Building Capacity of Informal STEM Learning Providers to Engage Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder with impaired social communication skills, repetitive behavior, and restrictive patterns of interest. Approaches for working with individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and special needs often included creating separate experiences these individuals, resulting in isolation from the other individuals.

Inclusive programs, on the other hand, not only afford these individuals the same opportunities for learning as their neurotypical peers but also offer opportunities to practice appropriate social communication from these peers. Research demonstrates that inclusive free-choice learning environments are ideal for individuals with ASD to learn social skills and allow for a deep focus on a particular topic of interest.

Informal STEM Learning (ISL) educators have the desire but may not have sufficient and timely knowledge and skills to engage and support this audience. This project team recently modified and piloted a rigorous, proven training approach developed for individual parents and teachers who worked with individuals with ASD for educators working in informal science institutions.

The idea is to enhance the capacity of these educators in ASD support techniques and strategies, so they are better equipped to create inclusive environments and engage individuals. This Phase 2 project builds on the prior work by refining and further testing the model for delivering training on a broader scale. The project seeks to strengthen ISL providers' ability to engage individuals on the ASD in mainstream projects and exhibits and promote more inclusive environments.

The project will create a 1) hybrid Professional Development model that offers a unique pathway for institutional change to broaden access to and engagement in STEM learning in existing ISL venues, 2) new approach to and evidence-based understanding of the design and development of informal STEM learning offerings that are more broadly accessible, and 3) collaborative Community of Practice (CoP) model for developing iterative ASD-supportive museum learning strategies with ISL educators and ASD experts. The project is a collaboration between the Institute for Learning Innovation, the SciTech Institute, and the Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC).

In this next phase the team will expand to three additional metropolitan regions in Missouri, Florida, and Oklahoma.

The overarching goals of this project are to a) increase inclusion of individuals with ASD and special needs in mainstream ISL environments; b) train staff in ASD support techniques and strategies, and c) ultimately, support individuals with ASDs in gaining the skills, confidence, and motivation needed to engage in mainstream STEM activities. Key questions to be addressed include: 1) To what degree does the hybrid professional learning program support the informal science learning staff outcomes as they relate to ASD knowledge, awareness, interest, skills, attitude, and behavior? 2): What features of the digital professional development (e.g., content information, peer checklists, video tutorials, collaborative experiences [i.e., incubators], multi-level CoP) do ISL staff consider most effective for improving their ability to meet the needs of ASD patrons? 3) How do the digital resources and supportive materials for training professional learning enable ISL professionals to provide high-quality STEM education experiences for ASD individuals and their families?

To what degree are the learning outcomes for individuals on the autism spectrum achieved? 4) To what degree has the project created supported institutional change, which reaches beyond ISL staff to create a more welcoming museum experience for the ASD community? Phase 2 builds on findings from Phase 1 to create effective online delivery methods with supporting site visits and build an online resource center and CoP that is readily accessible to most, if not all, national ISL organizations.

The project team will use a sociocultural approach to explore ASD individuals' learning in ISL environments. The research is designed to measure STEM learning outcomes, which have been identified as a current gap for individuals with ASD. The project will broaden participation by transferring this comprehensive body of research to practice in important ways.

The project will result in a self-sustaining model of professional development and a CoP to help the field develop foundational concepts, skills, and confidence for full inclusion of the ASD community, hence broadening inclusion generally.

This Integrating Research & Practice project is funded by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program, which supports projects that: (a) contribute to research and practice that considers informal STEM learning's role in equity and belonging in STEM; (b) promote personal and educational success in STEM; (c) advance public engagement in scientific discovery; (d) foster interest in STEM careers; (e) create and enhance the theoretical and empirical foundations for effective informal STEM learning; (f) improve community vibrancy; and/or (g) enhance science communication and the public's engagement in and understanding of STEM and STEM processes.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.