Education Commons^™

Success In Transition Preparation For Post-Secondary Students With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Sophie Scrimgeour

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Students with disabilities face a wide range of barriers in their transition from school-to-work that their family and community can help them to overcome. The transition from school-to-work has become a heightened topic of interest, especially when it comes to the transition of a student with a disability.

The Benefits Of Music Therapy And The Integration Of Music Therapy Into A Standard Curriculum For Special Needs Students, Meaghan Bielski

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Music therapy and its benefits to students with exceptionalities in special education programs have been proven through many social-scientific studies discussed in the literature review. Music therapy is the use of music as a therapeutic intervention for those with mental health, emotional/behavioral, and learning exceptionalities. Definitions of music therapy depend on many variables such as the philosophy, techniques, aims, and objectives of the therapists (Toolan & Coleman, 1994). Students with challenging behaviors, such as aggression and self-injurious behavior (SIB), benefit greatly from interventions in music therapy (Savarimuthu & Bunnell, 2002). The specific goal of this project is to create greater …

Structured And Critical Intercultural Programming: Faculty And Staff Collaborate To Put Research Into Action, Emily Spitzman, Michael Waugh

Special Education Faculty Publications

This article describes the origin and curriculum of Identity Dialogues, a program which facilitates conversations about power and privilege among international and domestic students. It was developed as a result of findings from an ethnographic study of an unstructured conversation partner program at the same institution. The study found that power-laden issues were influencing the interactions and confirmed that intercultural competence development has to be actively facilitated (Bennett, 2009). Identity Dialogues sessions start with an examination of participants’ own cultural histories and then they are guided to analyze stereotypes and microaggressions. Finally, participants create action steps for fostering intercultural competence …

Identifying Significant Components Of A Sexuality Education Program For Students With Severe Disabilities, Amanda Brennen

Honors Program Theses and Projects

The body of knowledge in the field of sex education that has been modified for individuals with disabilities is currently lacking. There are currently no evidence based practices for sexuality education. The programs that currently exist are either not effective for the severe population or there is no research to support its use. However, people that are considered in the population of severe special education could benefit greatly from a sexuality program that is evidence based.

The researcher conducted a study to determine the topics that are common in the literature and that are important to teachers and their with …

Capturing Performance: Evaluating Esl Licensure Candidates With The Candidate Assessment For Performance (Cap), Melissa Latham Keh, Emily Spitzman

Special Education Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Elementary School Teachers’ Instructional Practices On The Self-Confidence Of College Students With Dyslexia, Christina Miceli

Honors Program Theses and Projects

When learning to cope with dyslexia, it is not uncommon for a child to develop a lack of self-confidence when falling behind academically in comparison to his or her same-aged peers. The teaching style and method of instruction in the classroom directly affects a dyslexic student’s self-confidence (Burden, 2009). Teacher responses collected through a questionnaire and voice recorded interviews were compared to college students with dyslexia’s survey and interview responses. This research determined there are discrepancies that exist among students self-identified with dyslexia, their descriptions of the impacts of elementary school teachers, and the perceptions of the strategies, attitudes, and …

Music Therapy And Communication Disabilities: Singing, Speech, And The Brain, Jennifer Drake

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Music therapy interventions, especially singing, can aid those with communication disorders to attain and develop verbal and non-verbal communication and language skills, as well as functional social skills. Throughout my own interactions with those with communication impairments, I have witnessed many individuals who struggle with typical speech, but are better able to communicate when music is involved. For instance, a young boy with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) who does not typically speak independently or when prompted is able to sing every word to familiar songs on the radio that he enjoys. Such evidence of the positive effect that music can …