Learning Differently in the Classroom by Creating Storybooks Together: Promoting Social and Emotional Learning of Autism

With the increased rates at which children are being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) comes an increased interaction between typically developing children and children with ASD through inclusion classrooms. One of the hallmark characteristics of individuals with ASD is a deficit in social interaction. Many children with ASD are not able to communicate to their peers what ASD is and why they respond or act differently. This is one of the many reasons why children with ASD are at a higher risk to be isolated, ignored, and bullied, which is especially true for children who spend the majority of their time with the general education population. To increase awareness of ASD and make the inclusion process easier for children with ASD, an interactive storybook was created. The storybook will be a platform for educating peers on ASD and will involve students working creatively together to gain further insight and compassion for others who are different. Before the storybook was created, a needs assessment survey was developed by pulling from past evidence-based research on the education of children. Results from the needs assessment survey revealed that participants strongly agreed that there is a need for a program to educate typically developing peers on autism spectrum disorders. Specifically, there is a need for creative teaching tools to help educate typically developing peers within inclusive classrooms regarding autism spectrum disorders.