ABSTRACT
For 5 years now, Mrs. Norris has been the physical education teacher at Everglades Middle School in Naples, Florida, and she is considered an effective teacher by most standards. Mrs. Norris decides to use student peer pairings based on each student's skill and ability level as well as each student's compatibility with his or her peer partner. For example, Jason, a boy with autism, is paired with Ian, a mature, typically developing 7th grader. Jason has exhibited autistic behaviors concomitant with moderate mental retardation since he was 2 years old. However, over the past several months, since the start of the school year, Mrs. Norris and Mrs. Harris, a teacher aide, have carefully followed several strategies recommended for teaching students with behavioral disorders, including autism. Much to Mrs. Norris's delight, she now witnesses Jason and his peers playing cooperatively together following months of using these instructional and behavior management strategies.
