Online ISSN: 2325-7466
2006
Triannual
National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET)
United States

Articles

Strategies for Supporting Students Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders in STEM Education

  • Amelia K. Moody, Ph.D. (Author) University of North Carolina Wilmington image/svg+xml
    Amelia K. Moody, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in Early Childhood and Special Education and serves as director of the Center for Assistive Technology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She conducts research on special education technology and its role in enhancing communication and engagement in young children diagnosed with disabilities. Dr. Moody serves as a member of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Cooperative at the Watson College of Education and offers STEM programs to students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). She served as an applied behavioral analysis instructor, early interventionist, preschool special education teacher, and elementary special education for ten years before entering higher education. She is active in the research community and has published book chapters, research articles, and presented worldwide. Her innovative work in special education technology was recently highlighted by the Center for Technology and Disability and the U. S. Department of Education.
  • Dennis S. Kubasko, Ph.D. (Author) University of North Carolina Wilmington
    Dennis S. Kubasko, Jr., Ph.D., is an associate professor of science education at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). Over the past 15 years he has taught a variety of STEM infused courses in the Watson College of Education such as STEM Leadership in Schools and the secondary science methods course. He emphasizes strategies grounded in inquiry based science instruction, problem based learning, and relevant place-based practice. Dr. Kubasko is best known for building sustainable and healthy working relationships with colleagues across UNCW’s College of Arts and Sciences, Wilmington’s local informal science settings (i.e. parks, museums), state agencies and regional corporate/business partners. Using Carolina Beach State Park as a classroom, Dr. Kubasko pairs College of Education teacher candidates wit h Environmental Studies students for an innovative and unique ‘Island Ecology for Educators’ course every summer. Dr. Kubasko directed UNCW’s Center for Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (CESTEM) from 2011 - 2016. He co-directs the UNC Wilmington’s Regional Science Olympiad providing STEM infused activities for close to 1000 children from across Southeastern North Carolina. He coordinated and led international field experiences to Belize, Central America (2008-2015) providing an engaged study abroad experience for over 100 university undergraduate and graduate students. Dr. Kubasko taught middle school science and high school Biology in the suburban Philadelphia public schools for 7 years.
  • Allison R. Walker, Ph.D. (Author) University of North Carolina Wilmington
    Allison R. Walker, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle, Literacy, and Special Education at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC. She has taught a variety of courses related to special education, transition, and effective instructional practices. Dr. Walker’s research agenda focuses on the transition of students with high-incidence disabilities into employment, post-secondary education, and independent living with a concentration on diversity in transition, specifically the self-advocacy skills of students with disabilities from minority backgrounds. Dr. Walker was a transition support teacher for several years in Germantown, Maryland where she provided transition services to both the high and low-incidence population of students with disabilities. In addition, she worked as a transition specialist for George Mason T/TAC where she provided transition services for Region 4 in the state of Virginia. She has also worked with the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT) (formally known as the National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center) where she helped to develop the Indicator 13 Checklist to ensure that transition plans for students with disabilities ages 16 and older are in compliance with federal guidelines.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.372
Abstract
Educators and employers are working together to promote students diagnosed with autism by developing skills related to the STEM fields. Students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are showing high levels of interest in STEM fields. This paper will review STEM and ASD literature and offer methods for improving student access to education through transition services and using a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework in efforts to encourage a blend of evidence-based instructional methods and supports for STEM educators working to include students diagnosed with ASD in their classrooms.
Keywords
Access to Education, Autism, Career Readiness, Cognitive Processes, College Students, Educational Technology
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How to Cite
Moody, A. K., Kubasko, D. S., & Walker, A. R. (2018). Strategies for Supporting Students Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders in STEM Education. Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals, 13(3), 44-65. https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.372

Fall 2018

Article Information

  • Article Type Articles
  • Submitted August 14, 2018
  • Published October 15, 2018
  • Issue Fall 2018
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