Any worthwhile thesis topic/s in special education? I want to focus on teenagers with autism.?

Question

Any worthwhile thesis topic/s in special education? I want to focus on teenagers with autism.?

Answer 1

social interaction and communication skills are the big topics with autistic folks.  how about looking at non-verbal communication techniques that work.  i.e. sign language, body language, grunts, gestures.  see if there are ways to communicate that strike a cord of familiarity between people with autism.  or does it rely on the "reading"ability of non-autism folks?  

a few weeks ago i heard an autistic person say the reason they didn't look people in the eye is because once making eye contact they stopped hearing what was being said.  so they did not look people in the eye and listened carefully, and most people thought the autistic person was not listening - when indeed they were listening even more closely than any one else.

good luck

Answer 2

Social interaction and the learning process

Answer 3

There are some interesting debates going on in the autism community. Any one of them would make a great topic. Here are a list of topics/thesis statements that you could investigate:

1. A casein and gluten free diet can improve symptoms of autism for children of all ages.

2. Applied behavior analysis techniques improve the communication abilities of children and teenagers with ASD.

3. Social stories will assist ASD teenagers in the acquisition of social skills.

4. Specific social skills training and coaching in the environment is the only way for teenagers with ASD to generalize their skills in a typical social environment.

5. What are the best treatments for children with ASD? Some to consider are PECS, applied behavior analysis (Sometimes called Verbal Behavior) and sign language.

One good source for articles and thesis ideas is to go to the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. You will find a ton of research there.

Answer 4

Social aspects would be a great thesis.  There are so many different approaches to increasing social behavior in students with ASD.  If you want a more challenging/ tricky subject the correlation between puberty and the onset of additional negative behaviors in teens with severe autism is also a good research topic.  When researching make sure that you use good quality resources.  The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis is a good start.  ERIC has a lot of resources online and I do not think you have to pay for it.

Answer 5

Communication is gaining growing awareness in dealing with students with autism.  I suggest you research picture schedules/boards, and also talkers, such as Dynavox.  There is a lot of adaptive equipment and research out there if you look for it.