and instruction are in place. This chapter focuses on one area that is often not addressed for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) yet is critical to acade...
Article
Over the past several years, society has been witness to attempts to quantify effectiveness. Triggered, in part, by federal and state governments and funding agencies as a means of assessing accountability, the term evidence-based has been applied to multiple entities, including medicine, management, mental health, and education. The area of autism...
Article
Full-text available
Examined the cognitive profiles of individuals with Asperger's syndrome to determine if there is a characteristic profile that might aid diagnosis and the development of interventions. 37 patients (aged 3–14 yrs) diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome completed one of the Wechsler intelligence scales, including verbal (VIQ) and performance (PIQ) subtes...
Chapter
Although relatively little research has been conducted on the nature of the social disability in Asperger Syndrome (AS) (Klin, Volkmar, & Sparrow, 2000; Myles & Simpson, 2002), researchers and practitioners generally agree that this area presents the greatest challenge throughout life (Barnhill, Hagiwara, Myles, Simpson, Brick, & Griswold, 2000; Ch...
Article
Full-text available
Research in the area of ASD demonstrates an understanding of evidence-based practices in isolation. To make sustainable change in the quality of life for an individual with ASD, it is essential that we determine whether a particular intervention or, more likely, sets of interventions matches his or her strengths and needs. This requires a thorough...
Article
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This article outlines two compatible models for planning and implementing programs for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The Ziggurat Model begins the process with an assessment of individual strengths and concerns related specifically to ASD and identifies interventions across five tiers that are matched to the individual’s profile: (...
Article
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This article presents the results of a large-scale study of the characteristics of 156 individuals with Asperger Syndrome (AS) ages 12 to 18. Specifically, cognitive (intellectual, empathizing, systemizing), adaptive behavior, behavior, temperament, and sensory profiles of study participants are overviewed. These characteristics are discussed as th...
Article
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Many individuals with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) have difficulty recognizing emotions in themselves and others. The present pilot study explored the use of assistive technology to teach emotion recognition (ER) to eight children with ASC. Participants were between the ages of 8 and 11 years and had a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome (AS). ER te...
Article
Full-text available
The purpose of this study Was to determine Whether the use of a personal digital assistant (PDA) Would facilitate the recording of homeWork by an adolescent boy With Asperger syndrome (AS). A multiple-baseline-across-settings design Was used in the student's history, English, and science classes to determine the accuracy With Which he recorded (a)...
Book
With the increased number of children being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders, parents and professionals are in search of materials that provide information theat will enable them to better understand affected children. While in the past individuals who were diagnosed had limited verbal and intellectual skills, newly diagnosed children often...
Article
What is the impact on students' writing samples of such factors as prompt features, prewriting activities, time limits, and examiner practices? How can these variables be systematically reported?
Article
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The Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), while in use in the mainstream population, is not generally utilized by individuals with disabilities. Using a multiple-baseline design across settings we tested effectiveness of using a PDA to increase the independence of an adolescent with Asperger Syndrome (AS). Results indicated use of the PDA was effective...
Article
Full-text available
The purpose of this guide is to help educators understand and be able to respond effectively to the needs of children with Asperger Syndrome in an inclusive classroom setting. This guide is meant to orient educators to the challenges and skills of students with Asperger Syndrome and outline strategies that can be easily implemented to meet their ne...
Article
Full-text available
Asperger Syndrome (AS) is a developmental disability marked by impairments in verbal and nonverbal communication, socialization, and behavior. This article provides an introduction to the difficulties experienced by students with AS and six strategies that can be easily implemented by teachers or parents to help students acquire the skills needed t...
Article
Full-text available
The purpose of this study was to examine whether children with Asperger Syndrome and children with autism exhibit difference sensory profiles. The Sensory Profile (Dunn, 1999), completed on 86 individuals with Asperger Syndrome and 86 persons with autism matched for age, revealed differences in three of 23 areas evaluated: (a) Emotional/Social Resp...
Article
Full-text available
The current study investigated written language skills of children and youth with Asperger Syndrome (AS). Sixteen children and youth with AS and 16 neurotypical peers were compared on a standardized test of written language skills and legibility of handwriting. To investigate more detailed characteristics, informal analyses were also made for writt...
Article
Full-text available
This study assessed the utility of a Social Story intervention to improve the lunchtime eating behaviors of an adolescent diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. Using an ABAB design, the Social Story program appeared to result in a decrease in the number of food and drink spills and an increase in the frequency of appropriate mouth-wiping during lunch a...
Article
Full-text available
This study was designed to determine the effectiveness of the Power Card Strategy in teaching sportsmanship skills to a 10-year-old girl with autism. The Power Card Strategy, which incorporates special interests to teach and reinforce academic, behavior, and social skills, was introduced using a design of multiple baseline across three conditions....
Article
Full-text available
A pivotal element of the Reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Act in 1997 is the inclusion of children and youth with disabilities, including those with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), in general education classrooms. The challenges of including students with ASD are many because of the nature and severity of their disability. In t...
Article
Although many children and youth with AS exhibit anxiety that may lead to challenging behaviors, stress and subsequent behaviors should be viewed as an integral part of the disorder [36]. As such, it is important to understand the cycle of behaviors to prevent seemingly minor events from escalating. Although understanding the cycle of tantrums, rag...
Article
This position statement from the Critical Issues Committee of the Developmental Disabilities Division of the Council for Exceptional Children focuses on clarifying the place of autism spectrum disorders within the field of developmental disabilities. The representation of concerns relating to autism spectrum disorders by the Developmental Disabilit...
Article
This book is a guide for parents and teachers to Asperger syndrome, a condition in which individuals have significant social and language peculiarities while simultaneously showing normal development and function in some areas of their lives. Chapter 1 provides an overview of Asperger syndrome, including definitions and characteristics. Chapter 2 f...
Article
Full-text available
The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of a social story intervention implemented in a home setting to decrease precursors to tantrum behavior in a 5-year-old boy with autism. Using an ABAB design, two social stories were presented and withdrawn while using an event recording procedure in which interrupting verbalizations, determin...
Article
Full-text available
Although the prevalence of Asperger syndrome (AS) is increasing, many children and youth who exhibit characteristics associated with this disability are not diagnosed until their later years. Because early intervention appears to be critical for individuals with AS, it is important that educators, families, and physicians have a comprehensive under...
Article
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This study investigated the effectiveness of a social skills intervention targeting nonverbal communication for 8 adolescents With Asperger syndrome (AS) and related pervasive developmental delays. The Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy 2 (DANVA2; NoWicki, 1997) Was used as a pre- and posttest measure to assess participants' nonverbal langua...
Article
Full-text available
This study focused on identifying the academic characteristics of children and youth Who have Asperger syndrome (AS). Significant numbers of school-age children have AS, yet little is knoWn about the unique educational features of individuals With this pervasive developmental disorder. TWenty-one children and youth With diagnoses of AS Were assesse...
Article
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The purpose of this study was to examine the reading performance of 16 individuals with Asperger syndrome. The students were administered the Classroom Reading Inventory (Silvaroli, 1993), and the results were analyzed to determine if individuals with Asperger syndrome present similar reading deficits, as posited by researcher and practitioners in...
Article
Full-text available
The purpose of this study was to identify the sensory processing patterns of children with Asperger syndrome. Researchers compared the performance of 42 children with Asperger syndrome and 42 children without disabilities on section and factor scores of the Sensory Profile. As reported by parents on the Sensory Profile, the children with Asperger s...
Article
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This article discusses characteristics of students with Asperger syndrome (AS), especially those germane to educators, and methods most appropriate for supporting and enhancing the educational experiences of children and youth with AS. Effective social interventions and supports, behavioral interventions, and academic accommodations are described....
Article
Full-text available
A synthesis of studies designed to better understand characteristics of children and youth identified as having Asperger syndrome is provided. Based on work associated with The Asperger Syndrome Research Project, summarized information on the unique intellectual, academic, social/emotional, and sensory characteristics of children and youth with Asp...
Article
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Despite research indicating that adolescents with Asperger syndrome are prone to depression, there is no research investigating the attributions of these individuals and the possibility of a learned helplessness attributional style that may predispose these persons to depression or to maintain depressive symptoms. This study investigated the relati...
Article
Full-text available
Children and youth with Asperger Syndrome (AS) manifest social skills problems that can negatively impact their functioning across school, home, and community. One social skills area, the "hidden curriculum," is particularly problematic for these individuals. The hidden curriculum includes the skills that we are not taught directly yet are assumed...
Article
Full-text available
A combination of visual supports for two elementary-age boys with autism was evaluated. The visual supports were used to aid transitions from one activity to another in community and home settings. The effectiveness of the visual supports was assessed using single-subject reversal designs (ABAB). The data revealed a significant decrease in the late...
Article
Full-text available
The present study examined perceptions of the social problems and adaptive behaviors of children and youth with Asperger Syndrome. Parents and teachers used the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC) (Reynolds & Kamphaus, 1992) to evaluate 20 children and youth with Asperger Syndrome. In addition, the 20 students using the BASC self-report...
Article
The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers' perceptions of preassessment operating procedures in a midwestern state. This was accomplished through the distribution of a survey to randomly selected, state-certified general and special educators. Results of the study revealed that general and special educators served on these teams and gen...
Article
Full-text available
Asperger Syndrome (AS), although not a new disability, is receiving increased attention in the United States and throughout the world. Researchers and practitioners are just beginning to understand this exceptionality that may impact more individuals than autism. This article overviews the behavior, socialization, language, cognition, motor, and se...
Article
Full-text available
This study reports the results of a survey of teachers and related-services professionals experienced in working with students with autism. The survey focused on identifying students with autism spectrum disorders who were perceived to be appropriate for participation in a large-scale group assessment. Respondents identified minimally necessary tes...
Article
Full-text available
The purpose of this study was to analyze the acquisition of communicative functions and means in 15 children and youth with autism over a 1-year period. Study participants made advances in skills development in both functions and means, replacing more primitive forms of communication with more advanced forms. Functions appeared to follow a developm...
Article
Full-text available
Although social stories have been used as a positive support intervention for people with autism and other developmental disabilities, their utility has primarily been supported by anecdotal records. This study developed an intervention that used social stories in a computer-based format. The results revealed that overall the social story intervent...
Article
Full-text available
The purpose of this investigation was to analyze the effects of priming in introducing toilet training to a 3-year-old boy with autism. Using an ABAB design, the number of wet and dry diapers was analyzed in relation to the initiation of toilet use. The data, which were collected throughout the child's day, showed an increase in initiation of toile...
Article
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A study investigated the impact of rhythmic entrainment on an 11-year-old girl with autism who engaged in head jerking and screaming. Rhythmic entrainment intervention was more effective when she exhibited behavior that resulted from a moderate level of stress and less effective when stressors were more severe. (CR)
Article
Full-text available
This study analyzed the effects of social stories in reducing precursors to tantrum behavior in two social environments, morning work time and lunchtime. The student was a 12-year-old boy diagnosed with autism, Fragile X syndrome, and intermittent explosive disorder. Using an ABAB design, two social stories were implemented and withdrawn as data we...
Article
Children who commit aggressive and violent acts are seen more frequently in public school and general education classrooms. Despite the increasing numbers of these students in schools, educators report that they do not have the necessary skills to work with them. This manuscript provides teachers with basic information needed to prevent and manage...
Article
Full-text available
This book provides basic information about Asperger Syndrome by addressing issues related to the characteristics of the disorder and outlining basic methods to facilitate the growth and development of children and youth with Asperger Syndrome. Chapter 1, "Understanding the Meaning and Nature of Asperger Syndrome," provides the diagnostic criteria f...
Article
The purpose of this study was to investigate the status of school preassessment teams in a midwestem state. Specifically, the study sought to determine perceptions of actual and preferred preassessment-related team activities and preferred permanent team members. This was accomplished through a preassessment questionnaire, distributed to randomly s...
Article
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The purpose of this article is to provide an integrated review of literature on interventions used with persons with autism and other developmentalwho exhibit pica behaviour. Each study in the area is overviewed by intervention class, and implications disabilities; for future interventions in this area are discussed.
Article
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This study was designed to monitor behaviors of three elementary-age students with autism in inclusionary settings relative to paraprofessional proximity and classroom activity. Results are presented for students' on-task behavior, in-seat behavior, self-stimulatory responses, and inappropriate vocalizations based on paraprofessional proximity and...
Article
Full-text available
A pica box (containing items safe to chew) was used as an intervention with a 10-year-old autistic girl with pica behaviors in a special education setting. Evaluation using an ABAB design (varying in availability of the pica box) found a decrease in pica attempts when the pica box was available to the student. (DB)
Article
Full-text available
An alleged collateral effect of using facilitated communication with individuals with autism is improved social behavior (Biklen, 1993). In response to this purported effect, we report findings of an empirical study undertaken to assess concomitant behavioral outcomes associated with using facilitated communication as an instructional tool with ind...
Article
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This article reports findings of an empirical study designed to assess the educational utility and potential of using facilitated communication to instruct and evaluate individuals with autism in basic academic skills, including letter recognition and sound/ symbol correspondence, number recognition and one-to-one correspondence, and positional wor...
Article
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This article describes the use of social-story intervention programs to teach appropriate social behavior to 3 children with autism. The procedures used in these interventions combined social-story methodology with a more traditional behavioral social-skills training strategy. Procedures and suggestions for successfully developing, implementing, an...
Article
Full-text available
This study focused on identifying the characteristics of children and youth identified as having higher functioning autistic disorder (H-F AD). Teachers of 29 children and youth previously identified as having H-F AD completed a common autism assessment measure on their students, the Autism Behavior Checklist. Review of teachers' ratings of the 29...
Article
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This monograph reviews the literature on the efficacy and authenticity of facilitated communication (FC). Meta-analysis of published studies is used to examine FC as a communication tool, criteria for scientific evidence of FC's effectiveness, and the value of quantitative assessment. Other questions addressed include life-span issues and guideline...
Article
Full-text available
Facilitated communication is purported to be a unique and effective communication option for individuals with autism and other severe disabilities. However, empirical validity for this claim has not been established. In an attempt to understand the utility and validity of facilitated communication, the present study focused on evaluating the effect...
Article
This study reports on the use of facilitated communication as an instructional technique with students wilh autism. This line of research is unique in that it does not focus on validating students' unexpected literacy and other purported high-level skills that are incompatible with perceived cognitive and language functioning. Rather, it focuses on...
Article
Discusses accommodating the diverse academic needs of students through the use of study guides
Article
Cognitive behavior modification (CBM) is a technique that allows students with exceptionalities to function independently in schools and communities. It has been widely used with persons with mild to moderate disabilities; more recently, this technique has also been applied successfully with students with autism who exhibit a range of skills. This...
Article
Provides teachers with basic information needed to prevent violence and manage violent and aggressive children. The following escalating levels of aggression (AG) are described: (1) the frustration stage, (2) the defensiveness stage, (3) the AG stage, and (4) the self-control stage (M. Beck, 1985). Effective strategies for each of these stages and...
Article
Full-text available
In spite of claims that facilitated communication is a unique and effective communication option for individuals with autism, validity of this method has not been established. The present study focused on evaluating the effectiveness of facilitated communication with elementary-age children with autism. Ten public school children and their teachers...
Article
Full-text available
This study focused on identifying the characteristics of students identified as having higher-functioning autistic disorder (H-F AD). Even though significant numbers of children and youth are being diagnosed with H-F AD, the unique educational features of this disorder are poorly understood. Thus, the school records of 41 students with H-F AD who a...
Article
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The purpose of this study was to investigate the behavioral techniques that would be most effective in decreasing coprolalia for a student diagnosed with autism and Tourette's syndrome. The study involved a young female who was enrolled in a public school special education classroom for children with behavior and communication disorders. Four behav...
Article
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In 1984, the research committee of the council for learning disabilities (CLD) noted that the available descriptions of individuals with LD in research reports were vague and inconsistent. Recognizing that such descriptions made it difficult to evaluate research findings, the committee recommended that specific guidelines for participant descriptio...
Article
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Examined what happens when preschool children with autism are in the same classroom as nondisabled peers vs when they are not. Ss were 7 children, 4 with autism (aged 2.9–4.4 yrs) and 3 who served as normally developing peer models (aged 3.2, 3.6, and 4.5 yrs, respectively.) Three observers were trained over 6 2-hr sessions using videotaped classro...
Article
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Discusses the Autism Mainstreaming Collaboration Model (AMCM), designed to support general educators in their work with autistic students. The model is based on collaboration; emphasizes shared responsibility and decision making among general educators, special educators, and support personnel; and considers learner behaviors and instructional fact...
Article
Using an analogue method, a survey of general educators in a midwestern suburban school district revealed a general willingness to accept in regular settings students with learning disabilities and behavioral disorders, contingent on appropriate mainstreaming modifications. General educators' participation in mainstreaming decision making was an im...
Article
This article discusses literature selection for students with learning differences, focusing on types of material available and criteria for selecting books for and about students with learning differences. The article includes a list of literature for and about children with learning problems and a checklist for evaluating these materials. (JDD)
Article
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The following stages in planning a token economy with students having behavior problems are discussed: (1) identifying target behaviors; (2) specifying and selecting reinforcers; (3) identifying token types and schedules; (4) planning token distribution and redemption; (5) initiating and implementing the token economy system; and (6) planning infla...
Article
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Behavioral interventions are a powerful classroom tool for working with special populations
Article
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Stress negatively and substantially affects classroom environment, the teachinglearning process, and the attainment of educational goals and objectives. Furthermore, it diminishes the satisfaction that many teachers derive from their work and lessens the energy and creativity they bring to the classroom. Therefore, teachers must actively respond to...
Article
Mainstreaming decisions, including identification of handicapped students for regular class placement and support service recommendations (e.g., reduced class size, inservice training, consultation services), are frequently made by nonclassroom personnel such as school psychologists, occupational/physical therapists, and speech/language pathologist...
Article
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The General Education Collaboration Model is designed to support general educators teaching mainstreamed disabled students, through collaboration with special educators. The model is based on flexible departmentalization, program ownership, identification and development of supportive attitudes, student assessment as a measure of program effectiven...
Article
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25 regular and 31 special educators completed a transitional skills survey, which measured their perceptions of nonacademic skills required for students with behavioral disorders and learning disabilities to be successful in mainstreamed settings. Regular class teachers perceived differences in nonacademic skills as demonstrated by behaviorally dis...

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