An Action Research on Promoting Emotion Performanceof a Child with Asperger Syndrome

• Main Authors: CHENG CHEN, SU-CHEN, 陳素貞
• Other Authors: 楊宗仁
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2007
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/67682060598862619655

碩士 === 國立臺北教育大學 === 特殊教育學系碩士班 === 95 === This study aimed to design action strategies that were used to promote emotion expression for a young child with Asperger Syndrome as well as to explore the change of emotion expression of the child after emotion lessons were conducted. The participant was a fourth grade student with Asperger Syndrome in Taipei city. This study adopted action research method with continuous reflection and rethinking during action processes as well as strategy modification and correction with cyclically recruited classmates appropriated in the emotion lessons. Emotion lessons consisted of 22 intensive training sessions conducted in an isolated setting. There were 2-3 sessions a week and each session took one and a half hours. The performance data of the participant’s emotion expressions were collected by video, interview, observation, checklist, and emotion diary, etc. The emotion lessons were composed of three major lessons: (1) Emotion Cognition Lesson: This lesson taught facial expressions of emotion and emotional vocabulary. It also taught (a) how to describe feelings, (b) how to explain causes of emotional feelings, (c) what were the causes of different kinds of emotion. The lessons aimed to help the participant to understand his own and others’ emotion. (2) Emotion Play Lesson: We selected appropriated emotion development activities for the participant from Gutstein’s Relationship Development Intervention with Young Children. The criterion of selection was whether or not the activities had potential to promote emotion development. The play focused on activities such as eye contact and some other non-verbal emotion expressions aimed to promote emotion development. (3) Scripted Emotion Role Play Lesson: Adopting classmates’ or/and the participant emotion experiences as the content of scripted play, the participant played and interacted with classmates through scripted play in which the participant’s emotion expressions could be elicited and generalized. The participant’s emotion lessons were rooted in Emotion Cognition Lesson and practiced in Emotion Play Lesson and generalized in Scripted Emotion Role Play Lesson. In this way, the comprehension and expression of emotion were mingled into one. After three action cycles, the participant emotion expression, emotion control, and interpersonal interaction had qualitative change. The participant’s facial expression became more natural and his smile increased as well as his negative emotion decreased. He also became more interested in social interaction.