The Assessment Development of Life Competencies in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in the Inclusion Environment

The formation of life competencies in children with ASD is the basis of social adaptation and the most important factor for the successful education inclusion. In this study, we made the assessment of life competencies in younger schoolchildren with ASD and determined the educational conditions for the development of these competencies based on the applied behavior analysis methodology. The study involved 12 students with ASD born in 2007—2009. The life competencies were diagnosed using the ABBLS-R (basic speech and learning skills). A range of necessary and most important skills in learning in an inclusive environment were outlined. The results obtained made it possible to identify a number of shortcomings in students with ASD and to determine the need to develop special pedagogical conditions. The most important conditions are the psychological and educational support of such students, the choice of methods and techniques that can increase the effectiveness of the development of life competencies. Work on the formation of the residential complex was carried out in the period from 2018 to 2021. As a result of testing of the educational conditions based on the application of methods of applied behavior analysis (visual support; social stories; spontaneous learning; step-by-step learning; shaping; discrete trial training, DTT), an increase in the level of formation of life competencies was recorded. The results obtained allow us to speak about the effectiveness of the created education environment using methods of applied behavior analysis for the formation of life competencies in students with ASD in inclusion conditions.

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