Education Commons^™

Participation Of Students With Extensive Support Needs In Swpbis: Administrator And Educator Perspectives, Virginia L. Walker, Sheldon Loman, Ann A. Mickelson, Kristin J. Lyon

Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

We explored the involvement of students with extensive support needs (ESN) in School-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS). We interviewed 15 administrators and special and general educators from elementary schools implementing SWPBIS during the 2019–2020 school year and analyzed responses using qualitative content analysis. In spite of reported challenges related to student characteristics and low expectations among school personnel, participants indicated that students with ESN were taught school-wide expectations and received public acknowledgement at Tier 1, often with adaptations and evidence-based practices, and were considered for Tier 2. Although participants reported commitment to inclusion as a central aspect of …

The Adolescent Behavioral Index: Identifying Students At Risk For Disengagement In High School, Graham G. Rifenbark, Allison Lombardi, Jennifer Freeman, Mary Morningstar

Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this study, we examined the relationship between self-reported adolescent perceptions of school climate and extant high school academic and behavioral data; specifically grade point average, attendance, tardies, and office discipline referrals, using a Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes (MIMIC) model on a sample of high school students (n = 5039) with and without disabilities. Findings show evidence of a robust Adolescent Behavioral Index when controlled for disability status as those with disabilities are expected to have lower index scores. Implications for research and practice are focused on the Adolescent Behavioral Index as a mechanism for systematic data collection that may …

Exploring The Use Of An Occupational Interests Card Sort With Young Adults With Intellectual Disability: A Preliminary Stud, Sarah R. Carlson, Mary E. Morningstar, Arpita Ghosh, Vidya D. Munandar

Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Transition planning is the foundation for addressing post-secondary goals leading to improved outcomes. Transition assessments guide the transition planning process. Given the importance of transition assessment results, practitioners need access to measures supporting the active involvement of youth with intellectual disability. One such method is the occupational interests card sort. This study investigated the use of an occupational interests card sort with youth with intellectual disability, assessing its impact on their career decision self-efficacy. Results indicated that the occupational interests card sort influenced young adults’ ability to select career goals, as well as identify career themes beyond occupational interests.

Student Perspectives On Peer Supports In An Inclusive Postsecondary Education Context, Courtney Lane Wilt, Mary E. Morningstar

Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

This qualitative study investigates the experiences of students with intellectual disability with peer mentors at a large Midwestern inclusive postsecondary education program (IPSE). Participants were students with intellectual disability and peer mentors associated with the IPSE. Students with intellectual disability are valued as partners in developing and sustaining peer mentor supports and their perspectives are emphasized in this study. Data analysis reveals similarities and differences between the students with intellectual disability and peer mentors in their perceptions of friendship, college life, and support needs. Amount of time spent in the program also emerged as a factor in student and peer …

Fostering Collaborations And Partnerships Through Osep Grants, Amy T. Parker, Katina Lambros, Carol Robinson Zanartu, Robert Wall Emerson

Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Presenters from three universities discussed how Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) grant projects have fostered interdisciplinary collaborations and school/community partnerships. This session discussed the powerful lessons that have emerged from those collaborations, which have involved related services personnel in schools (e.g., school psychology, school counseling, special education, speech and language pathology, and school social work), as well as community partners (e.g., transportation specialists, urban designers, and geographers).

Comparative Use Of The Ages And Stages Questionnaires In Low‐ And Middle‐Income Countries, Jason W. Small, Hollie Hix-Small, Emily Vargas-Baron, Kevin P. Marks

Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Aim: To map the breadth of use of the Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs) across world regions, and examine procedures for ASQ translation, adaptation, psychometric evaluation, and administration.

Method: We conducted a review of all original, peer‐reviewed studies written in English referencing use of the ASQ in LMICs. We used a consensus rating procedure to classify each article into one of four categories: feasibility study, psychometric study, prevalence study, or research study.

Results: We analysed 53 peer‐reviewed articles written in English detailing use of the ASQ in LMICs. We found evidence …

Deafblind Pocket Communicator: No-Tech Innovation Using 3-D Printing, Amy T. Parker, Susan Sullivan

Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

For many deafblind people, having a simple, low-tech tool is beneficial when traveling in the community or interacting with members of the public. This presentation will explain the tool called the DeafBlind Pocket Communicator, which is a slim, pocket-sized, no-tech device which displays the braille alphabet embossed beneath the corresponding raised print letters, numbers and symbols. This is a conversation tool for the deafblind with those who cannot fingerspell, and it can be used for writing limited braille messages and teaching the beginnings of braille. Prototypes on a 3-D printer were created and further innovation is possible.

Comprehensive Personnel Development In Deafblind Education: Exploration Of A Model, Catherine Nelson, Amy T. Parker

Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

The diverse learners who are deafblind have unique and often intensive needs that require the services of qualified, specifically trained educators. Although the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) has developed competencies for Teacher of the Deafblind, the role is not officially recognized in most states. Therefore, sustaining personnel development training in deafblindness has been challenging. This webinar explored a model for a comprehensive system of personnel development in deafblind education that looks at standards, preservice training, inservice/professional development, leadership development, research, and finally, national and local planning, coordination, and evaluation.

Looking To The Future Of Deaf-Blind Services And The Role Of Interveners: A National Webinar Co-Sponsored By Ncdb And Nfadb, Amy T. Parker, Peggy Malloy

Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Peggy provides an overview of the Recommendations for Improving Intervener Services that were published by NCDB in 2012. The recommendations were developed in response to a request from the Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs and are intended to improve the availability and quality of intervener services throughout the U.S.

Amy discusses the process for developing the Open Hands Open Access learning modules and the ways that parents are being included as creators, reviewers, and disseminators of information. The modules are a part of implementing the broader recommendations.

Basic Fba To Bsp Trainer’S Manual, Sheldon Loman, M. Kathleen Strickland-Cohen, Christopher Borgmeier, Robert Horner

Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

This manual presents procedures to train school-based personnel to conduct "basic" functional behavioral assessments (FBA) and design function-based behavior support plans (BSP). "Basic FBA/BSP" training methods, as they are presented in this manual, are designed to train school based personnel with flexible roles in a school (i.e. personnel not directly responsible for providing regular instruction for students; e.g., classroom teachers). The Basic FBA/BSP training methods are specifically designed for use with students that exhibit consistent problems that are NOT dangerous and have not been adequately addressed through previous assessment and intervention. For example, Basic FBA methods would be appropriate for …

Educational Programming For Students Who Are Deafblind: Position Statement, Amy T. Parker, Betsy L. Mcginnity, Susan M. Bruce

Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Historians have described the characteristics of the field of deafblindness by examining its roots in the fields of blindness, deafness and in multiple disabilities (Collins, 1995; Enerstvedt, 1996; Fish, 1934; Hart, 2006; McInnes, 1999). Deafblindness is a unique field because it relies upon practices from the aforementioned disciplines to meet the complex communication and programming needs of individuals with very diverse conditions. However beyond its formation from multiple bases of knowledge, the deafblindness field has developed some unique characteristics which extend beyond its parent fields and it may be argued that this expansion comes from the needs of students who …

Practical Functional Behavioral Assessment Training Manual For School-Based Personnel, Sheldon Loman, Christopher Borgmeier

Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

This participant's guide presents specific procedures for school-based personnel to conduct practical functional behavioral assessments (FBA). Practical FBA training methods presented in this workbook are designed to train school-based personnel with flexible roles in a school (i.e. personnel not directly responsible for providing regular instruction for students). The Practical FBA training methods are specifically designed for use with students that exhibit consistent problems that are not dangerous and have not been adequately addressed through previous assessment and intervention.

Deaf-Blind Young Adults In Action: Legislative Advocacy And Leadership, Amy T. Parker, Susan M. Bruce, Elizabeth Spiers, Suzanne V. Ressa, Roseanna C. Davidson

Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

In June 2009, six young adults who are deaf-blind traveled to Washington, D.C. for a one-week course on leadership and advocacy. The young adults were briefed on four legislative topics in deaf-blindness: the need for Support Service Providers (SSPs); increased support for the state technical assistance projects; inclusion in the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2009; and increased support for the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults (HKNC). Each young adult selected one or two of the legislative topics as the focus of advocacy during Congressional visits. The participants further refined their communication, self-determination, …

Decision-Making In Secondary And Tertiary Interventions Of School-Wide Systems Of Positive Behavior Support, Terrance M. Scott, Peter J. Alter, Michael Rosenberg, Christopher Borgmeier

Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Although the conceptual foundations of PBS at the universal level have been widely described and presented in the literature, secondary and tertiary interventions have been presented through very limited examples. This paper defines the key features of secondary and tertiary interventions and presents a decision-making process to guide schools through a continuum of strategies at these levels. The continuum is described in terms of a recursive loop, repetitively asking four questions: what is predictable about student failure, what is the simplest effective intervention, how can consistent implementation be achieved, and is it working? With each pass through this set of …