Running head: PHASE III

Phase III: Accessing Research Evidence in Social Work Practice

SW 3810
April 10th 2014
Amanda Cummings
FJ4309

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Phase III: Accessing Research Evidence in Social Work Practice
Statement of the Problem:
Aspergers syndrome is a developmental disorder that affects a
persons ability to socialize and communicate effectively with others.
Children with Aspergers syndrome typically exhibit social
awkwardness and an absorbing interest in specific topics. Doctors
group this syndrome with other conditions that are called autistic
spectrum disorders. While it is more common than autism, estimates
for the United States and Canada range from 1 in every 250 children
to 1 in every 10,000. It is four times more likely to occur males than in
females and usually is first diagnosed in children between the ages of
2 and 6 years (Webmd.com, 2014).
The focus of this paper will be on children who have been
diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome in early childhood. The main
practice setting will be in the pre-schools. The practice question that
emerges from this setting would be what evidence based intervention
helps children with Aspergers syndrome do well in school? Personally
this topic is of interest to me because I have worked with children with
behavioral issues for years and I plan to work as a social worker in the
schools after I get my degree. This would be a social problem because
the learning process of children with Aspergers syndrome can be a
little more challenging than the average child because they often

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cant make connections that other children make easily and they may
act in a way that seems unusual, and it can be hard to understand
why they are doing it.
Research Design:
The research design that was used in this study was an
experimental design. One way you can support that this is an
experimental design is that the most common use of this design
involves the evaluation of service effectiveness or practice methods
and in this particular study they wanted to improve initiating joint
attention in children with autism spectrum disorders by testing a trial
of the Joint Attention and Symbolic Play/Engagement and Regulation
(JASP/ER) treatment. The study randomly assigned sixteen dyads to a
control group, which is an essential component of experimental
designs. Another essential component is introducing the independent
variable to the experimental group while withholding it from the control
group and the study did this by introducing the JASP/ER treatment to
nine of the dyads while withholding the treatment from seven of the
dyads for 6 weeks. In this study they compared these two groups
change based on the JASP/ER treatment, which is also another
essential component when conducting an experimental design.
With this research design it attempts to provide maximum
control for threats to internal validity although there are some threats

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that are not controlled also. The controlled threats to internal validity
in this design were the testing, statistical regression, and selection
bias. Testing was controlled because the actual subject was not aware
that there were any test being done on them so they were not exposed
to the test therefore they were not prepared for the post0tet so they
did not perform the desirable behaviors measured on purpose.
Statistical regression was controlled by the subjects that were placed in
treatment because a child who was eligible to participate in the study
had to be assessed in many different areas in order to reflect their true
state, so it was not just based upon a one-shot assessment process.
Selection bias was controlled because they compared outcomes for
two groups that were comparable since all subjects had autism
spectrum disorder at pre-test. The threat that was not controlled was
instrumentation because for seven of the dyads they did not use the
measures of the dependent variable until after 6 weeks had past so
these variations in measures may account for observed changes in
subjects rather than an experimental variable.
In this design they had controlled and uncontrolled external
validity. Reactivity and placebo effects were controlled because the
subjects behaviors did not change because they knew that they were
participating in a study or they knew that they were receiving an
intervention. The subjects in this study were children so the only ones
who knew what was going on were the parents and the teachers so it

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had no affect on the childs behavior. The authors of this research
described in detail the study conditions such as the characteristics of
clients involved in the study so that was a controlled threat. However
this study left out the important details about the evaluated service
setting, which was not controlled. (Lawton and Kasari, 2012, pp. 687693).

Sampling:
The sample selection used in this study was the random
selection. Using a computer-generated random numbers list, a
research assistant who was not associated with the project conducted
randomization after all entry assessments were completed. Sixteen
dyads were randomized to the JASP/ER treatment or a wait-list control.
Nine dyads were randomly assigned to immediate treatment and
seven dyads were randomized to receive the experimental treatment 6
weeks after the study began. The sample frame included children
between the ages of 3 and 5 who were enrolled in pre-school that had
a school district disability label of autism spectrum disorder. The
advantage of the sampling strategy was that it was randomized by an
assistant who was not associated with the project because this helped
avoid conscious or unconscious biases in selecting elements. The
disadvantage of the sampling strategy was that the two groups were

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not even so it could cause an effect in the results. Another
disadvantage could be the age selected because children at this age a
rapidly developing and the outcomes of this experiment could be
completely different when done on a different age group. With this
being said the finding of the students could change if you were to alter
the age group.
The sample used for this study is very similar to the one that was
in my volunteer setting. My volunteer setting was at an early
childhood center where most of the children who attend have
disabilities and behavior issues due to numerous reasons. The age
group was identical to the one in this study and there were a couple of
children who had a school district disability label of autism or autism
spectrum disorder who attended. (Lawton and Kasari, 2012, pp. 687693).
Measurement:
The key variables in this study were the independent variable,
which was the JASP/ER treatment, and the dependent variable, which
was the initiating joint attention behavior in children with autism
spectrum disorder. Three measures were conducted immediately prior
to the start of treatment and at exit to measure these variables. These
were the Early Social Communication Scales, a class observation, and a
taped play interaction. When the independent variable increased so

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did the dependent variable. Both variables moved in the same
direction, which defines them as having a positive relationship.
(Lawton and Kasari, 2012, pp. 687-693).
Data Collection:
In this study there were three methods that were used in order to
collect the data, which were through assessment, observation, and
recording. The assessment was done through the Early Social
Communication Scales where an experimenter presented the child with
approximately 20 structured opportunities to initiate joint attention.
An experimenter observing and live-coding the dyads behavior during
10 minutes of classroom playtime did the observation. Videotaping the
child playing with his or her teacher for 10 minutes using a
standardized set of toys was how they got the data for recording. The
advantage of the data collection that they used in this study was that
all methods did not require any of the children to do anything that they
had to follow or complete. This is an advantage because by not adding
guidelines or rules they are truly acting like themselves which helps
come up with the most accurate results. The disadvantage of these
methods is that it required a lot of observation from experimenters.
This is a disadvantage to the study because when observation is
involved there is always a risk of bias. (Lawton and Kasari, 2012, pp.
687-693).

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Ethics and Cultural Considerations:
I believe the intervention in the article would prove effective with
my target population of children who have been diagnosed with
Aspergers syndrome in early childhood. It would be effective for
children with Aspergers syndrome in specific because it helps address
their communication needs which can lead to them improving in
school. The activities and processes included in the intervention are
sensitive to the unique characteristics when it comes to the age group
because they tested the same exact age group as my target
population in the intervention. The intervention also includes the
teachers and has them participate in a one-hour workshop in which
they learned foundational JASP/ER content. The interventionist used a
PowerPoint presentation with text, pictures, and video clops to present
the content and helped each participant relate the content to his or her
assigned child. This is where they were sensitive to the unique
characteristics of children with autism spectrum disorders. It could
prove that the intervention could be effective on helping my target
population because getting the teachers to be more informed with the
needs and how to handle the situations with children who have
Aspergers syndrome is an effective way to help these children improve
in school.

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The research for this study did fairly well in trying to address
ethical issues. A major tenet of research ethics is that no one should
be forced to participate. All participants must be aware that they are
participating in a study, be informed of all the consequences, and
consent to participate. The research team addressed this ethical issue
well by securing the consent of the families of all the children who
participated. Studies involving human subjects need to obtain
approval from an independent panel of professionals called an
Institutional Review Board. The research team also addressed this
ethical issue well by presenting this study to the university Institutional
Review Board and then getting approval from them. Something more
that could have been done in this study to make it more ethical would
have been to safeguard the identity of the participants, which they did
not even attempt to do. (Lawton and Kasari, 2012, pp. 687-693).
Results and Implications:
The intervention that I have identified in this study addressed the
specific practice need of children with Aspergers syndrome to do well
in school. One way it addressed this practice need was by targeting
one of the core deficits of children with an autism spectrum disorder.
Researchers widely agree that early autism intervention should target
the core deficit of initiating joint attention, which is what they did in
this study. The study proved that this intervention improved initiating

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joint attention and addressing this helps the children with Aspergers
syndrome with their communication skills, which could ultimately make
it easier for them to do better in school since they are able to
communicate better. Another major thing that this study addressed
the practice need was by educating the teachers so they could perform
the intervention in the most effective way. Teachers participated in a
workshop in which they learned foundational JASP/ER content. When
the teachers are educated more about the subject matter it makes it
easier for them to address the practice need of helping children with
Aspergers syndrome do well in school.
The kinds of practitioner expertise that I believe would be
needed to implement this intervention would be resources for skills
and knowledge of the practice need for the intervention. Resources
with the skills and knowledge addressing this subject would be helpful
in many ways to make the intervention successful because the
teachers would know what they were working with. Resources such as
tool kits for autism spectrum disorders would be much needed for this
kind of intervention or any kind of information on this would also be
helpful. There are a couple of challenges that would make it difficult to
implement the intervention in my volunteer agency. One challenge
would be to get teachers to find the time and make the effort to
participate in something like this intervention because many times the
teachers in this agency are dealing with numerous thing aside from

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teaching and they may not be able to squeeze in anymore time for
something like this. The practice setting may be another challenge
with implementing this intervention because in these classrooms there
are children with all kinds of different disorders or behavioral issues,
which could make it hard to implement an intervention particularly
only for autism spectrum disorders.

References
Webmd.com. 2014. What is Asperger's Syndrome? Symptoms, tests,
Causes,

Treatments. [online] Available at:

http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/mental-health-aspergerssyndromea
Aboutourkids.org. 2014. What Does a Student With Asperger
Syndrome Need in a

School Program? | AboutOurKids.org. [online]

Available at:
http://www.aboutourkids.org/articles/what_does_student_asperger_syn
dr

ome_need_in_school_program

Lawton, K. and Kasari, C. 2012. Teacher-Implemented Joint Attention

Intervention:

Pilot Randomized Controlled Study for Preschoolers

With Autism. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 80 (4), pp.

687-693.

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