Staff and School Factors Affecting Implementation of ASD Interventions in Schools

描述（由申请人提供）：这个K 01指导研究科学家发展奖的目的是支持申请人发展必要的技能，成为一个独立的研究人员在学校环境中实施和维持自闭症相关干预措施。自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）是一种复杂的终身发育障碍，影响美国88名儿童中的1名。随着越来越多的ASD儿童进入公立学校，学校必须实施和维持基于证据的干预措施（EBI），以改善儿童的学业，行为和社会成果。2012年机构间自闭症协调委员会ASD研究战略计划指出，缺乏在社区环境中成功实施EBI，也没有具体的研究来研究这些问题。这个K 01应用程序利用现有的大学社区与费城学区的合作伙伴关系，系统地研究大规模城市公立学校的地区授权自闭症EBI的实施问题。在大卫曼德尔，ScD，和一个专家顾问团队的指导下，拟议的培训和研究活动将使申请人能够：1）了解哪些组织因素影响学校的实施; 2）发展混合方法设计的专业知识，以了解组织因素如何促进或阻碍公立学校的实施过程; 3）获得制定实施干预措施的专业知识，以解决可修改的变量，以改善自闭症EBI在学校的使用和维持。与这些培训目标相关的研究活动包括三个相互依存的目标。目标1将使用定量方法来检查工作人员和学校层面的因素，作为ASD儿童实施和维持EBI的预测因素。目标2将使用定性方法，通过仔细检查为ASD儿童实施EBI的高绩效和低绩效教室子集的实施过程，进一步探索目标1中发现的工作人员和学校层面的因素。最后，在目标3中，申请人将制定实施干预措施，以支持学校使用和维持自闭症EBI。拟议研究项目的结果有可能为学校提供使用EBI的必要支持，并显着改善公立学校环境中ASD儿童的学业，行为和社会成果。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The purpose of this K01 Mentored Research Scientist Development Award is to support the applicant in developing the skills necessary to become an independent researcher in the implementation and sustainment of autism-related interventions in school settings. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex and lifelong developmental disability that affects 1 in 88 children in the United States. With the growing number of children with ASD enrolled in public schools, it is imperative that schools implement and sustain evidence- based interventions (EBIs) to improve children's academic, behavioral, and social outcomes. The 2012 Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee Strategic Plan for ASD Research states that successful implementation in community settings of EBIs is lacking, and there are no specific studies that examine these issues. This K01 application capitalizes on an existing university-community partnership with the School District of Philadelphia to systematically examine implementation issues of a district-mandated autism EBI in urban public schools on a large scale. Under the mentorship of David Mandell, ScD, and a team of expert consultants, the proposed training and research activities will enable the applicant to: 1) understand which organizational factors affect implementation in schools; 2) develop expertise in mixed methods design to understand how organizational factors promote or impede implementation processes in public schools; and 3) acquire expertise in developing implementation interventions to address modifiable variables to improve the use and sustainment of autism EBIs in schools. The research activities associated with these training goals include three aims that build upon each other. Aim 1 will use quantitative methods to examine staff- and school-level factors as predictors of implementation and sustainment of an EBI for children with ASD. Aim 2 will use qualitative methods to further explore the staff-and school-level factors uncovered in Aim 1 by closely examining the implementation processes for a subset of high and low performing classrooms implementing an EBI for children with ASD. Lastly, in Aim 3, the applicant will develop an implementation intervention to support schools in their use and sustainment of autism EBIs. Findings from the proposed research projects have the potential to provide schools with the necessary supports to use EBIs and markedly improve the academic, behavioral, and social outcomes of children with ASD in public school settings.