Effects of structured inquiry and graphic organizers on social studies comprehension by students with autism spectrum disorders

In social studies, students learn about society and the culture in which they live, current and historical events, people from different backgrounds, and how to develop skills for participating in a democratic system. As people with disabilities are members of our society, participation in social studies content is an important component of their knowledge. Despite the potential benefits of learning social studies content, there is limited investigation in this area for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In this study, three middle school students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) who participated in alternate assessment standards testing based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS) learned social studies content (geographic relationships, historical perspectives, economics and development, and government and active citizenship) via structured inquiry and explicit instruction. Results from the single-case multiple probe across participants design suggest a functional relation between the implementation of structured inquiry using explicit instruction and student comprehension of social studies content. In addition, students were able to generalize to “real-world” applications. Future research and implications for practices are discussed.

► Structured inquiry using graphic organizers increased comprehension. ► Students with ASD generalized to real world problems. ► Parents felt the program was beneficial and social studies is important. ► Students with ASD enjoyed the program and learned problem solving skills.