dialogue writing between pebble and boulder
Answers
Explanation:
Few evidence-based practices (EBPs), defined as the use of empirically supported research and clinical expertise for children with autism, have been successfully implemented and sustained in schools. This study examined the perspectives of school personnel (n = 39) on implementing a social engagement intervention for children with autism. Semi-structured interviews, informed by the Domitrovich and colleagues’ (2008) framework, were conducted. Participants were asked about: 1) school factors that affect the general implementation of EBPs; 2) their specific experiences implementing the social engagement intervention; and 3) barriers to and facilitators of implementing the social engagement intervention. Data were analyzed using an integrated approach. General (e.g., implementation process, leadership, support, staff) and intervention-specific (e.g., staff, barriers, facilitators) implementation themes were identified. These findings suggest that a variety of factors should be considered when implementing EBPs in schools and that implementing social engagement interventions for children with autism may require additional specific support for implementation.
Keywords: Implementation, Social Engagement Intervention, Autism, Schools
“I believe people fall into three categories: pebbles, rocks, and boulders. The pebbles [are] the “yes” people. They will walk over broken glass or fire to do whatever it is they have to do to get the job or keep the job because they ultimately love the job. The rocks are the people who will sit back and take pause, ask intelligent questions, poke holes in a theory, and question the new curriculum. And the boulders are the people who are not [going to] move.”
--- Principal
The number of children with autism served in public schools has increased dramatically within the last decade (Blumberg et al., 2013), making the improvement of school-based autism services a national priority in the United States (US; Lester & Kelman, 1997; Locke, Kratz, Reisinger, & Mandell, 2014). In the US, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) and the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB, 2002) require that school systems implement “scientifically based” (i.e., evidence-based) educational and behavioral practices. Evidence-based practices (EBPs) are increasingly required in schools by policy-makers (Fixsen, Blasé, Metz, & Van Dyke, 2013). Though the definition of EBPs varies widely across fields, Cook and Odom (2013) define EBPs as “practices and programs shown by high-quality research to have meaningful effects on student outcomes” (p.136). Few autism EBPs have been successfully adopted, implemented, and sustained in school settings (Stark, Arora, & Funk, 2011; Dingfelder & Mandell, 2011; Locke et al., 2014), likely because few EBPs for children with autism have actually been developed for and tested within school settings (Stahmer, Suhrheinrich, Reed, Bolduc, & Schreibman, 2011). Conducting research in partnership with the settings in which EBPs are intended to be used (e.g., schools) increases the potential that the results will be more relevant and context specific, improve the likelihood of sustainment, and result in positive outcomes for children (Weisz, Chu, & Polo, 2004; Green, 2008; Green, Glasgow, Atkins, & Stange, 2009; Drahota et al., 2016).
Barriers to and facilitators of EBP implementation in educational, medical, and community mental health settings have been widely documented. Findings from these studies suggest that a variety of individual- (e.g., skill, attitudes, beliefs) as well as organizational-level (e.g., implementation context, organizational policies and procedures) factors may affect successful EBP implementation (Forman et al., 2013; Fixsen, Naoom, Blasé, Friedman, & Wallace, 2005; Majid et al., 2011; Stahmer & Aarons, 2009). Numerous frameworks have emerged in the field of implementation science to conceptualize and understand the factors related to implementation outcomes within these settings (e.g., Damschroder et al., 2009; Domitrovich et al., 2008; Fixsen et al., 2005; Fixsen, et al., 2013; Proctor et al., 2011; Odom, Cox, & Brock, 2013).
Understanding the perceived barriers to and facilitators of EBP implementation specific to schools is an important first step in developing unique implementation strategies for school-based practitioners (Kasari & Smith, 2013). In their framework for understanding EBP implementation in schools, Domitrovich and colleagues (2008) posit that the implementation of EBPs in schools is influenced by a broad array of interdependent factors at the macro, school, and individual levels.