EFFECTS OF COOPERATIVE LEARNING GROUPS DURING SOCIAL-STUDIES FOR STUDENTS WITH AUTISM AND 4TH-GRADE PEERS

We investigated the use of cooperative learning groups as an instructi onal strategy for integrating 2 students with autism into a fourth-gra de social studies class. Baseline consisted of 40 min of teacher-led s essions including lecture, questions and discussion with students, and the use of maps. The intervention condition consisted of 10 min of te acher introduction of new material, followed by cooperative learning g roups that included tutoring on key words and facts, a team activity, and a whole class wrap-up and review. An ABAB design showed increases for target students and peers for the number of items gained on weekly pretests and posttests, the percentage of academic engagement during sessions, and durations of student interaction during the intervention .