Education Commons^™

The Effects Of A Treatment Package Combining Contingency Contracts And Video Prompts On Social Skills In Students With Intellectual Disabilities And Autism, Breana Broadhead Fausett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many students with intellectual disabilities and autism struggle to have meaningful social interactions with their peers. Research shows that using video modeling can increase social skills in students with disabilities, but it has never been studied in comparison to or in combination with “IF….THEN…” behavior contracts. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of video prompts on elementary-aged students with disabilities to increase appropriate social interactions with their peers through filming the creation of an “IF….THEN…”contract. The participants are four elementary-aged students with intellectual disabilities and autism who have target social skills deficits. The targeted social skills …

Effects Of Digital Video Feedback Package With Elementary-Aged Males Identified With Behavior Problems, Jenifer Buist

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Classroom teachers are constantly trying to find the answer to those many behavior situations that arise on a daily basis in schools. In this study, we looked at the benefits of using a digital recorder in the classroom to help students become more “aware” of their behaviors. The study was done in a rural, public elementary school with three males that ranged from third grade to fifth grade. Each of these three boys has been identified as students with either specific learning disabilities or emotional disturbances. This program was run by the resource teacher and a trained paraprofessional.

The methods …

The Use Of A Discrimination Training Procedure To Teach Mand Variability To Children With Autism, Matthew T. Brodhead

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Repetitive behavior and delays in communication are core deficits of autism spectrum disorder. As a result, individuals with autism often engage in repetitive verbal behavior, and they may not vary their verbal behavior, even when the situation demands it. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a script training and discrimination training procedure on mand variability in preschoolers with autism. Participants were taught to vary their vocal mands in the presence of written scripts, a green placemat, and Lag schedule of reinforcement. They were also taught to not vary their vocal mands in the presence of …

Conditioned Reinforcement And The Value Of Praise In Children With Autism, Ben Beus

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Many efforts in teaching children with autism are focused on increasing the value of praise as a reward for work. Increasing the value of praise can help children with autism to work in a natural setting, without requiring constant rewards of food or toys for work. In this study, I analyzed a pairing method—a technique of providing verbal praise while simultaneously providing a food reward—to assess whether it would result in an increased value for praise for participants in the study. First, a baseline phase was conducted in which praise statements were provided as a reward for a certain task …

The Effects Of High-Tech Stimuli And Duration Of Access On Reinforcer Preference And Efficacy, Audrey N. Hoffmann

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Reinforcement is commonly used to increase individuals engaging in certain behaviors. We can alter the value of the reinforcers by manipulating how long they get access to the reinforcer (i.e., magnitude) or by varying the type of reinforcer we use. The use of high technology items (i.e., high-tech) as a reinforcer has not been examined. We examined the interaction between high- and no-tech items and duration of access and the effects of that interaction on reinforcer preference and efficacy (i.e., how effective the reinforcer is in increasing behavior) in three individuals with disabilities. We conducted two preference assessments to identify …

Training Staff Members To Conduct And Implement The Multiple Stimulus Without Replacement (Mswo) Preference Assessment Using Video Modeling, Heather M. Merkley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

For many educators, finding enough time to complete all that is require of them is a daily challenge. Those in special education have the added burden of making sure that their staff members are highly trained in the skills required to work effectively with students. There are many different ways to train staff members, one of which is using a video model. This study looked at the effects of video modeling alone on the training of staff members to use the multiple stimulus without replacement preference assessment. The participants in this study were paraprofessionals who work with preschool students who …

Supporting Students With Psychiatric Disabilities In Postsecondary Education: Important Knowledge, Skills, And Attitudes, Scott I. Kupferman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Students with psychiatric disabilities are the largest subgroup of students with disabilities enrolled in postsecondary education. However, their high enrollment rate does not equate to a high retention rate. Approximately 86 percent of students with psychiatric disabilities withdraw prior to degree completion. As a result, calls for improved disability services in postsecondary education have been plentiful. In an effort to take a step toward answering these calls, the current study began the exploratory process of identifying knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are important for disability service professionals to possess in order to provide beneficial services to students with psychiatric disabilities …

Social Communication For Students With Autism: Effects Of Multiple Scripts On Conversational Exchanges Within Social Dialogue, Angela M. Christensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience difficulty in both communication and social skills. These difficulties make it challenging for students with ASD to participate in basic social exchanges within many different situations and environments. This study examined how training four adolescent male students with ASD on social scripts would affect their ability to participate in brief social conversations during their work training. The study involved training sessions where the students memorized up to 9 scripted statements and practiced using them in typical back-and-forth social conversations. It also involved generalization sessions where the students were observed to see if …

Development And Validation Of An Instrument To Measure Participant Engagement In State-Federal Vocational Rehabilitation Programs, Joshua D. Southwick

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, calls for participants to become “active and full partners in the vocational rehabilitation process.” This study represents the first research to specifically address the actual meaning and importance of participant engagement in the state-federal Vocational Rehabilitation program. Defining the construct of participant engagement is an important first step in creating more effective services for persons with disabilities. It was proposed that engagement in vocational rehabilitation would include three factors: (a) attendance at meetings with the counselor, (b) fulfillment of an expected contribution during meetings, and (c) completion of homework tasks between meetings. Through …

Adults With Intellectual Disabilities In A Day Program Setting Using Activity Schedules, Julia A. Hermansen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Often we require calendars and or electronic devices, to remind us to get started on something. Individuals with intellectual disabilities are no different, in terms of needing a reminder to begin a task. However, the reminders that individuals with disabilities receive often come from another person thus making it more difficult for individuals with disabilities to independently complete tasks. In addition, it can be exhaustive of the other person’s time and resources that is constantly having to prompt the individual to complete tasks. However, if individuals with disabilities can learn to complete a schedule that prompts them through each step …

Manipulating Parameters Of Reinforcement To Reduce Problem Behavior Without Extinction, Soraya Shanun Kunnavatana

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research has demonstrated that function-based interventions are most effective for addressing problem behavior. However, many function-based interventions, such as differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA), rely on extinction procedures. Extinction is not feasible in all cases and can be counter-therapeutic if implemented without optimal treatment integrity. Researchers have successfully implemented DRA without extinction when various parameters of reinforcement (rate, quality, magnitude, immediacy) have been manipulated to favor alternative behavior; however, parameter sensitivity is idiosyncratic and warrants individual assessment. Previous researchers have assessed individual sensitivities to parameters of reinforcement in the context of problem behavior; however, this resulted in problem behavior …