Melanie Howell | University of Kent (original) (raw)
Papers by Melanie Howell
Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2020
A systematic review was completed to identify assessments used with children with intellectual di... more A systematic review was completed to identify assessments used with children with intellectual disabilities to assess adaptive behaviour, challenging behaviour and autism-related behaviour and consider their appropriateness for use by special education teachers with autistic pupils. The findings of this review led to the recommendation that the Pervasive Development Disorder Behavior Inventory, Aberrant Behavior Checklist, Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist and the Teacher Autism Progress Scale are currently the most appropriate assessments for these purposes, although some limitations of these assessments exist. Additional recommendations included teacher input during the development of robust assessments to show progress for autistic children with intellectual disabilities and further evaluation of commonly used assessments with an appropriate sample in a relevant education setting.
Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2018
Antecedent choice and consequence choice procedures are often used as interventions to increase o... more Antecedent choice and consequence choice procedures are often used as interventions to increase on-task behaviour and reduce problem behaviour. This systematic literature review considers the conditions under which individuals show a preference for choice. Results suggest that preference for choice is variable, with some individuals preferring choice which allows access to more highly preferred stimuli and others preferring choice regardless of the outcome's preference value. It is recommended that choice be used as a non-invasive intervention which may positively affect some individuals' behaviour by either allowing them access to more highly preferred items or by accommodating their preference for choice. Trends across different samples and procedures are considered and recommendations are made for future research.
Individuals on the autism spectrum with coexisting intellectual disabilities are more likely to h... more Individuals on the autism spectrum with coexisting intellectual disabilities are more likely to have communication difficulties, display certain aspects of restricted and repetitive sensory and motor behaviours, show adaptive behaviour impairments and display behaviour that challenges than those with either condition alone. The interactions between the two conditions result in educational needs and barriers to learning specific to this group which are not thoroughly assessed using current assessment tools. Instead, autistic pupils who have intellectual disabilities and attend special schools are routinely assessed using generic assessments appropriate for pupils with a wide range of special needs and developmental disabilities. This thesis sought to consider the most appropriate ways to identify and monitor barriers to learning for pupils on the autism spectrum with intellectual disabilities in special schools through effective and robust assessment. Four related studies were conduc...
Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 2020
Two focus groups were conducted with special needs teachers to: (a) identify barriers to learning... more Two focus groups were conducted with special needs teachers to: (a) identify barriers to learning for autistic pupils, (b) consider broad assessment domains and specific skills or behaviours which teachers consider important for these pupils, and (c) give their opinions on teacher assessments. Data analysis resulted in six main themes: (a) barriers to learning, (b) teacher priorities for autistic pupils, (c) ways of overcoming barriers, (d) the concept of ‘true mastery’, (e) assessing the bigger picture, and (f) practicalities of assessment. Results showed that teachers have priorities for the pupils they know well and concerns about the assessments they regularly use. To ensure face and content validity of teacher assessments, and for assessments to be useful to and valued by the teachers who use them, it is recommended that teachers have opportunities to input during various aspects of the assessment development process.
British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 2020
Background: This study outlines how a modified Delphi procedure was used with special educational... more Background: This study outlines how a modified Delphi procedure was used with special educational needs teachers to select skills and behaviours for inclusion in the Assessment of Barriers to Learning in Education‐Autism (ABLE‐Autism). The ABLE‐Autism is a new teacher assessment to show progress in barriers to learning for pupils on the autism spectrum with coexisting intellectual disabilities in special schools. The research aim was to select items for inclusion in the assessment based on teacher ratings of relevance, comprehensibility and comprehensiveness. Method: Following a review of the literature and teacher focus groups, a list of 86 items was developed and a modified two‐round Delphi exercise was conducted with special needs teachers. Items were selected for inclusion if at least 80% of teachers agreed that the item was (a) able to be understood, (b) important to assess and (c) the median score associated with whether the item was able to be understood and important to assess was 1 (the highest score possible). Results: In the first round, 56 items met the criteria for inclusion and were retained. Thirty items were amended, and, after three items were amalgamated with other items, 27 amended items were included in the second round. After the second round, 14 additional items met the threshold to be included in the final assessment. Conclusions: After both rounds, 70 items were endorsed by teachers and included in the ABLE‐Autism. The input of special needs teachers provided initial face and content validity for the new outcome measure.
Research in Developmental Disabilities, 2021
BACKGROUND Few robust autism-specific outcome assessments have been developed specifically for us... more BACKGROUND Few robust autism-specific outcome assessments have been developed specifically for use by teachers in special schools. The Assessment of Barriers to Learning in Education - Autism (ABLE-Autism) is a newly developed teacher assessment to identify and show progress in barriers to learning for pupils on the autism spectrum with coexisting intellectual disabilities. AIMS This study aimed to conduct a preliminary validity and reliability evaluation of the ABLE-Autism. METHODS AND PROCEDURES Forty-eight autistic pupils attending special schools were assessed using the ABLE-Autism. Multi-level modelling was used to evaluate test-retest reliability, internal consistency and convergent validity with the Teacher Autism Progress Scale. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS Results showed excellent test-retest reliability and internal consistency. A large effect size suggested that the ABLE-Autism is strongly correlated with the Teacher Autism Progress Scale. Teacher feedback was positive and suggested that the ABLE-Autism is easily understood by teachers, relevant to autistic pupils in special schools, and adequately covers the skills and behaviours that teachers believe are important to assess for these pupils. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Although further validation is recommended, the preliminary evaluation of the ABLE-Autism suggests that it is a useful and has the potential to be an effective outcome assessment for autistic pupils in special schools.
Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2020
A systematic review was completed to identify assessments used with children with intellectual di... more A systematic review was completed to identify assessments used with children with intellectual disabilities to assess adaptive behaviour, challenging behaviour and autism-related behaviour and consider their appropriateness for use by special education teachers with autistic pupils. The findings of this review led to the recommendation that the Pervasive Development Disorder Behavior Inventory, Aberrant Behavior Checklist, Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist and the Teacher Autism Progress Scale are currently the most appropriate assessments for these purposes, although some limitations of these assessments exist. Additional recommendations included teacher input during the development of robust assessments to show progress for autistic children with intellectual disabilities and further evaluation of commonly used assessments with an appropriate sample in a relevant education setting.
Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2018
Antecedent choice and consequence choice procedures are often used as interventions to increase o... more Antecedent choice and consequence choice procedures are often used as interventions to increase on-task behaviour and reduce problem behaviour. This systematic literature review considers the conditions under which individuals show a preference for choice. Results suggest that preference for choice is variable, with some individuals preferring choice which allows access to more highly preferred stimuli and others preferring choice regardless of the outcome's preference value. It is recommended that choice be used as a non-invasive intervention which may positively affect some individuals' behaviour by either allowing them access to more highly preferred items or by accommodating their preference for choice. Trends across different samples and procedures are considered and recommendations are made for future research.
Individuals on the autism spectrum with coexisting intellectual disabilities are more likely to h... more Individuals on the autism spectrum with coexisting intellectual disabilities are more likely to have communication difficulties, display certain aspects of restricted and repetitive sensory and motor behaviours, show adaptive behaviour impairments and display behaviour that challenges than those with either condition alone. The interactions between the two conditions result in educational needs and barriers to learning specific to this group which are not thoroughly assessed using current assessment tools. Instead, autistic pupils who have intellectual disabilities and attend special schools are routinely assessed using generic assessments appropriate for pupils with a wide range of special needs and developmental disabilities. This thesis sought to consider the most appropriate ways to identify and monitor barriers to learning for pupils on the autism spectrum with intellectual disabilities in special schools through effective and robust assessment. Four related studies were conduc...
Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 2020
Two focus groups were conducted with special needs teachers to: (a) identify barriers to learning... more Two focus groups were conducted with special needs teachers to: (a) identify barriers to learning for autistic pupils, (b) consider broad assessment domains and specific skills or behaviours which teachers consider important for these pupils, and (c) give their opinions on teacher assessments. Data analysis resulted in six main themes: (a) barriers to learning, (b) teacher priorities for autistic pupils, (c) ways of overcoming barriers, (d) the concept of ‘true mastery’, (e) assessing the bigger picture, and (f) practicalities of assessment. Results showed that teachers have priorities for the pupils they know well and concerns about the assessments they regularly use. To ensure face and content validity of teacher assessments, and for assessments to be useful to and valued by the teachers who use them, it is recommended that teachers have opportunities to input during various aspects of the assessment development process.
British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 2020
Background: This study outlines how a modified Delphi procedure was used with special educational... more Background: This study outlines how a modified Delphi procedure was used with special educational needs teachers to select skills and behaviours for inclusion in the Assessment of Barriers to Learning in Education‐Autism (ABLE‐Autism). The ABLE‐Autism is a new teacher assessment to show progress in barriers to learning for pupils on the autism spectrum with coexisting intellectual disabilities in special schools. The research aim was to select items for inclusion in the assessment based on teacher ratings of relevance, comprehensibility and comprehensiveness. Method: Following a review of the literature and teacher focus groups, a list of 86 items was developed and a modified two‐round Delphi exercise was conducted with special needs teachers. Items were selected for inclusion if at least 80% of teachers agreed that the item was (a) able to be understood, (b) important to assess and (c) the median score associated with whether the item was able to be understood and important to assess was 1 (the highest score possible). Results: In the first round, 56 items met the criteria for inclusion and were retained. Thirty items were amended, and, after three items were amalgamated with other items, 27 amended items were included in the second round. After the second round, 14 additional items met the threshold to be included in the final assessment. Conclusions: After both rounds, 70 items were endorsed by teachers and included in the ABLE‐Autism. The input of special needs teachers provided initial face and content validity for the new outcome measure.
Research in Developmental Disabilities, 2021
BACKGROUND Few robust autism-specific outcome assessments have been developed specifically for us... more BACKGROUND Few robust autism-specific outcome assessments have been developed specifically for use by teachers in special schools. The Assessment of Barriers to Learning in Education - Autism (ABLE-Autism) is a newly developed teacher assessment to identify and show progress in barriers to learning for pupils on the autism spectrum with coexisting intellectual disabilities. AIMS This study aimed to conduct a preliminary validity and reliability evaluation of the ABLE-Autism. METHODS AND PROCEDURES Forty-eight autistic pupils attending special schools were assessed using the ABLE-Autism. Multi-level modelling was used to evaluate test-retest reliability, internal consistency and convergent validity with the Teacher Autism Progress Scale. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS Results showed excellent test-retest reliability and internal consistency. A large effect size suggested that the ABLE-Autism is strongly correlated with the Teacher Autism Progress Scale. Teacher feedback was positive and suggested that the ABLE-Autism is easily understood by teachers, relevant to autistic pupils in special schools, and adequately covers the skills and behaviours that teachers believe are important to assess for these pupils. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS Although further validation is recommended, the preliminary evaluation of the ABLE-Autism suggests that it is a useful and has the potential to be an effective outcome assessment for autistic pupils in special schools.