Regression Among Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders: An Examination of Extended School Year Programming

Abstract

The effects of long school breaks, such as summer vacation, on students' achievement has been an area of interest among educators and researchers for many years (e.g. Austin, Rogers & Walbesser, 1972; Ballinger, 1987, 1988; Borman, Benson & Overman, 2005; White, 1906). Research specific to children and youth with disabilities and the level of regression over summer months, however, is sparse. On the whole, both researchers and special educators have agreed that students with more severe disabilities tend to regress more than students with mild disabilities (Cornelius & Semmel, 1982; Edgar, Spence & Kenowitz, 1977; Shaw, 1982). These challenges can make extended breaks from school particularly detrimental for these children. A group of students that may be especially affected by a long break in schooling are children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). These children often have slower rates of skill acquisition and more difficulties with maintenance/generalization of skills across time (Arnold- Saritepe, 2009). The current study explored the extent to which students with ASD maintained cognitive, behavioral and social skills over the summer vacation months with differing levels of summer programming. Additionally, this study examined whether students of varying functioning levels differed in their maintenance of skills during the summer. A pre-post quasi-experimental design was utilized in which the May assessments were treated as baseline data and September assessments for the following academic year were treated as outcome data. Participants included 139 students aged 5-9 years with an ASD diagnosis given by their school district. Three different groups of Extended School Year support were compared, including students who received no ESY support, students who received standard ESY support from their school district, and students who received ESY support along with individualized programming. Overall, students maintained skills from pre- to post-test in most key areas. When group comparisons were made between children who attended ESY (ESY group and ESY with individualized support group) and those who did not receive ESY programming few differences were found. While students who received the most intensive level of ESY support were found to decrease significantly in the presentation of hyperactivity and noncompliance, ESY was generally effective in maintaining skills over the summer break.