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=Research Proposal: Effective Uses of Technology for Students with Autism=

Overview/Introduction:
=== Technology in the classroom is one of the biggest "hot button" topics in the field of education today. The growing number of children diagnosed with autism is one of the biggest "hot button" topics in the medical field lately. As a teacher of a self-contained special education classroom, my interest resides in where these two topics intersect. With a growing population of children diagnosed with autism, consequently, a growing population of autistic students in the classroom, there is a need for technology in the classroom to support these students. I have chosen to research effective uses of technology for students with autism. I teach a self-contained special education class in which half of the population has been diagnosed with mild to moderate autism. Johnson and Christiansen discuss the learning process (2008), stating that we learn by using our senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. ===

=== Based on what I have learned from my experience in working with these students, and attending autism professional development trainings, I realize that students with autism struggle with learning by using their five senses. For students with autism, certain senses may be heightened to the point of being unbearable due to overstimulation, whereas other senses may be lacking. The sensory input deficit autistic children suffer from causes them to learn differently than their peers. Assistive technology (AT) devices have been in place for students with special needs including students with autism, for years. Although some AT is already available, many of the devices available to students with special needs enrolled in public education are quickly becoming obsolete. It seems that using the latest technological advances to enhance the learning of students with special needs is overlooked in the public school system. I am interested in using mainstream, cutting edge technology to help students with autism in the academic and the functional curriculum. My hypothesis is that teachers of students with autism are provided strategies and sufficient training in these special areas, students with autism in the public school system can use technology to significantly increase their achievement in functional as well as academic settings. Due to this hypothesis, my research will focus on strategies for effectively integrating technology into the special education classroom and the effective uses of technology for students with autism. ===