Autism in the Classroom

This paper analyzes Marcey Murray's article, "A Teacher's Perspective of Using PBS in a Classroom for a Girl with Multiple Disabilities".

1,200 words () | 1 source | APA | 2005 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper relates that one of the key strengths of Murray's readable and informative article is its focus on the PBS approach as a real-world
application rather than a theoretical solution. The author points out that there are notable weaknesses within Murray's articulate and literate narrative, which relate to the PBS approach itself; for example, the author does tend to worry that the PBS approach is taking attention away from the other students in her class and putting too much emphasis on the girl's development. The paper concludes that the reader perceives from the article that the PBS approach is more effective in the organization and motivation of support teams than when used in a classroom situation.

Table of Contents
Article Subject
Content Overview
Strengths
Weaknesses
Adaptability to the Classroom
Reader Reaction

From the Paper:

"Marcey Murray, in her article, "A Teacher's Perspective of Using PBS in a Classroom for a Girl with Multiple Disabilities," explores the effectiveness of PBS, or Positive Behavior Support, in a classroom situation focusing on Mindy, a 12-year-old girl diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and several other disorders including vision disorders. Murray traces the developments of Mindy's behavior as it progresses from self-harm and entropy to a more accepting and functional assimilation and increased productivity after the instigation of PBS. "From the day Mindy arrived, she displayed prolonged episodes of very challenging behaviors that included biting her wrists, falling to the floor, aggression, and property damage" (Murray et. al, 2002). The author traces Mindy's development before and after she (the author) was inspired to call a support facility after speaking to Mindy's parents about the positive and negative aspects of her behavior, which was seen to be inappropriate to the extent that the author feared for the
safety of some of her other students, as well as for Mindy herself."