Variability on a spectrum: A self-monitoring single-case design study for students with autism spectrum disorders and attentional deficits.

Journal of Mental Disorders and Treatment. 2017. Vol. 4. No. 2. P. 1–7.

Asaro-Saddler K., Saddler B., Moeyaert M., Akhmedjanova D., Bogin D. M., McLaughlin T.

This study investigated the differential effect of two treatments, namely self-monitoring of attention and selfmonitoring of performance on spelling accuracy using a multiple-baseline design across participants. Three fifth- and sixth-grade male upper-elementary school children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in two suburban, public elementary schools in upstate New York were taught a simple spelling strategy. Performance was selfmonitored through the use of a graph, wherein after each session, each student recorded the number of words they spelled correctly. Attention was self-monitored through the use of a MotivAider, a device that vibrated at certain timeintervals. Both visual and regression-based analyses indicated that neither intervention produced a statistically significant treatment effect, with respect to the percentage of words spelled correctly for all participants. However, it seemed that self-monitoring of attention worked slightly better for some of the students. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Keywords: academic writing, adaptive technology, Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), single case research