Literature Review
The Impact of E-learning on K-12 Autistic Students
Jennifer Serviss
EDTC 676
To determine whether virtual learning has an impact on students with special
needs in a K-12 setting, there must be consideration regarding the classification that
student has and how it could be the most beneficial to the student when it comes to the
student’s Least Restrictive Learning Environment (LRE) Public Law 92-142. The focus
group for this literature review will be based on elementary students specifically with an
Individual Education Plan (IEP) and are classified with Autism. According to the
National Center for Learning Disabled, an IEP is a document that includes information,
which covers topics such as current performance, annual goals, special education and
related services, accommodations, participation in state and district-wide tests, needed
transition services and measured progress (NCLD, 2014).
A group of individuals that consist of a psychologist, parents, a social worker and
a teacher create the IEP team. To help decide what special education and related services
the student needs, the IEP team will begin by looking at the child’s evaluation results,
such as classroom tests, individual tests given to establish the student’s eligibility, and
observations by teachers, parents, paraprofessionals, related service providers,
administrators and others (NCLD, 2014). When the IEP is in place and it has been
determined that an Autistic student’s LRE is a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) it is
only then the student can begin to learn online.
Some Autistic students suffer from social anxiety and phobias, which in turn can
cause serve behaviors. These fears and phobias are mostly common in those Autistic
students who are in their teens and have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The use of
technological advancements and finding alternative educational instruction methods for
these students with ASD has the potential to help the social deficiencies and create
successful learning environment without the fear of social anxieties. The implementation
of a VLE is ideal for the individual who cannot be in a traditional classroom setting due
to these extreme phobias. This gives the student access to Free Appropriate Education
(FAPE) without the fear of attending a socialized classroom setting that can be
overwhelming to the individual. Computer use provides a window of opportunity where
children with Autism can encounter tools and symbols that could be used to support
enrich social interactions (Jacklin & Farr, 2005)
Teachers are currently being asked to teach online classes now more than ever
before. Whether in a blended or full online environment, schools are increasingly
adopting online options for K–12 instruction (Picciano, Seaman, Shea, & Swan, 2012).
For the K–12 teachers online learning can be presented in two primary formats: blended
or fully online. Blended learning is formal education that a student learns through online
delivery and the traditional classroom face-to-face instruction. Fully online is when
education is presented through online delivery only.
In most cases online schools’ instruction offers students freedom of time and
place, curriculum that is linked to real world situations, data that can be collected in real
time, and choice about how they wish to present their learning to the instructor (Repetto,
Cavanaugh, Lui, & Wayer, 2010). Correspondences courses have been used in the last
few decades to deliver instruction to those students who cannot participate or attend the
traditional classroom setting (Moore, Yufang, McGrath, & Powell 2005). Technology
has enhanced this by allowing delivery of instruction in a non-tradtional classroom
setting allowing students to participate without meeting face-to-face.
The National Education Technology Plan (2010), published by the U.S.
Department of Education, has recommended online schooling as an option for school
choice for students with disabilities under the No Child Left Behind Act (Rice, 2006). A
growing body of research indicates that for students with special needs, online learning is
an effective for meeting their needs. In fact, Glick and Huegel (2011) identified the
growth of students with disabilities as so dramatic that it may be a critical area of
concern. Students with disabilities are entering online learning environments at high
rates. In 2011 Education Week Special Report stated that 3,363 students with disabilities
in Pennsylvania cyber charter schools, which is 13.7 percent of total enrollment. In
Florida Virtual School students with disabilities account for 17% of the total enrollment
while North Carolina Virtual Public Schools special needs student account for 9.6%.
With the implementation of a VLE, students with Autism who have social
anxieties and exhibit behavior problems because of these social anxieties can create the
idealistic learning environment for students in the k-12 setting. The student’s needs must
be addressed prior to implementation of the VLE. A group of individuals need to assure
that this environment is the best solution to the students LRE. Upon implementation of
the IEP that specifically states a VLE is the best education setting for the child
implementation can begin. VLE has increased in the years with regards to special needs
children. This environment places an alternative setting for the success of students who
are Autistic.
References
Cobb, P., Confrey, J., DiSessa, A., Lehrer, R. & Schauble, L. (2003). Design experiments
in educational research. Educational Researcher, 32(1), 9-13.
Education Week Special Report. Elearning access for special needs. Retrieved July 25,
2014 from http://specialedlaw.blogs.com/files/1291_0001-1.pdf
Glick, D. & Huegel, K. (Fall 2011 release). “GLBTQ Studies” online course for high
school students. FYI Online, Inc. Miami, FL.
Harris, K., & Reid, D. (2005). The influence of virtual reality play on children's
motivation. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72(1), 21-29.
Jacklin, A., & Farr, W. (2005). The computer in the classroom: a medium for enhancing
social interaction with young people with autistic spectrum disorders. British
Journal of special education, 32(4), 202-210.
Moore, D., Yufang, C., McGrath, P., & Powell, N. J. (2005). Collaborative Virtual
Environment Technology for People With Autism. Focus On Autism & Other
Developmental Disabilities, 20(4), 231-243.
Murray, D. K. C. (1997), Autism and information technology: therapy with computers; in
Powell, S. & Jordan, R. (Eds.), Autism and Learning: A Guide to Good Practice;
David Fulton: London.
National Center of Learning Disabled. What is an iep? Retrieved July 10, 2014
http://www.ncld.org/studentsdisabilities/iep- 504-plan/what-is-iep
National Educational Technology Standards (NETS). (n.d.). Curriculum and content area
standards: NETS for teachers. Retrieved July 10, 2013 from http://cnets.iste.
org/currstands/cstands-netst.html
Picciano, A. G., Seaman, J., Shea, P., & Swan, K. (2012). Examining the extent and
nature of online learning in American K-12 education: The research initiatives of
the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The internet and higher education, 15(2), 127135.
Pimentel, K., & Teixeira, K. (1994). Virtual reality: Through the new looking glass.
Toronto, ON: McGraw Hill.
Public Law 94-142 (Education of All Handicapped Children Act). Retrieved July
5, 2014, from http://www.scn.org/%7Ebk269/94-142.html
Repetto, J., Cavanaugh, C., Wayer, N., & Liu, F. (2010). Virtual high schools: Improving
outcomes for students with disabilities. Quarterly Review of Distance Education,
Thorpe, J. Computer-Aided Learning for People with Autism – a Framework for
Research and Development. Innovations In Education & Training International,
218-228.Retrieved July 10, 2014, from http://www.caot.ca/CJOT_
PDF/CJOT72/Harris72(1)21-29.pdf
11(2), 91-104.
Rice, K. L. (2006). A comprehensive look at distance education in the K–12 context.
Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 38(4), 425–448.