Using Shakespeare to Teach Children With Autism

Transcription

1 Using Shakespeare to Teach Children With Autism Marc J. Tassé, PhD 1, Robin Post, MFA 2, & Margaret Mehling, MA 1 1 Nisonger Center & 2 Department of Theatre The Ohio State University November 22, 2013 Columbus, OH 1

2 Acknowledgements Kelly Hunter, Artistic Director, Shakespeare and Autism Project, OSU Lesley Ferris, PhD, Arts and Humanities Distinguished Professor of Theatre, OSU OSU Core Actor Team: Kevin McClatchy, Alex Boyles, JiRye Lee, Genevieve Simon, and Andrew Trimmer. Suzanne Davis, Research Assistant, Nisonger Center, OSU. Columbus Public Schools, Worthington Schools. Funding: The Ohio State University Outreach and Engagement Impact Grant. 2

3 OUTLINE Introduction/Overview; Presentation of the Hunter Heartbeat Methods, recruitment and training of actors, illustration of intervention sessions; Presentation of research goals, design and pilot data. 3

4 Introduction Kelly Hunter & Royal Shakespeare Company OSU Department of Theatre. Features of ASD and drama-based intervention. 4

5 Hunter Heartbeat Method Impacting Symptoms of ASD; Rationale for Research The core features of autism include qualitative impairments in social engagement and communication and presence of restricted interests and repetitive behaviors. Drama intervention offers a structured approach to enabling and motivating hard-to-reach children to participate more meaningfully in a social world (Peter, 2003). Engaging children with ASD in playful activity can strengthen those aspects of brain functioning necessary for more flexible thinking, impacting communication skills and social interaction (Sherratt & Peter,2002). 5

6 The Hunter Heartbeat Method Why Shakespeare? Illustration of Intervention Sessions and Pedagogy 6

7 Hunter Heartbeat Method 7

8 Presentation of research goals, design and pilot data 8

9 Pilot Study Aims This pilot study was designed to provide further information with regards to: 1) Preliminary data on the efficacy of the intervention 2) Systematically implementing the intervention 3) Identifying and enrolling participants, and 4) Identifying other logistical issues with scaling up the project for the full randomized control study. 9

10 October 2011 November 2011 December 2011 January 2012 February 2012 March 2012 April 2012 May 2012 June 2012 July 2012 August 2012 Pilot Timeline Systematic review of other drama intervention programs Meetings with team members to discuss potential assessments Recruitment for pilot study group Pilot group - field test assessment instruments and methods Analyze procedures and assessments - debrief participants 10

11 Recruitment and Sample Children (N=14) recruited from local area public schools based on their Autism educational classification and had the following demographics: Age: 10 years 6 months- 13 years 10 months, mean 12 years 5 months Gender: 9 males (64.3%); 5 females (35.7%) Autism Diagnosis: Mean ADOS=10.7 SD

12 Pilot Method Pre-test evaluations were conducted to obtain baseline information Children were divided into two groups (N=8; N=6 respectively) Children participated in the Shakespeare intervention after school for 1 hour per week for 10 weeks. (approximately 1:1 actor: student ratio). Following the intervention, post-test evaluations and social validation questionnaire 12

13 Pilot Measurement Schedule 13

14 Pilot Conclusions Promising improvement noted on measures of Pragmatic Language, Expressive Language (Vineland), and Social Relationships (Vineland), and overall Adaptive Behavior (Vineland Composite) Established difficulty of afterschool program and transportation between schools Difficulty obtaining baseline on TOPL in some participants 14

15 Phase 2: Randomized-Waitlist Control Trial Promising results of the pilot study warranted the scaling-up of the Shakespeare and Autism Intervention Partnership with Columbus Public School District was established to facilitate recruitment and implementation 15

16 August 2012 September 2012 October 2012 November 2012 December 2012 January 2013 February 2013 March 2013 April 2013 May 2013 June 2013 July 2013 August 2013 September 2013 October 2013 November 2013 December 2013 January 2014 February 2014 March 2014 April 2014 May 2014 June 2014 July 2014 Phase 2 Timeline Intervention planning and collaboration with Columbus City Schools Recruitment and pre-test Intervention for treatment group Interim measurements in both intervention and waitlist groups Intervention for waitlist condition Post-test measurement 16

17 Phase 2 Randomized- Waitlist Trial Protocol Changes Intervention dose increased from 10 weeks to 18 months (1.5 academic years) Addition of a waitlist condition Intervention conducted during the school day Addition of periodic intervention-fidelity checks Removal of the TOPL 17

18 Phase 2 Participants Students were recruited from three Columbus Public schools 13 students were recruited ages 9-14 based on their Autism educational classification and the absence of severe behavioral problems 18

19 Measurement Schedule 19

20 Preliminary findings from Pilot and Phase 2 Studies Pilot Study Results indicated significant differences between pre and post test measures were found for the TOPL composite score (Z = -2.40, p=0.02), the Vineland Expressive Language Subscale (Z = -2.45, p=0.01), Relationships Subscale (Z = -2.44, p=0.02), and Composite Scores (Z= -2.37, p=0.02) 20

21 Preliminary findings from Pilot and Phase 2 Studies Phase 2 Interim Results: Pre-test measures (Autumn 2012) compared to interim measure (Summer 2013) indicate improvement in social functioning as measured by the SSIS and Vineland as well as improvements in overall adaptive functioning (Vineland Composite Score) Improvements were noted in pre-post and intervention-control comparisons 21

22 Parent Feedback: Social Validity Questionnaires When asked for their overall impression of their child s experience, parents reported: I saw his face and heard his laughter at the last session and knew that he was enamored He was engaged and soaking up the energy and even participated as part of a group and that is uncommon. [My Son] usually wants to do nothing but solitary computer and video games and for him to enjoy being in a social setting was great. At one point he even said he wanted to be an actor. [At first] I thought, it s another research project, but when I finally saw it in practice, I thought Wow! They ve really got something there I see great potential for this type of program as far as learning emotions, expressions, thinking outside of one s self, imagination, and following direction. Watching my daughter follow the actor s lead in pretending was remarkable. My daughter LOVED the class. She left happy and excited every time. She loved feeling included and part of a group. We noticed that she was trying harder at school to make friends

23 Thank You 23

24 Using Shakespeare to Teach Children With Autism Marc J. Tassé, PhD Robin A. Post, MFA Margaret Mehling, MA WEBSITES FOR MORE INFO: