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A case study in the use of gentle teaching: A prelude to career preparation
Abstract
This study involved the use of Gentle Teaching as an alternative behavioral intervention with an adolescent with autism and severe behavioral problems. These problems precluded him from participation in his school and, thus, prevented his inclusion in career education. The study was designed to prepare the youth for transition to employment. The study consisted of quantitative and qualitative research components: (1) Baseline, intervention, follow-up prospective case study design to measure Gentle Teaching's effectiveness on the adolescent's severely aggressive and self-injurious behaviors as well as on his caregiver's interactions and; (2) Satisfaction scales to measure the primary caregiver's satisfaction with the intervention and the adolescent's satisfaction with the intervention. The quantitative data in this study showed significant changes within the caregiver and the adolescent in various target behaviors. Null hypothesis 1 assumed no relationship between pro-social behaviors (dependent variable) and the totality of the three predictors (independent variables) of Gentle Teaching. Null hypothesis 2 assumed no relationship between maladaptive behaviors (dependent variable) and the three predictors (independent variables) of Gentle Teaching. Null hypothesis 3 assumed no relationship between value-centered behaviors (dependent variable) in the caregiver and the three predictors (independent variables) of Gentle Teaching. Null hypothesis 4 assumed no relationship between the caregiver's domineering behaviors (dependent variables) and the three predictors (independent variables) of Gentle Teaching. The study also demonstrated the intervention's significant impact on the student's pro-social behaviors. The study had a significant impact on the caregiver-adolescent dyad. It called into question prior studies that stated that (a) aversive interventions are necessary with adolescents with similar behaviors and (b) the symptoms of autism make work readiness training almost impossible to overcome.
Subject Area
Teacher education|Educational theory|Academic guidance counseling
Recommended Citation
McGee-Snyder, Monalisa Maria de Brito, "A case study in the use of gentle teaching: A prelude to career preparation" (2001). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI3009730.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI3009730