Effective Methods to Encourage Children with Autism to Interact with Others

This research project aims to analyze effective methods and strategies for encouraging children with autism to socialize and interact with other children and people in society. It explores the impact of autism on children's developmental disability, analyzes the issues associated with children with autism, and identifies effective methods for encouraging social interaction. The study is based on qualitative analysis using secondary resources.

11
Running head: Research Project (Public Health and Community Studies)
Module Title: Research Project (Public Health and
Community Studies)
Module Code: 304HSC/ 304HSCSC
Project Title: “What are the effective methods to encourage
a child with autism interact with other children?”
Student number-
Assessment number-
Word count-

Research Project
Table of Contents
1. Introduction..................................................................................................................................3
1.0 Background............................................................................................................................3
1.1 Research aim..........................................................................................................................4
1.2 Research Objectives...............................................................................................................5
2. Methodology................................................................................................................................6
3.0 Philosophy.............................................................................................................................6
3.1 Research design.....................................................................................................................6
3.2 Research approach.................................................................................................................7
3.3 Data type used........................................................................................................................7
3.4 Research Strategy..................................................................................................................8
3.5 Sampling method...................................................................................................................9
3.6 Type of analysis.....................................................................................................................9
3.7 Time horizons........................................................................................................................9
3.8 Ethical aspects.....................................................................................................................10
3.9 Limitations...........................................................................................................................10
References......................................................................................................................................11
2 | P a g e

Research Project
1. Introduction
1.0 Background
Autism Spectrum Disorder is a developmental disorder that impacts the ability of children to
communicate and interact with others. Based on the National Autistic Society of UK, there are
approximately 700,000 autistic children and adult in the UK. Likewise, (Thompson, McFerran
and Gold 2014: 842), autism is called a spectrum disorder as children can be anywhere on the
spectrum of autism. It has been well identified by the researcher while conducting a survey in the
UK that children with autism spectrum disorder depict symptoms at an early age. Additionally,
such symptoms continue during childhood as well as adulthood. As suggested by (Buggey and
Ogle 2013:204), the reason behind children developing autism is still unknown; however, it has
been proposed that it might be caused due to a combination of genes they are born with as well
as certain things in their environment also triggers those genes. Furthermore, it has been also
analysed in the UK that there are two kinds of children with autism, (Lubetsky 2011: 67). The 1st
kind of children with autism has issues relating to other people as well as difficulties while
making eye contact. Likewise, they seem uninterested in relating to their family members. On
the contrary, the 2nd kind of children with autism may have the tendency to keep talking for too
long with strangers, family members, and friends about a specific topic they are obsessed with.
This in turn critically pushes other people away.
As put forwarded by (Tager-Flusberg and Kasari 2013: 470), children with autism may not be
able to comprehend nonverbal communication, take things literally, inability to handle more than
one idea at a time and talks about a particular subject for too long. In other words, the way they
perceive the world is highly distinct compared to a normal child. On the other hand, children
with autism also face challenges in learning or educational activities due to their developmental
disability. It has been well stated by (Berry et al. 2013: 79), it is the responsibility of both
teachers and parents to be patient and persistent towards the children with autism in order to
develop their ways of learning as well as enhance the rate of interaction and communication with
others. Such alignment of view is limited in UK health and social communities. It is also
significant to show love and respect to the child in order to encourage them to develop new
3 | P a g e

Research Project
social skills as well as must show different places with distinct interaction with other people and
children that would also assist to learn new things. As suggested by (), it is significant for parents
as well as teachers to keep on motivating the children with autism as it would encourage them to
develop their socialising skills and learning abilities.
Furthermore, the discipline of psycho-pedagogy has emerged in the particular field of
investigation for developing children with autism specifically in the UK. It has been well
suggested by (Casenhiser, Shanker and Stieben 2013: 235); psycho-pedagogy integrates
interdisciplinary conductive activity and method. It assists children with autism to enhance their
education and conduction as well as cure psychic disturbances of children. Likewise, it includes
therapy and rehabilitation for children with autism to develop both emotional and personal
attributed to children. It is a significant method that has got attention in the UK as the
determinant of health and social communities that assists to develop the socio-cultural and
learning activities of children with autism; however, the support from parents and teachers needs
to be aligned with such developmental objective, (Hourcade et al. 2013: 3201). In relation to
such context, the proposed study would analyse significant methods and strategies for
developing children with autism by social interaction with children and other people through a
qualitative aspect with special reference to the UK.
1.1 Research aim
As stated by (Ennis-Cole Durodoye and Harris 2013: 285), autism is a critical lifelong
developmental disability that affects the perception of people to view the world as well as
interact with others. The main aim of this project is to analyse effective methods and strategies
for encouraging children with autism to socialise and interact with other children and people in
society at ease with regard to the UK. In addition, the rationale behind the project is based on the
study of autism specifically in the analysis of joint action between primary school teachers and
psycho-pedagogy. It has been analysed that very little information or exploration has been made
in this particular field of investigation by the past researchers. Hence, the proposed study aims to
depict the significance of the joint contribution of both primary school teachers and psycho-
pedagogy for assisting children with autism with regards to the UK in order to overcome their
learning difficulties and socialise with other people. The findings of the study would contribute
to the particular field of investigation assisting teachers and parents to efficiently deal with
4 | P a g e

Research Project
children with autism specifically based on UK health and social communities. It also offers wide
scope for the future researcher to integrate psycho-pedagogy in this particular field with intrinsic
information for developing other effective methods.
1.2 Research Objectives
Based on the background and aim of the study, to analyse the methods and strategies for
developing the children with autism by social interaction with children and other people with
special reference to the UK, following are the objectives-
 To explore the impact of autism on children’s developmental disability;
 To analyse the issues associated with children with autism;
 To comprehend the joint contribution of primary school teachers and psycho-pedagogy
towards developing children with autism for better learning and social interactions with
regards to the UK;
 To identify effective methods for encouraging children with autism to socialise and
interact with other people and children in society with regards to the UK.
5 | P a g e

Research Project
2. Methodology
3.0 Philosophy
As put forwarded by (Merriam 2015: 54), research philosophy can be categorized into-
Interpretivism- This philosophy integrates logic and methods that are used to develop the
findings of the research in order to validate the hypothesis of the study.
Positivism- This philosophy is based on the principles of verification and reproducibility. The
concentration towards knowledge is highly valued in this philosophy which is gathered through
credible resources by comparing with other studies.
Realism- This philosophy also follows logic and methods based on natural science. It assists
researchers to understand the underlying causal mechanism in order to reinforce the observable
regularities.
The justification for the use of positivism philosophy
In relation to the scope of the proposed study, the researcher has considered attaining positivism
philosophy for successful completion of the study. It would assist to attain relevant information
based on children with autism for developing effective methods of encouragement with the
comparison of other studies.
3.1 Research design
As stated by (Miller et al. 2012: 67), research design can be segregated into-
Exploratory research design- It is highly based on secondary resources and focuses on the
effective collection of data through the use of case studies, focus group or survey method. It
develops a qualitative aspect of the study.
Descriptive research design- It is used to depict the inner relationships and properties of a
specific phenomenon based on the study. It is based on survey analysis and forms a basis of
primary resources.
6 | P a g e

Research Project
Explanatory research design- It highlights the cause-effect relationship of the study by
analysing the relationship of different variables.
The justification for the use of exploratory research design
The use of exploratory design has been considered in this study as the proposed study is
completely based on qualitative analysis through the use of secondary resources. The use of case
study analysis based on journals and articles is highly significant based on the scope of the study.
3.2 Research approach
On the other hand (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill 2012: 89), suggested two kinds of approaches-
Deductive approach- This approach is highly based on the quantitative aspect of the study. It
uses interviews, survey and polls for causality analysis as well as to prove the hypothesis.
Inductive approach- This approach is highly based on the qualitative aspect of the study. It uses
secondary resources including pre-published journals, books, articles, and websites for
developing an effective framework of the study.
The justification for the use of the inductive approach
In relation to the scope of the present study, the use of inductive approach is considered as the
use of pre-published journals, books, articles, and websites are significant for analysing effective
methods for children with autism. It would offer relevant information and develop a qualitative
aspect of the study.
3.3 Data type used
As stated by (Smith 2015: 102), the data type can be divided into-
Primary data type- It is based on the quantitative aspect of the study by the use of questionnaire,
survey, tolls or interviews.
Secondary data type- It is based on the qualitative aspect of the study through the use of pre-
published journals, books, articles, and websites.
The justification for the use of secondary resources
7 | P a g e

Research Project
Relevant secondary data would be gathered from pre-published journals, books, articles, and
websites for attaining in-depth understanding and knowledge to identify effective methods to
encourage children with autism to interact with other people.
3.4 Research Strategy
As stated by (Snyder 2012: 16), research strategy can be categorized into-
Experiment- This strategy includes a definition of theoretical hypothesis as well as experimental
conditions based on the selected samples in the field of natural science, social science and
psychology.
Case study analysis- It is based on the gathering of data based on several sources of evidence. It
delivers intrinsic information through the use of secondary resources about a specific object or
subject for building a qualitative aspect of the study, (Silverman 2013: 98).
Figure 1: Research Onion
(Source: Saunders et al. 2012: 52)
Survey- It is viable for conducting business research through the use of a questionnaire as its
primary instrument. It develops an efficient framework by the comparison among variables.
8 | P a g e

Research Project
Grounded theory- It integrates a series of observation and does not consider any theoretical
framework formation in the beginning.
The justification for the use of case study analysis
The use of case study analysis has been considered for the study in order to accomplish the
overall objective of the study. It would assist to attain relevant source of evidence through the
use of secondary resources and data based on the chosen title of the project.
3.5 Sampling method
In relation to the proposed study, the use of primary resources of data would not be considered as
the formation of qualitative study is of primary consideration. Hence, the use of sample size or
population has not been considered for the study. The use of secondary resources including pre-
published journals, books, articles, and websites have been considered for the study for
developing the qualitative aspect of the study. The use of the Google search engine and Google
Scholar has been considered primarily for finding relevant sources based on the keywords
children with autism and effective methods for developing children with autism for learning and
socialising with others.
3.6 Type of analysis
As stated by (Terrell 2012: 260), type of analysis can be categorized into-
Qualitative analysis- It is highly based on secondary resources and uses words more than
numbers. It develops an in-depth understanding of a particular phenomenon or event.
Quantitative analysis- It is based on statistical tools and models for deriving numerical values.
The results based on numbers define the scope of the research.
The justification for the use of qualitative analysis
The integration of qualitative analysis would offer in-depth information to come out with desired
data for attaining comprehensive database for this study. The use of secondary resources would
also assist to narrow down the facts or the causes of a certain phenomenon with appropriate
justification.
9 | P a g e

Research Project
3.7 Time horizons
As stated by (Ritchie et al. 2013: 67), time horizons can be categorized into cross-sectional and
longitudinal studies. The researcher in this study has considered the use of cross-sectional study
as the time limit for the entire study is limited attaining the overall objective of the study. On the
other hand, longitudinal study is inappropriate for the study as it takes time and requires
information before and after any phenomena or to study people.
3.8 Ethical aspects
In order to conduct this study, the necessary precautions for securing data management based on
data protection and CU policy has been significantly considered by the researcher.
3.9 Limitations
The major limitation of the study is the time and budget set for the entire project. However, with
complete dedication, the researcher has made significant progress for accomplishing the first part
of the study.
10 | P a g e

Research Project
References
Berry, A., Borgi, M., Francia, N., Alleva, E., and Cirulli, F. (2013). Use of assistance and
therapy dogs for children with autism spectrum disorders: A critical review of the current
evidence. The journal of alternative and complementary medicine, 19(2), 73-80.
Buggey, T., and Ogle, L. (2013). The use of self-modelling to promote social interactions among
young children. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 28(4), 202-211.
Casenhiser, D. M., Shanker, S. G., and Stieben, J. (2013). Learning through interaction in
children with autism: Preliminary data from asocial-communication-based
intervention. Autism, 17(2), 220-241.
Ennis-Cole, D., Durodoye, B. A., and Harris, H. L. (2013). The impact of culture on autism
diagnosis and treatment: Considerations for counsellors and other professionals. The Family
Journal, 21(3), 279-287.
Hourcade, J. P., Williams, S. R., Miller, E. A., Huebner, K. E., and Liang, L. J. (2013, April).
Evaluation of tablet apps to encourage social interaction in children with autism spectrum
disorders. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.
ACM, 3197-3206.
Lubetsky, M. J. (Ed.). (2011). Autism spectrum disorder. Oxford University Press.
Merriam, S.B. (2015). Qualitative Research and Case Study Applications in Education. Revised
and Expanded from" Case Study Research in Education.". Jossey-Bass Publishers, 350 Sansome
St, San Francisco, CA 94104.
Miller, T., Birch, M., Mauthner, M. and Jessop, J. eds. (2012). Ethics in qualitative research.
Sage.
Ritchie, J., Lewis, J., Nicholls, C. M., and Ormston, R. (Eds.). (2013). Qualitative research
practice: A guide for social science students and researchers. sage.
11 | P a g e

Research Project
Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2012). Research philosophy in the ‘research onion’.
Silverman, D. (2013). Doing qualitative research: A practical handbook. SAGE Publications
Limited.
Smith, J.A. ed. (2015). Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods. Sage.’
Snyder, C. (2012). A case study of a case study: Analysis of a robust qualitative research
methodology. The Qualitative Report, 17(13), pp.1-21.
Tager-Flusberg, H., and Kasari, C. (2013). Minimally verbal school‐aged children with autism
spectrum disorder: The neglected end of the spectrum. Autism Research, 6(6), 468-478.
Terrell, S.R. (2012). Mixed-methods research methodologies. The qualitative report, 17(1), 254-
280.
Thompson, G. A., McFerran, K. S., and Gold, C. (2014). Family‐centred music therapy to
promote social engagement in young children with severe autism spectrum disorder: A
randomized controlled study. Child: care, health and development, 40(6), 840-852.
12 | P a g e