Measuring Teacher Talk and the Behavior of Autistic Students in Preschool Through Third-Grade Special Education Mathematics Activities

Abstract

Objectives

Teacher talk provides the medium for teaching and learning. However, there has been little emphasis on conceptualizing and measuring teacher talk within specific contexts and populations or the influence that child behavior has on teacher talk. We described and investigated varying models of teacher talk directed individually toward autistic students within 96 special education mathematics activities drawn from larger mathematics lessons. We also examined child behavior within mathematics contexts measured through observation and via teacher report.

Methods

Our participants included 39 preschool–third-grade teachers across 14 districts in California and their 66 autistic students (M_age = 6.74 years, SD = 2.04). We utilized archival video observations from the start of the school year collected as part of a longitudinal study examining a classroom-based intervention for autistic students.

Results

Our findings provide support for a five-factor model of teacher talk (instructional talk, questioning techniques, responsive language, directive language, and foundational talk) and shed light upon teachers’ overuse of directive language to direct or redirect autistic students’ behavior relative to the other talk dimensions. We also documented a significant positive association between teachers’ use of non-task-related directives and student emotion dysregulation.

Conclusions

This detailed evaluation of teacher talk provides a promising means for gauging the quality of instructional talk and the experiences of elementary-aged autistic students within special education mathematics contexts. Tailoring professional development for educators that centers on understanding developmental characteristics associated with autism and highlighting teacher talk as a targeted intervention is an area for further study.