The Development and Preliminary Validation of a Teacher Assessment of Barriers to Learning for Pupils on the Autism Spectrum in Special Schools

Individuals on the autism spectrum with coexisting intellectual disabilities are more likely to have communication difficulties, display certain aspects of restricted and repetitive sensory and motor behaviours, show adaptive behaviour impairments and display behaviour that challenges than those with either condition alone. The interactions between the two conditions result in educational needs and barriers to learning specific to this group which are not thoroughly assessed using current assessment tools. Instead, autistic pupils who have intellectual disabilities and attend special schools are routinely assessed using generic assessments appropriate for pupils with a wide range of special needs and developmental disabilities.

This thesis sought to consider the most appropriate ways to identify and monitor barriers to learning for pupils on the autism spectrum with intellectual disabilities in special schools through effective and robust assessment. Four related studies were conducted to review the available assessments appropriate for this purpose, leading to the development of a new, autism-specific, assessment to be used by teachers in special schools: The Assessment of Barriers to Learning in Education - Autism (ABLE-Autism).

Stage 1 of the research consisted of a systematic review which identified and evaluated existing assessments which could be used by teachers in special schools to measure outcomes and progress in adaptive behaviour, behaviour that challenges and autism-related behaviour for pupils on the autism spectrum. The review identified a lack of robust assessments appropriate for these purposes and justified the development of an autism-specific assessment which could be used by teachers in special schools to assess barriers to learning for these pupils.

Stage 2 included two assessment development studies. Focus groups were conducted with special needs teachers to refine the definition of the 'barriers to learning' assessment construct, consider the relevant assessment content and inform the format and features of the ABLE-Autism. A two-round modified Delphi study was then conducted in which special needs teachers endorsed 70 items for inclusion in the ABLE-Autism. The Delphi study provided initial evidence for face and content validity of the new assessment.

Preliminary validity and reliability evaluations of the ABLE-Autism were then undertaken in Stage 3. Test-retest reliability was found to be excellent, the subscales and assessment as a whole showed a high degree of internal consistency reliability and the ABLE-Autism was strongly correlated with the Teacher Autism Progress Scale. Teacher feedback was extremely positive, reflecting the fact that teachers were consulted during all stages of the assessment development process.

This research identified the need for autism-specific assessments to assess autistic pupils with coexisting intellectual disabilities in special schools. A new, robust assessment, the ABLE-Autism, was then developed for teachers in special schools to identify and monitor barriers to learning for these pupils. This research provides a practical example of how teachers can be involved in assessment development processes and also highlights that the inclusion of special needs teachers in assessment development is likely to contribute to the validity and reliability of new assessments.