Availability and Quality of Afterschool Programs
for Students with Disabilities
Sierra Shell
Policy Research Intern
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Forum Study Group XV: “Education 24/7”
Expanded learning can provide new and even life-changing opportunities for students across the
board. Afterschool programs, especially those aimed at particular at-risk demographics, can
help to ensure that no student falls through the cracks of the public education system. This
common goal is an essential piece of maintaining equity and promoting success within – and in
life beyond – our schools.
One subgroup of students who present unique challenges are those with disabilities.
Statistics reflect such challenges; 63% of youth without disabilities are employed two years out
of high school, compared to only 25% of young adults with intellectual disabilities, 32% of those
with autism, and 36% with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders (EBD).1 Under the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004, public schools are mandated to provide free and
appropriate services to support students with developmental disabilities, such as mental
retardation, autism, and others. Though the requirements of IDEA apply only within the school
day, additional protections addressing the inclusion of students with disabilities in afterschool
programs are addressed by the Vocational Rehabilitation Act (1973) and the Americans with
Disabilities Act (1990).2 In fact, lawsuits relating to the appropriateness of school programs for
children with disabilities like autism comprise the fastest-growing and most expensive area of
litigation in special education.3
Indeed, schools are required by law to address the needs of students with disabilities. Yet
even if these laws were not in place, the benefits to society and to the students themselves of
programs for disabled or otherwise challenged students are very high. Afterschool programming
is a great tool to focus on the development of social skills, to encourage comfortable peer to peer
interaction, and to create a foundation upon which students will be able to function and
contribute to society beyond the boundaries of the classroom. Research indicates that children
with poor social skills have high incidences of school maladjustment, increased expulsions
and/or suspensions from school, high dropout rates, high delinquent rates, and eventual adult
1
Wagner, M., Newman, L., Cameto, R., Garza, N., & Levine, P. (2005). “After high school: A first look at the
postschool experiences of youth with disabilities.” Menlo Park, CA: SRI International.
2
Haney, Michelle R. “After School Care for Children on the Autism Spectrum.” The Journal of Child and Family
Studies. 6 May 2011. DOI: 10.1007/s10826-011-9500-1.
3
Etscheidt, S. (2003). “An analysis of legal hearings and cases related to individualized
education programs for children with autism.” Research and Practice for Persons
With Severe Disabilities, 28, 51–69.
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mental health issues.4 Research also shows that social skills can be taught, and social skills
training programs have proven to be effective, producing improvement ranging from 60 to 70%.5
This report focuses on benefits to and programming for students with autism or disorders
on the autism spectrum (like Asperger’s syndrome), those with learning disabilities, and those
with High-Incidence Disabilities (HID). HID includes speech and language impairments,
communication disorders, specific learning disabilities like ADHD or Oppositional Defiant
Disorder, and mild to moderate mental retardation. Almost all of these disabilities require the
school to create an Individualized Education Plan, or IEP, for the student in question.
The desired outputs examined in studies of programming for students with disabilities
often do not focus on academic improvement, though there are some exceptions. Rather,
programs hope to improve the ability of students in the realm of problem solving, decision
making, assertion, social interaction, maintaining discourse in class, and self-managing
undesirable behaviors. Thus, in evaluating the factors which comprise an effective and highquality program, improvements in these skills rather than strictly in academic achievement
should be measured.
Current Problems with Afterschool Opportunities for Youth with Disabilities
Parents, educators, and advocates consistently face two problems that plague most
specialized school programming. Students with special needs frequently have no or restricted
access to in-school after school care programs.6 Furthermore, the programs available to them
and their families often only provide supervised but unstructured basic care, or are not of a high
enough quality which might benefit the student in the long term.7
A survey of 54 parents with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
highlights the need for improved access to specialized afterschool programs. 59% of parents
reported they had some experience with afterschool care for their child with autism. Of those,
only 24% participated in after school care through their public school. Furthermore, only 33% of
those with some after school experience reported that this was a positive experience for their
child. Of all the parents surveyed, 69% expressed interest in having their autistic child
participate in a school-sponsored afterschool program. A large majority of parents expressed a
4
Cook, C. R., Gresham, L. K., Barreras, R. B., Thornton, S., & Crews, S. D. (2008). “Socials skills training for
secondary students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders: A review and analysis of the meta-analytic
literature.” Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 16, 131-144.
5
Ang, R., & Hughes, J. (2001). “Differential benefits of skills training with antisocial youth base on group
composition: A meta-analytic investigation.” School Psychology Review, 31, 164-185.
6
Kohler, P. D., & Field, S. (2003). “Transition-focused education: Foundation for the future.” The Journal of Special
Education, 37, 174–183.
7
Koegel, L. K. et al (2009) “Empirically supported intervention practices for Autism Spectrum Disorders in school
and community settings: issues and practices.” Handbook of Positive Behavior Support. 149-176.
2
need for a program that provides services like support for speech-language skills (89%), motor
skills (74%), and sensory integration (82%).8
In providing expanded learning opportunities for students with special needs,
accessibility and quality of care should be prioritized. This can be done by identifying
successful, research-based programs, creating a thorough and transferrable model from such
programs, and ensuring that program directors and staff participate in professional development
and training that emphasizes the teaching of social skills.
A Closer Look at Successful Programs in North Carolina: The Friendship Club
In 2001, the Department of Occupational Therapy at East Carolina University partnered
with a local parent support group to create The Friendship Club, an after-school program for
children with Asperger Syndrome in Greenville, NC.9 The goal of the Friendship Club was to
help teach youth aged 8-15 improved peer-to-peer relationship skills and facilitate the making of
friends. Many students with disabilities have very limited interaction with others outside of
parents and siblings, teachers, and disability specialists. Thus, the Friendship Club provided a
supervised way for youth with disabilities – particularly Autism Spectrum Disorders – to practice
appropriate interaction with others, and have fun along the way. In its second year, the Club
consisted of 11 participants, six in the youth club, aged 8-10, and five in the adolescent group,
aged 11-15. Prior to beginning the Club, the staff (occupational therapy students) conducted
face-to-face interviews with each child, gaining information on the activities the child enjoyed
doing, his/her interests, and the child’s experiences with friendship. During each session,
activities were chosen to provide structure and facilitate discussion and development of social
skills. These activities were carefully picked by the staff after conducting child interviews, thus
allowing the participants (in aggregate) to direct part of the programming. The older group
encouraged development of age-appropriate skills by combining classroom activities with
projects in the local community. The younger group began each session with a review of the
rules and played games related to peer interaction. (see full activities schedule in appendix).
Parents were invited to stay and observe, but were not required to do so. Siblings of participants
occasionally took part, and added an extra element of inclusion to the group. At the end of the 6week session, children and parents were asked to provide feedback about programming and the
Club’s success. Parents of 8 of the 11 participants said they saw moderate to significant gains in
group interaction, peer-to-peer relationship building, and/or self-management. Furthermore, all
but one participant claimed they enjoyed their time in the Club.
8
Haney, Michelle R. “After School Care for Children on the Autism Spectrum.” The Journal of Child and Family
Studies. 6 May 2011. DOI: 10.1007/s10826-011-9500-1.
9
Carter C. et al (2004) “The Friendship Club: An after-school program for children with Asperger syndrome”.
Community Health,27, 143-150.
3
This homegrown solution is only one of many, but with that said, The Friendship Club
was a great model program. Unfortunately, the program was discontinued after only a two year
stint due to a lack of funding. Investing in creating and maintaining afterschool options like the
Friendship Club is imperative for providing the tools necessary for success to students with
disabilities.
Guidelines for Success
From extensive research, expert recommendations, and scrutiny of successful programs
like The Friendship Club and multiple others have emerged six “Guidelines for Success,” which
can be used to craft an effective afterschool program for students with disabilities.
Focus on social skill development
As previously mentioned, the parameters against which success or improvement should
be measured are different for students with special needs. Thus, programming should teach
social skills like peer to peer interaction, effective communication, and self-management rather
than focusing only on improving academic achievement. Incorporating academic topics into a
session is not necessarily discouraged, but this should not be the goal of an effective afterschool
program for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder or HIDs (see page 1). For example, the
Friendship Club encourages social skill development through group activities, rather than
stressing academic improvement. In-school pullout programs with one-on-one sessions with
special education teachers are better for serving the academic needs of these students.
Staff training
A great deal of the success of the Friendship Club can be contributed to the occupational
therapy students who staffed and directed the program. They were trained to work with students
with special needs and, with the guidance of the parents of the participants, understood how to
appropriately manage some of the more challenging behaviors of their charges. Maintaining a
well-qualified staff is essential to the success of a specialized afterschool program, as they have a
great deal of direct contact with the students. The staff must understand both the limits and
capabilities of their charges, ideally of each student, in order to facilitate and encourage a
positive learning experience.
Parent-program partnership
Parents understand the individual needs of their children better than anyone. They are a
great resource to help the staff learn about and appropriately manage each participant.
Maintaining individual child profiles – created by the staff and parents – is essential to making
the students feel as comfortable and, thus, be as engaged as possible. Keeping parents involved
not only allows for constant feedback on the improvement of a child in the program, but also can
facilitate a continuation of discussion or activities beyond the afterschool program. For example,
one parent with a child in the Friendship Club engaged her son about his friends at school and
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was able to carry the conversation beyond the Club. This holistic learning approach is what
expanded learning is all about.
Self-directed activities
Organizing self-directed activities does make programming more difficult. Still, input
from the students about their interests, hobbies, and desired activities can make a huge difference
in their engagement with the program. In the Friendship Club, the staff interviewed each child
and asked about his/her interests in order to plan activities around those common interests. Of
course, the actual social skills training portion of programming is not self-directed by
participants, but, as in the Friendship Club, activities provide a context for encouraging healthy
social interaction. Individualized programming makes the afterschool program fun for the
students, and, especially for more shy, hesitant, or distracted participants, ensures that they
engage in the program enough to reap its benefits.
Evaluation
At the completion of the sessions, the staff , parents, and overseeing members of the
Occupational Therapy department came together to discuss ways to change and improve the
Friendship Club. After its first year, this resulted in the addition of the second, older group of
adolescents which proved very successful. An effective afterschool program needs to have the
resources to conduct evaluations, and (ideally) the flexibility to change or rearrange
programming if necessary. In this way, the program can consistently provide a high-quality
experience that improves students’ lives year after year.
Inclusion
The importance and benefits of inclusion are made evident by the creation of a state
taskforce on inclusive child and afterschool care in North Carolina just this past year. Inclusive
afterschool programs focus on the capabilities of students with special needs, rather than on their
limits, by also involving students without special needs. Participating students with disabilities
are encouraged by those without, and are made to feel more normal and accepted. This dynamic
has been shown to help students with disabilities improve their skills as much or more than
programs consisting only of students with disabilities.10 The Friendship Club was not strictly an
inclusive program. However, the involvement of the participant’s siblings helped other students
participate. One mother specifically cited the involvement of siblings as helping encourage her
child to speak up, and keeping the group more focused in general.11 Inclusion is a great tool to
better facilitate social skills learning.
10
Koegel, L. K. et al (2009) “Empirically supported intervention practices for Autism Spectrum Disorders in school
and community settings: issues and practices.” Handbook of Positive Behavior Support. 149-176.
11
Carter C. et al (2004) “The Friendship Club: An after-school program for children with Asperger syndrome”.
Community Health,27, 143-150.
5
Conclusion
Limited ability does not always have to mean limited possibilities. Serving students with
special needs is an important task that cannot be ignored. Creating afterschool programs for
students with disabilities can lay the foundation for a better, more productive life beyond the
classroom. An excellent and effective afterschool program is one that includes intensive staff
training, a parent-program partnership, self-directed activity programming, consistent evaluation,
and elements of inclusion. In this way, we can use the opportunities expanded learning provides
to better the lives of these students.
Further Reading
The California After-School Resource Center, The California Department of Education (CDE).
http://www.californiaafterschool.org/specialneeds
Hock, Michael F. et al “The effects of an after-school tutoring program on the academic
performance of at-risk students” Remedial and Special Education ,2001, 22: 172
DOI: 10.1177/074193250102200305
Gooding, Lori F. “The effect of a music therapy social skills training program on improving
competence in children and adolescents with social skills deficits” Journal of Music
Therapy, Winter 2011. 48.4 440-462
Dunn, Cari et al “Assisting students with high-incidence disabilities to pursue careers in science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics.” Intervention in School and Clinic, 2012,
48.47 DOI: 10.1177/1053451212443151
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Appendix
Table 1: Activities, younger group
Table 2: Activities, older group
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