Utilizing Peer Mentoring and Mediation Strategies to Engage

Students with Autism in Learning and Understanding Mathematics

at the Middle School level

Kathryn A. Brewer, B.S. and B.A.

The College of William and Mary

Curriculum & Instruction

Secondary Mathematics, M.A.Ed

Abstract Students with Autism, and other developmental

disabilities, at the Elementary and Secondary levels often have difficulty interacting socially with peers, which can hinder their ability to learn in an educational environment.

Peer – Mediated Interventions promote equality among students and foster environments where developmentally disabled students can acquire social skills through interactions with peers while learning additional skills, such as self – monitoring and accountability.

The combination of self – monitoring and peer – mediation can lead to lasting relationships, increased language and social skills, and can also contribute to an increased self-confidence in students with developmental disabilities.

Effectiveness of Peer Mentoring and Peer Mediation

Increase in Social interaction between students diagnosed with a disability and their normally developing peers

Increase in classroom attentiveness and overall engagement

Increase in effectively using content based discussion tools◦Talk Aloud Problem Solving / Math

Talk/ Number Sense

Review of LiteratureEach grouping of Power PALS (peer assisting, learning, and supporting) utilized various helpful ideas that included, but are not limited to, hanging out at lunch, assisting with homework, inviting students to club penguin, and playing games. In addition to providing individual progress results, this article included the overall benefits to peers, the friendships formed, and the perspectives of parents who’s children where involved in this study. The overall theme of this article focused on the social benefits to students with and without a disability, which can be extremely beneficial in a middle or high school environment.

-Power-PALS (peers assisting, leading, supporting)…

Collet-Klingenberg, L., Neitzel, J., & LaBerge, J. (2012).

Review of LiteratureThis study began by establishing a baseline with which to reference when evaluating progress based on each elicited social response through peer training sessions or probes. Overall there was a positive correlation between peer training and an increase in any of the four social responses:

◦ maintaining eye contact (directional gaze), ◦ maintaining close proximity to peers during interactions, ◦ initiating or directing conversations with peers; and ◦ maintaining the conversation topics.

The limitations point out the need for continued research.

- The effects of Peer training …

Krebs, M.L., McDaniel, D.M., & Neeley, R.A. (2010)

Review of LiteratureThis article utilizes a 5 step model for the use and implementation of PMII, which includes:

◦ Selecting Peers, ◦ Training and Supporting Peers, ◦ Implementing a Structured Teaching Session, ◦ Implementing in Classroom and School Settings, and ◦ Extending Initiations Across the Day.

Careful selection of peers who are reliable and utilize effective social and language skills, teachers and researchers can work together to create reliable implementation strategies while supporting all students through classroom setup and overall management.

- Peer-Mediated Instruction …

Sperry, L., Neitzel, J., & Engelhardt-Wells, K. (2010).

RationaleIs there a particular age group that

responds better to this particular intervention method? If so, why do they benefit more?

How does a teacher go about selecting and training normally developing peers to become peer mentors to autistic or developmentally disabled peers?

Is there reasonable data available on the successfulness of this intervention? And, how could we go about collecting data of our own to support this methods implementation?

Evidence Based PracticePeer Mentoring and Peer Mediation

Peer Mentoring is considered an effective social intervention for both students with Autism (or developmental disabilities) and their normally developing peers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC-13zO8ho8

Evidence Based PracticePeer Mentoring and Peer Mediation

Coyote Crossroads is a program that pairs normally developing peers who struggle academically with Autistic students. These students assist in building friendships and creating basic mathematical understanding. This program is also service oriented, where speakers are invited to come and educate the normally developing peers on autism and how to best assist those diagnosed with autism. This program has also positively impacted those students who were struggling in increasing their grades and school attendance due to their participation in the program.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbO5SqTZC2c

Middle School Implementation

How can peer mentoring assist students in middle or secondary school?

What are the benefits?What are the disadvantages?

http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=13567

The Faison School in Richmond, VA

• Is a non-profit school for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

• Peer – Mentoring and the Community Integration Program

• The students are trained through example • The students are given reinforcements to

encourage positive behavior and increased social interaction (the Wall – Mart)

• Self-monitoring checklist and checklist for achieving certain learning objectives per

week

Community and Learning Unit Objective Achievement Track Sheet

Rules Sheet with Work/Community Points

The WALL MART

Measurement of ObjectivesCharts

◦ plotting on-task versus off-task behavior

◦ works toward a particular learning goal or level

Bar Graphs◦ the student monitors their ability to

accomplish the task at hand; ◦works toward a goal

Discussion/ Analysis This intervention strategy is reliably and can benefit

not only the student diagnosed with the developmental disability but also the peers mediating the intervention. Examples from the literature include:◦ Engelhardt – Wells, Neitzel, & Sperry (2010) states that

“research has shown that PMII can be effectively used to increase the social interactions of learners with ASD with others” (p. 261).

◦ Krebs, McDaniel, & Neeley (2010) also noted that their investigation replicated previous peer – mediated intervention studies and supported “that a peer mediated approach to social intervention could successfully increase the use of socially appropriate behaviors between children with ASD and their typically developing peers” (p. 402).

◦ Collet – Klingenberg, LaBerge, & Neitzel stated that their “outcomes suggest that Power Pals had a significant impact on school experiences and social interactions for both learners with and without ASD” (p. 3).

References Blancher, J., Horner, R. H., Odom, S. L., & Snell, M. E. (Eds.). (2007).

Handbook of developmental disabilities. New York, NY: The Guilford Press. Collet-Klingenberg, L., Neitzel, J., & LaBerge, J. (2012). Power-PALS (peers

assisting, leading, supporting): implementing a peer-mediated intervention in a rural middle school program. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 31 (2), 3 - 11.

Krebs, M.L., McDaniel, D.M., & Neeley, R.A. (2010). The effects of peer training on the social interactions of children with autism spectrum disorders. Education, 131 (2), 393 - 403.

Sperry, L., Neitzel, J., & Engelhardt-Wells, K. (2010). Peer-Mediated instruction and intervention strategies for students with autism spectrum disorders. Preventing School Failure, 54 (4), 256 - 264.

National Louis University (Producer). (2011). Peer mentoring networks for students with autism [YouTube]. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC-13zO8ho8

Upside CHN (Producer). (2011). Coyote crossroads program: mentoring autistic classmates [YouTube]. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbO5SqTZC2c

NYC Charter Center (Producer). (2008). Peer mentoring at autism charter school [Teacher Tube]. Available from http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=13567

The faison school for autism. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.thefaisonschool.org/welcome.php

Photo reference sites listed in the comments on slide 13