Review of Asperger Syndrome: A Qualitative Study of Successful Educational Intervention by D.M. Fondacaro

Fondacaro, D. M. (2001, February). Asperger Syndrome: A qualitative study of successful educational intervention. Paper presented at the Eastern Educational Research Conference, Hilton Head, SC. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED454658)

The article "Asperger Syndrome: A Qualitative Study of Successful Educational Intervention" examines twelve students with Asperger Syndrome. These students were observed in the classroom environment, and interviews with school personnel were conducted. The researcher was attempting to determine successful educational practices to use with a student that has been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome. It was found that a small teacher to student ratio was useful as an academic intervention. A behavior modification system that focuses on the positive and teacher attitude were the most successful behavior interventions.

The article began with an introduction to the problem. This discussed a brief history of IDEA and the education of autistic children. This was followed by a section describing a need for the study. The article stated that the number of autistic children in the United States is growing. This is creating a need for more research in the area. The introduction and need for study section began in a very broad manner and narrowed to the actual subject of the paper. This background was necessary for the reader to understand how and why these students must be educated in certain ways.

The literature review was a large part of the paper. The author gave a history of Asperger Syndrome and listed the symptoms of the disorder. She began the section with many citations from various sources, but then relied very heavily on the research of Hans Asperger. Many of the information came directly from his studies. The author should have included some information found in other places as well. The literature review then described various research studies that have been done since the discovery of Asperger Syndrome. The author seemed to have thoroughly researched the topic before conducting any experiments. A clear picture was painted of the history and symptoms of Asperger Syndrome, as well as the need for research in this area.

The methodology of the research was clearly stated in the paper. It began with a hypothesis, but it was stated as a question instead of in the declarative form. The researcher did not state a predicted outcome of the study. She wanted to discover how students with Asperger Syndrome are currently being taught and what practices are most successful. The criterion for what was to be considered successful teaching was clearly stated in the form of reachable goals. The researcher collected data by conducting interviews and making observations in several different classroom settings. When conducting the interviews, the researcher taped the sessions and had each one transcribed by another person. This made sure that there could be no misinformation given by the researcher. The observations were made during structured times and unstructured times to get the best samples of behavior possible.

The article ended with a discussion section. In this section the author discussed the findings and the importance of the findings to the field of education. It also offered suggestions based on the research. The author stated that when dealing with Asperger Syndrome much more research is needed to discover the best classroom teaching techniques.

Overall, this paper was a very good primary source. As a classroom teacher, this would be valuable information to have in order to help a student with Asperger Syndrome. The findings of the study seem to be very general. More research in this area would be very beneficial. It would be interesting to read more research on more specific classroom situations. This paper is a good starting point for a teacher that is researching Asperger Syndrome.