Action Research Project - Autism

by B. J. Zagorac, M.A., M.Ed.

Research Questions

• Primary Question

Will the intervention of emotional thermometers help an

8-year-old child with autism develop better

comprehension of fictional texts through properly

identifying the emotions of different characters?

• Secondary QuestionWill the 8-year-old child show a more positive attitude toward

reading fictional texts after the emotional thermometer

intervention?

Methodology - Intervention

Intervention

Emotional Thermometers

o Based off of research of Gately (2008)

o Emotions are depicted visually on a thermometer with color added

o Helps students understand feelings and emotions of characters

o Increases students’ understanding of character motivation and choices in the story

o Assists students in piecing together events in the story based on characters’ emotions.

Intervention - Data

Sources of Data

Objective data in the form of short quizzes on 3 fictional stories

Written notes from tutor (author of this project)

Written notes from child’s mother

Information contained in child’s IEP

Teacher feedback (upcoming)

Results from Intervention

Data from the 3 quizzes showed that the child had mastered understanding of simple character emotions.

Child is more inquisitive when reading nonfiction texts, asking many questions about the different characters.

The child’s mother reported that her son is doing much better with character emotions and often has no trouble identifying basic emotions.

The child’s IEP cited significant gains in multiple areas of reading comprehension.

School recently moved the child from a low-incidence classroom to a high-incidence classroom because of his advancing skills in literacy and other subjects.

References

• Gately, S. E. (2008). Facilitating reading comprehension for students on the autism spectrum. Teaching Exceptional Children, 40(3), 40-45.