Ten Key Elements of an Effective Environment for student body ASD and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders

A research the university will adapt and validate a tool measure the educational quality of programs and services for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or individuals with other neurodevelopmental subject . 

tool Program Environment Rating Scale–Preschool/Elementary (APERS PE), originally developed by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, assesses 10 categories that represent the educational quality standards defining an effective environment for student body ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders. 

These categories are: the physical environment, the learning climate, assessment the individualized support plan, the curriculum and teaching strategies, communication, skill , student independence/autonomy, disruptive behaviors, family involvement, and work . 

“Their analysis makes it possible to assess whether a school offers structured, consistent, and scientifically grounded support, leading to educational practices that promote the progress of student body ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders. They also highlight critical elements for promote , participation, and independence among this student body, student bodyexplains Araceli Arellano, principal investigator of project a member of group and Learning group at the University of Navarra. 

Educational materials for professionals

The project groundbreaking because there is currently no tool in Spain that addresses these objectives and improves the quality of education in mainstream or Education schools serving this population. “It also has a social impact by promote evidence-based promote , benefiting not only students but also faculty, facultyadds the researcher. 

The research now halfway through. So far, an initial draft of the tool draft Spanish has been prepared tool reviewed by a panel of experts, and a pilot study of this version has begun at several schools. 

In addition, interviews have been conducted with individuals with ASD and their families to incorporate their perspectives into this validation process. The project objectives project include developing educational materials designed to training who work with this population and their families. 

The team consists of researchers from the School of Education Psychology—Araceli Arellano Torres, Martín Martínez Villar, Olga Lizasoain Rumeu, Leyre Gambra Echeverría, and Carmen Gándara Rossi (who also works at the Huarte Center in San Juan)—as well as Miriam Cirauqui Viloria and Estela López Nicolás from the Huarte Center in San Juan.

The research funded by the Ciganda Ferrer Foundation, an organization with which the researcher team researcher collaborating for several years on various projects, such as a study focusing on the siblings of people with intellectual disabilities and a study on the life stories of the mothers of these individuals. This partnership involves collaboration between CEE Molino and the Family Counseling Center on teaching activities teaching the mentoring of student body .