Education Commons^™

Teaching Function-Based Assessment And Intervention Skills To Behavior Support Staff Using An Interactive Computer Training, Megan E. Graul

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Behavior support staff (BSS), including paraprofessionals, behavior technicians, and other entry-level school staff that support students with challenging behavior, play an essential role in public education settings, especially in special education classrooms. With the increasing number of students requiring intensive behavioral supports, it is imperative to identify cost-efficient strategies to provide adequate training to expand the behavioral skills of these individuals. For instance, training BSS to implement empirically supported behavioral strategies, such as functional behavior assessment and function-based intervention selection, may have benefits for both staff and students alike. Therefore, the purpose of this project was to develop an interactive …

Reading Interventions For High School Students With Reading Difficulties, Dixie Poulsen

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Literacy is an important skill necessary for better outcomes in life. There are many high school students that struggle with word reading and comprehension. Some may even graduate without a functional reading level. What can teachers do to make a difference? Are there strategies that can be implemented into classrooms to better help struggling students? It is important to gather the correct information about the students reading abilities. For this professional portfolio, I conducted 5 different reading assessment, to understand the student’s current abilities. With these assessments I could determine where my student struggled the most. The student had difficulty …

Paraprofessional Training Materials, Program Implementation & Review, Breann Brewer

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

If ever you enter a special education classroom, you may encounter a few events. You may witness a classroom of impressive, almost automatic interactions, delivered in a way so eloquent that the students and staff seem to be in an effortless dance with one another. Or, you may witness a classroom that feels heavy with needs; needs of more staff, more help, more hands, and more time. This visual exercise demonstrates how the structure of a special education classroom sets the tone for student growth and success.

One pivotal part of a special education classroom is the paraeducators. Paraeducators, also …

Using Telehealth To Teach Caregivers Mand Training Using A Speech Generating Device, Sara Jeppson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Children with ASD often have struggles with social communication and developing a functional vocal output. Alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) can be used in different modes such as speech generating devices (SGDs) to help these individuals develop a vocal output. Caregivers are optimal to aid their children in learning these communication skills. Past studies such as Suberman and Civindini-Motta showed that behavioral skills training (BST) can be effective to teach caregivers communication training using an SGD. The current study aimed to replicate the procedures of Suberman and Civindini-Motta but extended it by adapting the procedures described using telehealth.

Effect Of Delay On Reinforcer Preference As Measured By A Paired Stimulus Preference Assessment, Emma Preston

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Behavior interventions often utilize rewards to increase appropriate behavior. Current methods for identifying potential rewards only use immediately available items, however rewards in school or clinic settings are often delayed due to circumstance. Delay can decrease the value of a preferred stimuli. We propose and evaluate a method for considering delay to delivery of a preferred item when selecting a potential reward by asking children 8-11 to pick between a moderately preferred item immediately available or a highly preferred item that was delayed. 4 out of 5 participants increased selection for the moderately preferred item as delays to the highly …

Evaluating Implementer Preference For And Correspondence Between Structured Descriptive Analysis And Trial Based Functional Analysis, Kacy Rodamaker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Determining the function of maladaptive behavior aides in the creation of effective intervention measures to change that behavior. Three assessments that are used to determine behavioral function include the trial based functional analysis (TBFA), structured descriptive analysis (SDA), and antecedent-behavior-consequence (ABC) recording. In the present study, we compared the time it took to conduct each of these assessments as well as the similarity between the functions identified by each assessment. Additionally, we compared procedural acceptability and implementer preference between the SDA and TBFA by collecting survey results from a staff participant who implemented the two measures with the support of …

Empowering All Students To Participate: Utilizing Aac To Respond During Lessons, Robbie Cromwell

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Previous research indicates that frequent and active participation of all students (including diverse student groups) improves student outcomes, as does using a variety of methods to respond during classroom instruction. Current research is limited in examining two key areas: 1) Increasing active participation of AAC users by encouraging engagement through frequent response opportunities during instruction and 2) Utilizing a variety of response methods to enable participation during instruction. Given the gaps that exist in the research, the purpose of this study is to examine whether incorporating a variety of opportunities to respond has an impact on AAC user’s engagement and …

Teaching Contextually Appropriate Play Commenting Without The Use Of Visual Cues, Beverly Nichols

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Deficits in communication and play can affect the quality of life of autistic children and individuals, which is why it is important that we help them acquire these skills as early as possible. Applied behavior analysis (ABA) and script training and fading procedures are evidence-based practices that can successfully teach communication during play. However, script fading can be difficult, and scripts may not be able to be completely faded out of the environment. The findings from a recent study suggested that specific phrases can become associated with small pictures rather than written scripts Perhaps, these specific phrases can be tied …

Board Certified Behavior Analysts In Public Schools: Challenges And Opportunities, Danielle Lyons

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) can play an important role in schools. The purpose of this study was to survey BCBAs who self-identify as working in public schools in effort to learn more about their experiences working in this setting. This paper is meant to spark further discussion and research on how BCBAs can be more effective in schools through training and supervision, collaborating with school administrators on systems-level concerns, resolving ethical concerns, and clarifying roles and responsibilities in public schools.

Who Is Accessing Ipse Programs? Examining The Demographics Of Students Enrolled In Inclusive Post-Secondary Education, Madison Heider

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This initial survey study was designed to examine the demographics of students attending inclusive post-secondary (IPSE) programs for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). IPSE programs are designed to deliver a similar, if not identical, collegiate experience to students with IDD as their peers without disabilities. Previous research has investigated IPSE programs and their impact, but there is limited information regarding student makeup. The researchers looked to identify the diversity of students beyond their disability categories; research questions surrounded student diversity, barriers to accessing IPSE programs, and what, if anything, programs do to increase diversity within their programs. The …

Differing Mastery Criteria Effects On Maintenance Of 1-Step Instruction Following In Children With Disabilities, Kyle Wagner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The majority of Early Intervention clinics throughout the United States are currently using a practice that is not considered evidence based. When teaching skills to children with developmental disabilities, clinicians assign an accuracy standard for those skills. The most common accuracy standard, called a “mastery criterion,” is 80% across three teaching sessions. There is little to no evidence to support using this specific mastery criterion. The purpose of this study was to add more research regarding this topic, and how it affects how the skills taught maintain over time when teaching has ceased for a specific skill. Two children were …

Identifying Common Resources Teachers Use To Address Problematic And Challenging Student Behvior, Joseph Clint Nicholes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Problematic and challenging student behavior has a myriad of negative outcomes for both educators and students. Although the implementation of Evidence Based Practices for classroom management have decreased these negative outcomes, educators are not utilizing them. The purpose of this study was to investigate which resources K-6 General Educators and Special Educators access to find information on behavior management strategies and procedures, as well as, their perceptions on those resources. We surveyed teachers from fourteen states in regards to what resources they used and the level in which they trusted, could implement, could understand and could find information on behavior …

Using The Theory Of Planned Behavior To Understand Dispositional Gatekeeping Behavior Among Rehabilitation Counselor Educators, Michelle Mcknight, Allison Levine, Trenton J. Landon, Brian N. Phillips, Rebecca R. Sametz, Michael Gerald, Taryn V. Richardson

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

Rehabilitation counselor educators (RCEs) in programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) are mandated to assess student professional dispositions as part of the gatekeeping process. This study utilized the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explore the factors that influence RCE dispositional gatekeeping behaviors. The study includes a sample of 52 RCEs across the United States. Results obtained using a multiple linear regression model indicate that participants generally have positive attitudes toward their role as dispositional gatekeepers and their behaviors. As hypothesized by TPB, both beliefs and perceived norms relating to dispositional gatekeeping …

Paths To Equity: Parents In Partnership With Ucedds Fostering Black Family Advocacy For Children On The Autism Spectrum, Elizabeth H. Morgan, Benita D. Shaw, Ida Winters, Chiffon King, Jazmin Burns, Aubyn Stahmer, Gail Chodron

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Racism and ableism have doubly affected Black families of children with developmental disabilities in their interactions with disability systems of supports and services (e.g., early intervention, mental health, education, medical systems). On average, Black autistic children are diagnosed three years later and are up to three times more likely to be misdiagnosed than their non-Hispanic White peers. Qualitative research provides evidence that systemic oppression, often attributed to intersectionality, can cause circumstances where Black disabled youth are doubly marginalized by policy and practice that perpetuates inequality. School discipline policies that criminalize Black students and inadequate medical assessments that improperly support Black …

Training Needs And Applications For Special Educators With Paraeducator Supervision Responsibilities, Joanna M. Cornejo

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This project highlights the need for training for paraeducators working in Special Education settings. Duties performed by paraeducators often overlap with teacher duties and much of the direct instruction provided to students in self-contained classrooms is delivered by paraeducators. The tasks of training and supervising paraeducators often falls on the special education teacher, who may not have received training in supervision. The project includes a brief review of the literature on this topic and two project reports. I designed my project with the objective of improving the quality of instruction being delivered to students in my classroom through training of …

A Comparison Of The Effects Of Varied Verbal Prompts Paired With Visual Prompts On Echoic Verbal Behavior With Minimally Verbal Students, Chelsea Nielsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Previous research conducted by Valentino, Shillingsburg, Conine and Powell (2012) has recommended that practitioners do not utilize the word “say” before or in an instruction to reduce the word “say” being echoed. The current study sought to extend previous research by including the word “say” and comparing it with the condition of not using the word “say”. Components compared included how frequently responses occurred and how long it took for a response to occur. Two participants were included in the study, but only one participant completed the study. Findings agreed with the recommendation made by Valentino, Shillingsburg, Conine and Powell …

Transition Readiness Toolkit: Filling A Gap In Assessing Pre-Employment Transition Services, Brian Phillips

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Frequently Asked Questions About Receiving Tele-Intervention Services, Ronda Rufsvold, Betsy Moog Brooks, Amanda M. Rudge, National Center For Hearing Assessment And Management (Ncham) Tele-Intervention Learning Community

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

The purpose of this article is to provide resources related to parent perceptions and needs in receiving tele-intervention (TI) services.

Working With Families Of Young Children Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing Through Tele-Intervention, Amanda M. Rudge Phd, Betsy Moog Brooks Edd, Arlene Stredler-Brown Phd

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Tele-intervention services have been utilized for many years to serve families of young children, in addition to or in lieu of traditional in-person intervention services. Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic cultivated urgent dependence on access to effective services via a distance connection. As such, the need for information, guidance, and resources related to tele-intervention as a primary service model has increased. This article serves as the introduction to a monographic series aiming to describe practices, circumstances, and perceptions surrounding tele-intervention services for families of children aged birth to five who are deaf or hard of hearing. Topics include: (a) a brief …

An Examination Of The Golden Ratio In General Education Classrooms, Carrie Mclaughlin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A large body of research indicates use of praise as a response to appropriate behavior is an effective classroom management strategy to increase appropriate behavior and decrease problem behavior. Since prior research also suggested that teachers tend to have more negative interactions with students than positive ones, use of a specific praise to reprimand ratio is commonly recommended in teacher preparation programs and professional development. However, recommendations regarding the optimal ratio vary and there is limited evidence to support use of any specific ratio. There have also been relatively few studies examining naturally occurring rates of teacher praise, reprimands, and …

School Resource Officers' Reports Of Training And Perceptions Of High School Students With Disabilities, Kandace T. Jones

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this explanatory sequential, mixed methods research study was to identify the perceptions of school resource officers (SROs) regarding high school students with disabilities and their preparedness to work with this population, as a result of their SRO training. This study involved a national quantitative survey of SROs working in public high schools, followed by one-on-one interviews from the same sample to allow for a deeper analysis of the survey results and develop a theory on how training impacts SRO preparedness and their perceptions of high school students with disabilities. The resulting theory ascertained that the presence of …

Collaborative Practices Of Rural Inclusive Postsecondary Education Program (Ipse) Directors, Elizabeth Susanne Goode Dimond

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Inclusive postsecondary education programs (IPSE) for students with intellectual disabilities (ID) are relatively new, having their formal beginning in the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA; P.L. 110-315) of 2008. These programs vary greatly and are found in urban, suburban, and rural areas of the United States. Those programs in rural areas face unique barriers and have unique strengths that affect how they collaborate and with whom they collaborate. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study is to describe the collaborative practices of rural IPSE program directors. This study gathered the lived experiences of rural IPSE program directors collaborating with agencies …

Using Generic Picture Cues To Promote Verbal Initiations During Play, Stephanie L. Mattson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often demonstrate difficulty communicating with others, and this may impact the extent to which they can engage in language during play. Previous researchers have used interventions to increase commenting during play with caregivers, siblings, and adult play partners. In these previous studies, researchers have taught participants to use text-based or audio recorded scripted phrases to facilitate communication. However, because these interventions include multiple components such as physical guidance and verbal reminders from another individual in addition to the textual or auditory scripted phrase, it is unclear the extent to which the specific words associated …

Predictors Of Special Education Inequity In Rural Rocky Mountain West Schools, Jac'lyn Bera

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Current research focusing on disproportionality and equity in schools focuses on the urban environment, resulting in a significant gap in our understanding of the challenges of rural schools. For rural, racially and ethnically minoritized (R/EM) students who have disabilities, this research is largely unavailable or minimal, and negatively affects our understanding of rural needs, barriers, and successes for this historically underserved population. There is even less research focused specifically on rural students in the Rocky Mountain West (RMW) region of the United States. Understanding these factors serves as a critical area of research, and is the focus of this study. …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of A Task Analysis Data Sheet Protocol In Training Educators To Use The You/Me Game During Direct Instruction Reading Groups, Mckenzie Niebergall

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Teachers often struggle with classroom management during academic lessons. Self-adapted efforts to improve classroom management are often not founded on researched behavioral principles. These struggles and efforts impact student behavioral and academic outcomes. The You/Me game is a game included in many Direct Instruction curricula, specially sequenced curricula that encourage positive classroom management and the gaining of academic skills, as a means to reward students for correct academic performance. This study examined the effectiveness of providing a sheet of specific written instructions and allowing for clarifying questions in training four general educators to implement the You/Me Game for classroom management …

Increasing Independence In Students With Disabilities Through The Use Of Visual Activity Schedules Within The General Education Classroom, Natalie Stevens

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Individuals with disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often require more prompts and specialized instruction than their peers in the school setting. These individuals often benefit from using Visual Activity Schedules (VAS) to learn to complete routines and increase independence while decreasing the needs for adult help and prompts. This study uses VAS plus prompting to increase independence in three children with ASD within the general education elementary classroom. During the study, VAS were introduced and paired with specific prompts aimed to help students become more independent at completing a given routine throughout their school day. Results from the …

The Effects Of A Mindfulness Curriculum On Sixth Grade Students In A Title I School, Jason A. Tackett

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Mindfulness is being integrated and studied across school settings as studies continue to reveal its beneficial effects. One of the largest mindfulness-in-schools organizations is Mindful Schools, which published a revised version of The Mindful Schools Curriculum for Adolescents (MSC-A) in 2019. While the effects of previous versions of the MSC-A have been evaluated in past studies and shown to be beneficial for students, the effects of the 2019 MSC-A have not been explored. This project sought to identify the effects of a condensed schedule of select lessons from the 2019 MSC-A on student and teacher perceptions of student mindfulness as …

Curriculum Adoption In U.S. Schools: An Exploratory, Qualitative Analysis, Sarah E. Pinkelman, Kristen R. Rolf, Trenton Landon, Ronnie Detrich, Carrie Mclaughlin, Amy Peterson, Michelle Mcknight-Lizotte

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

The process of adopting curricula and programs in U.S. schools is an understudied topic. Given the importance of selecting evidence-based and contextually relevant programs that meet the needs of the school, additional research to examine this process is critical. In this exploratory investigation, we conducted semi-structured interviews with ten building-level and ten district-level school administrators to learn (a) how they identify needs for a new program and (b) the perceived factors that influence decisions in selecting a program to adopt. Qualitative data from interview transcripts were analyzed through thematic analysis as outlined by Braun and Clarke (3(2):77, 2006), and saturation …

Threats To Internal Validity In Multiple-Baseline Design Variations, Timothy A. Slocum, Sarah E. Pinkelman, P. Raymond Joslyn, Beverly Nichols

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

Multiple baseline designs—both concurrent and nonconcurrent—are the predominant experimental design in modern applied behavior analytic research and are increasingly employed in other disciplines. In the past, there was significant controversy regarding the relative vigor of concurrent and nonconcurrent multiple baseline designs. The consensus in recent textbooks and methodological papers is that nonconcurrent designs are less rigorous than concurrent designs because of their presumed limited ability to address the threat of coincidental events (i.e., history). This skepticism of nonconcurrent designs stems from an emphasis on the importance of across-tier comparisons and relatively low importance placed on replicated within-tier comparisons for addressing …

Computer-Based Training For Mswo Preference Assessment With Paraprofessionals In A Self-Contained Special Education Classroom, Megan Robertson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Special educators are required to train the staff who work in their rooms to be competent in working with students with severe disabilities. Oftentimes these special educators do not have enough time to adequately train the staff and this often results in a high turnover rate and frustrated staff. This study looked at the effects of using a video model to train staff to complete a multiple stimulus without replacement assessment which identifies a student’s preferences. These preferences can then be used for a student to earn throughout their school day. The participants were paraprofessionals who work in a self-contained …