Transcript The Experience of a Peer Coaching program on student’s

A PEER COACH (PC) TRANSITION
PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS WITH
ASPERGER’S SYNDROME (AS)
Kelly Eastman, M.S., C.A.S., N.C.S.P.
School Psychologist
Orange County Public Schools
Orlando, FL
Scott Merydith, Ph.D.
Professor, Graduate Dept. of School Psychology
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester, NY
TRANSITION PLANNING
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The Individuals with Disabilities Education
Improvement Act (IDEIA) of 2004 mandates transition
planning for students with disabilities.
Effective transition planning/services are essential for
students with disabilities to achieve post-school success,
especially as the number of students with disabilities
entering college after high school has increased.
TRANSITIONING TO POSTSECONDARY
EDUCATION
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Students with disabilities are no longer protected under
IDEIA after high school.
Rather, their legal safeguard is limited to Section 504 of
the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
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Reasonable accommodations (e.g., extended time on tests,
class notes, alternate testing location, preferential course
registration).
Consequently, first-year college students with
disabilities are often unprepared for the diverse
standards and demands required of them and/or lack
the social support necessary to be successful.
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE:
NEED FOR PRESENT STUDY
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The diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD),
particularly Asperger’s Syndrome (AS), has increased in
prevalence.
Individuals with AS typically have:
 average to above average intelligence
 severe and sustained impairments in social interaction
 restrictive patterns of interests
 inflexible behavioral routines
The number of students with AS attending postsecondary
education is increasing, yet their unique needs go beyond
what may be met by reasonable accommodations provided
under Section 504.
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE:
RATIONALE FOR PRESENT STUDY
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Research on the positive effects of social supports has
been conducted on adolescents and young adults with
ASD’s.
However, there is little to no research on the impact of
peer support services, namely peer coaching, on
students with AS who are transitioning to
postsecondary education.
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE:
PURPOSE OF PRESENT STUDY
 Quantitative
and qualitative methods
were used to:
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Explore and examine the experience of an
intervention program on first and secondyear undergraduate students’ with AS
adaptation to college.
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE:
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH QUESTIONS
EXAMINED
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Whether the students’ self-reported adaptation to
college improved over the course of the academic year
as they participated in the intervention program.
Hypothesis:
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The longer the students participate in the intervention
program, the more their self-reported adaptation to
college would improve.
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE:
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH QUESTIONS EXPLORED
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Students adaptation to college via the thoughts, feelings,
perceptions, and experiences of the peer coaches:
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1) What areas of adjustment and themes emerged and
impacted students’ with AS adaptation and transition to
college?
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2) How these areas of adjustment and themes impacted
students’ with AS adaptation and transition to college.
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3) The perceived impact and effectiveness of the intervention
on the students’ adaptation and transition to college.
METHODOLOGY (PARTICIPANTS)
QUANTITATIVE:
QUALITATIVE:
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12 undergraduate college
students
Self-identified with AS
Volunteered to participate
in Spectrum Support Pilot
(SSP) program
18 to 20 years old
Freshmen and sophomores
8 (n = 1 female, n = 7
males) completed the
following measure across
two of three possible
academic quarters
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6 advanced, second-year
School Psychology graduate
students
Recruited to be peer coaches
Earned an hourly wage
23 to 25 years old
All female
5 PC’s whose participants
completed the following
measures across at least two
of three possible quarters
METHODOLOGY (MEASURES)
QUANTITATIVE:
QUALITATIVE:
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Student Adaptation to
College Questionnaire
(SACQ)
 Norm-referenced, selfreport measure
 Overall Adaptation to
College (FS)
Academic (AC)
Adjustment
 Social (SA) Adjustment
 Personal-Emotional (PE)
Adjustment
 Goal Commitment/
Institutional Attachment
(AT)
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Peer Coach Questionnaire
 Informal, semi-structured
questionnaire
 Seven open-ended questions
 Designed to explore their
thoughts, feelings, and
perceptions, of the participants’
adaptation to college
School Progress
 Classes dropped
 Major(s) changed
 School dismissal
 Retention in SSP program
METHODOLOGY (PROCEDURE)
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Archival data; coded anonymously
Consent to participate in the SSP program was
obtained from participants prior to start of school year
PC’s were trained and enrolled in a “special topics”
course
Participants were assigned a PC; two participants per
PC
Meetings/socials between PC’s and participants were
arranged
METHODOLOGY:
PC-PARTICIPANT MEETINGS
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Once weekly for an hour; decreased in frequency/duration over
time
Routine and consistent schedule
Informal and unstructured in nature
1:1 collaborative conversations with college students who had
successfully navigated college life and demands
Discuss questions and/or concerns that had surfaced since
participants’ last PC meeting; typical issues addressed include:
 Academic behaviors, concerns, progress; informal/formal
social interactions; time management skills; available
academic support services; academic schedule; roommate
situations and dorm life; self-advocacy; independent living
skills/hygiene; and leisure pursuits
METHODOLOGY:
PC’S WEEKLY SUPERVISION
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PC’s, school psychology faculty member, and Disability
Services Office
Once weekly for an hour; decreased in frequency/duration over
time
PC’s submitted weekly progress notes, discussed participants’
transition issues, and collaboratively brainstormed strategies
to address concerns
Participants completed the SACQ at conclusion of each quarter
PC’s completed Peer Coach Questionnaire at conclusion of SSP
program
PC’s discussed and complied school progress information
throughout the course of, and at the conclusion of the SSP
program
QUANTITATIVE RESULTS:
MEANS ANALYSIS/DESCRIPTIVE
STATISTICS OF SACQ
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All ratings of participants’ self-reported adaptation to
college were within one standard deviation from the
mean (M=50, SD=10) and national average, given
participants’ sex and quarter in college.
Participants made no significant improvement in their
adaptation to college over the course of the academic
year as they participated in the peer coaching
program.
QUALITATIVE RESULTS:
PEER COACH QUESTIONNAIRE
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Responses to open-ended questionnaire were grouped
together by item, read through to obtain a general sense
of the material, assigned codes to specific text segments,
and further coded for specific themes.
Six themes emerged from PCs’ data and indicated
transition difficulties for students with AS:
1. Organizational and time management skills
2. Flexibility and adaptability
3. Social and communication skills
4. Self-advocacy skills
5. Adaptive skills
6. Extra-curricular involvement
QUALITATIVE RESULTS:
1. ORGANIZATIONAL AND TIME MANAGEMENT
SKILLS THEME
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Participants often:
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Failed to get enough sleep; attend class, meetings, and
appointments consistently and on time; complete and turn-in
assignments in a timely fashion; study for tests and courses;
and plan ahead to complete their academic work
Had difficulty understanding how their lack of academic
effort impacted their overall academic performance
Struggled to understand the impact of their decisions
 As
a result, participants:
Struggled academically
 Had difficulty keeping and attending peer coaching meetings,
which impacted their involvement in the program
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QUALITATIVE RESULTS:
2. FLEXIBILITY AND ADAPTABILITY THEME
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Participants often:
Presented as inflexible to changes in their environment,
routines, and others’ regulations and/or ways of doing things
 Had perfectionistic tendencies and engaged in absolute and
rigid thinking patterns
 Preferred predictability
 Understood and expressed ideas most efficiently when
presented with concrete and definite information
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Adversely impacted participants’:
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Academics
Socialization
Personal-Emotional adjustment
QUALITATIVE RESULTS:
3. SOCIAL AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS THEME
Participants presented with limited or a complete lack of
socialization and communication skills.
 Specifically, they had difficulty:
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Maintaining eye contact & facing their PC in conversation
Appropriately beginning, continuing, ending, and adding to
conversations
Voluntarily divulging or elaborating on personal information
Communicating with new peers without a “script”
Navigating unexpected social situations
Understanding social humor, sarcasm, multiple meanings, and
abstractions in conversation
Understanding what was appropriate in social situations
QUALITATIVE RESULTS:
3. SOCIAL AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS
THEME CONTINUED…
 Additionally,
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participants often:
Lacked empathy
Presented with a flat or inappropriate affect
Spoke with little vocal intonation
Communicated in a literal, event-oriented fashion
Argued with others
Lacked knowledge regarding social boundaries, social
cues, and social etiquette
Exerted minimal effort to maintain social relationships
Presented as “tongue-tied” when dealing with “simple “
questions
Had difficulty remaining on-topic in conversation
QUALITATIVE RESULTS:
4. SELF-ADVOCACY SKILLS THEME
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Participants had trouble advocating for themselves.
Specifically:
Asking for help (i.e., academic, social, and emotional)
 Accessing necessary supports and resources
 Communicating needs, wants, and preferences
 Standing up for themselves and their safety
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Consequently, participants relied on PCs for
support/resources (e.g., tutoring, extra-curricular/club
information, counseling support, transportation
options, academic accommodations, etc.)
QUALITATIVE RESULTS:
5. ADAPTIVE SKILLS THEME
 Participants
often:
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Presented with poor hygiene
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Stayed up too late and did not receive enough sleep
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Struggled with anxiety, anger, and/or depressionrelated symptoms; consequently, they sought
support from, or were referred to the counseling
center on campus
QUALITATIVE RESULTS:
6. EXTRA-CURRICULAR INVOLVEMENT THEME
 Of
the six participants who sought out
involvement in extra-curricular activities:
Three remained and enjoyed these activities
 Three discontinued their involvement in these
activities due to disagreements or altercations with
the groups’ members
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QUALITATIVE RESULTS:
PEER COACHES’ PERCEPTION OF THE EFFICACY OF
THE SSP PROGRAM
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Overall, PCs believed the SSP program was helpful
and beneficial for the participants. They felt the
program accomplished two main tasks.
Participants were provided with:
Necessary resources and helpful information
 Peer support
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QUALITATIVE RESULTS:
SCHOOL PROGRESS
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As reported by the PCs:
Four participants dropped one or more classes due to
failing grades.
 Two participants changed their majors due to failing
grades within their major.
 All participants remained in college throughout the
course of the year.
 All participants remained in the SSP program
throughout the course of the year.
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DISCUSSION:
SUMMARY OF MAJOR QUANTITATIVE FINDINGS
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Quantitative findings, along with previous research,
indicate that:
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Peer support may positively impact and facilitate
students’ with AS successful adaptation to college over
time.
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Students with AS have the most difficulty in the areas
of social and personal-emotional adjustment to
college in their transition to postsecondary education.
DISCUSSION:
SUMMARY OF MAJOR QUALITATIVE FINDINGS
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Results coincide with previous research findings.
Students with AS:
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Display challenges that interfere with their academic
performance and overall functioning.
Present with social, communication, and repetitive,
restricted, and stereotyped behaviors, interests, and
activities.
Lack self-advocacy, adaptive, organizational, and time
management skills.
Have difficulty joining or participating in extra-curricular
activities or had no interest engaging in such activities.
Benefited from positive social support.
DISCUSSION:
SUMMARY OF MAJOR QUALITATIVE FINDINGS
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Contrary to previous research findings (namely
the DSM-IV-TR’s clinical definition of AS):
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All peer coaches indicated that participants
demonstrated substantial self-help and adaptive skill
deficits that impacted their adaptation to college.
Contrary to our quantitative findings that
participants’ self-reported mean ratings of
adaptation to college were within normal limits,
our qualitative findings yielded different results.
SHAPING TRANSITION PLANNING AT THE
SECONDARY LEVEL
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Assess and re-evaluate students’ adaptive and independent
functioning skills annually.
Identify students’ strengths/deficits; address how these will
impact their transition to college.
Identify and establish transition and postsecondary education
goals.
Provide direct, explicit instruction in identified areas of need.
Create PC/mentoring programs to support students with AS.
Facilitate high school to postsecondary setting visits.
Provide student/parent trainings to communicate the
importance of fostering adaptive/independent functioning
skills.
Encourage school involvement.
DEVELOPING A PC PROGRAM
AT YOUR SCHOOL
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Who:
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Students diagnosed with ASD/AS and/or students
enrolled in an ASD Special Education program
School Psychologists, Guidance Counselors, Resource
Teachers
Peer Coaches/Mentors (i.e., possibly seniors and juniors
enrolled in psychology courses)
Parents/Guardians
Disability Services Offices at colleges/universities
Volunteers within the community (i.e., adjunct
professors, experts in the area of ASD/AS, etc.)
DEVELOPING A PC PROGRAM
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What:
 Peer
AT YOUR SCHOOL
coach/mentor training and class
 Information on AS; knowledge of school system, available
resources; foster communication and consultation skills;
understanding/creation of transition plans; familiarity of
challenges imposed by college
 Group Supervision/Mentoring Meetings
 Complete career assessments/reports and weekly progress
notes and scales; problem-solve with mentors and staff to
assist mentees with concerns/deficits; role development
 Mentee Meetings
 Relationship building; termination issues; goal setting;
organization, time management, social, communication, selfadvocacy, and independent-living skills; flexibility and
adaptability; extra-curricular involvement; perspective-taking;
sensory issues; homesickness; academic curriculum and social
schedules; role playing; transitioning back from break
 Large group socials: All involved in the program
DEVELOPING A PC PROGRAM
AT YOUR SCHOOL
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When:
 Mentoring
Meetings:
 Frequency: Weekly contact (in person or via phone, email, or
text); gradual decrease over course of school year
 Intensity: 1:1 meetings and/or small group (2-3 mentees)
 Duration: 1 hour; gradual decrease over course of school year
 Mentee Meetings:
 Frequency: Weekly contact (in person); gradual decrease over
course of school year
 Intensity: mentors and staff involved in class
 Duration: TBD depending on time available
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Where:
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In-school and/or after-school program
WHAT PARENTS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
THE TRANSITION TO COLLEGE
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The W-Curve:
Predictable pattern of stages
 Occur when a person experiences culture shock and/or
adapts to a new culture (such as college)
 May be applied to first-year college students
 Typical to have the ups and downs of the W-Curve; knowing
about this may help make the transition to college easier.
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If parents and students see and understand that this is just part
of the journey and everyone goes through it, they may be better
able to take it all in stride.
PHASES OF THE W-CURVE
HONEYMOON PHASE
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Usually begins:
Before students first arrive on campus
 Once a student has chosen and been accepted to a college
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Builds :
During Orientation
 As students are assigned housing
 As students begin planning for school to start
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Feelings:
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Excitement, positive anticipation, strong sense of
welcoming from college community, freedom,
exhilaration, strong positive feeling, responsibility for
own lifestyle, some homesickness mixed in with all of
the fun and energy of a new beginning.
CULTURAL SHOCK PHASE
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Newness begins to wear off; freshmen begin dealing with
the reality of adjustments and their reactions to such.
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Residence halls, social process/interdependence with peers,
academic demands, daily living tasks, becoming self-sufficient,
establishing own identity, accepting responsibility for actions,
reworking relationships with parents, and dealing with
separation
Feelings:
Conflicting values, drained, dissonant, frustrated,
homesick, and self-sufficient
 Period of potential positive change, but also a period of more
intense personal conflict and anxiety
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INITIAL ADJUSTMENT PHASE
Freshmen experience an “upswing” as they have
successfully managed issues that have come their way.
 Simply overcoming the culture shock stage brings
about a sense of well being.
 Fall into a routine as they gain confidence in their
ability to handle the academic and social environment
of college.
 Feel they have regained some sense of control and
normalcy in their lives.
 Conflicts and challenges continue to come and go;
however, students feel more in the swing of things.
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MENTAL ISOLATION PHASE
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“Second culture shock”
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Relapse; sense of isolation; comparison made between new
culture and more familiar home culture.
May arise after an extended break (between semesters)
 Feelings:
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Doubt about attending college and/or the “right” college;
questioning major and academic potential; stress;
tension; homesickness; caught between two worlds
(i.e., college environment not as comfortable as home used to
be, and home not as familiar as it once was); sense of not
fully belonging in either place; shocking; upsetting
Overcoming this phase:
Seek resolution, move away from negative feelings, and join
university’s culture.
 Requires integrating the values and beliefs of home culture
with new university environment.
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ACCEPTANCE, INTEGRATION, AND
CONNECTEDNESS PHASE
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Begin feeling a true connection to campus community
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Involved in campus opportunities, gain history with new
friends, get to know faculty and staff members
More balanced and realistic view of the university; see
and integrate the good experiences with the challenges.
 “Generally, it's a pretty good place to be”
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The university becomes “home.”
 Original home culture becomes somewhat foreign.
 Less dependence on parents and former peers.
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True sense of acceptance, integration, and
connectedness occurs when a student has successfully
adapted to their new world.
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DISCUSSION
AND
QUESTIONS
Thank you