A 2-Year Iterative Study of an Informal STEM Educational Program for Neurodiverse Adolescents

Background: Given that affinity for technology is common in autism (Baron-Cohen, 2009; Wei et al., 2013), technology-focused programs for youth with ASD may help them transition into meaningful careers. However, there are few evidence-based programs to help youth with ASD turn STEM interests into marketable skills that will help them succeed in college and the workplace. The extracurricular, not-for-profit Tech Kids Unlimited (TKU) provides a supportive environment rich in technological instruction for students with ASD and other disabilities in NYC.

When we conducted our first evaluation of TKU’s summer programming in 2017, participants reported gains in technology and social skills and expressed a desire to enter STEM fields but their job plans remained very vague. Student feedback highlighted a preference for hands-on, multimodal instruction, consistent with the tenets of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). In 2018, we implemented a UDL planning/evaluation rubric and conducted a pilot 10-day long workshop to determine if longer workshops featuring UDL-aligned instructional practices help neurodiverse students learn.

Objectives: Examine if and how participation in an increasingly UDL-aligned summer technology program helps neurodiverse students develop technology, social, and job-related skills.

Methods: In 2017, adolescents with autism were recruited across TKU’s summer workshops (n=20, Mage=15.6). In 2018, we focused evaluation on a popular transit-themed, game-design workshop, lengthening it from TKU’s standard workshop length of 5 to 10 days (n=16, Mage=16.2). We developed and implemented a UDL curriculum template for instructors program-wide. After obtaining reliability, we coded instructional practices for 8 of 10 days using the new UDL Curriculum Template and Social-Emotional Checklist (Figure 1). In-person, semi-structured interviews and online surveys were conducted with students and parents, respectively, each year.

Results: Results suggest improvement in parent perceived social skill learning in 2018, with its heightened focus on collaboration and UDL-aligned techniques, relative to 2017 (Table 1). The specificity of student’s job plans also improved numerically when comparing 2017 to 2018. When asked what skills they learned from the workshop, students continued to overwhelmingly cite technology skills.

Coding of instructional techniques revealed that multiple teaching methods were used. Instructors used lectures (87.5% of days), group discussions (100%), hands-on activities (100%), video tutorials (75%), and self-guided independent work (87.5%). Students checked-in regularly to evaluate progress (100% of days) and received feedback from staff at key junctures (87.5%). Students were encouraged to review what they learned (87.5% of days), practiced time management (100%), and discussed their goals as a group (50%). Icebreakers and social games occurred 75% of the days coded.

Conclusions: Our structured UDL curriculum/assessment template shows promise as a strategy to engage neurodiverse adolescents in STEM education. Instructors were receptive to the new template and demonstrated varied and creative teaching techniques throughout the two-week program. However, additional areas for programmatic improvement remain apparent. Programming should continue to adapt based on student feedback and to highlight scaffolded opportunities to develop collaboration skills and explore potential career paths.