Meeting Abstract
Neurodiverse students include students with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, and/or students identified as “gifted”. Neurodiverse students tend to need support with executive function skills, and gifted students are no exception. This mixed methods action research study investigated whether social stories, an instructional intervention used with autism spectrum disorder students, could be used to support the executive function skill of problem solving in a sample of 25 gifted middle school students. Students’ use of help-seeking questions was observed pre and post intervention as a problem-solving indicator and students’ perceptions of their help-seeking question use were also qualitatively explored. The results showed a 60 percent increase in help-seeking questions post intervention, as well as evidence indicating that students understand questions help them deepen knowledge and pre-plan their actions. Student-initiated questions varied in complexity and type, but overall indicated a readiness to use information. Social story development provided intentional rehearsal and connection between problems and solutions for students and had a clear effect on student problem solving skills. Therefore, social stories can be used to help gifted students develop the executive function skills they need to function in rigorous academic environments.
