Education Commons^™

Services Received And Parental Perception Of Quality Of Life For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Judith Marie Cholewicki

Theses and Dissertations

With the rapid increase in the rate of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), there has been a surge in treatment interventions and outcome measures. Treatment interventions consist of evidence-based practices and programs that lack scientific validation. Parents’ selection of a treatment or multiple treatments is often based on the desire to maximize their child’s personal well-being (Pituch et al., 2011; Rodger, Braithwaite, & Keen, 2004). Current outcome measures provide valuable information and may demonstrate a change in a standard score. For example, a change in intelligence quotient, is not evidence that this change contributes to the child’s personal …

Investigating The Decision-Making Of Response To Intervention (Rti) Teams Within The School Setting, Scott M. Thur

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to measure decision-making influences within RtI teams. The study examined the factors that influence school personnel involved in three areas of RtI: determining which RtI measures and tools teams select and implement (i.e. Measures and Tools), evaluating the data-driven decisions that are made based on the assessment and intervention data (i.e. Data-Driven Decisions), and analyzing the process and procedures of the decision-making itself (i.e. Process and Procedures). Core RtI team members were asked to indicate which factors they found to be the most influential to both their team and personal decision-making processes, whether the …

The Impact Of Globalization On Access For Individuals With Disabilities, Katherine Williamson

Honors Theses

This comparative ethnomethodology study is focused on the global context elements that help explain public policies and its consequences on types of access available to individuals with disabilities in the United States Midwest and West Africa. The goal of this study is to identify the role of individuals with disabilities in a global society by answering two research questions. First, what are the public policies in place for physical, social, and educational access in the United States Midwest and West Africa? Second, how is physical, social, and educational access being provided in the United States Midwest and West Africa? The …

Educational Assistants Supporting Inclusive Education In Secondary Schools, Amy C. Kipfer

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

As school boards in Ontario move towards more inclusive models of learning, more students with disabilities are taught in regular classes instead of self-contained placements. This move results in a role change for the educational assistant (EA). Research is needed to determine the overall framework that will make the use of EAs a more effective practice for student and school. Fifteen EAs working in secondary schools within a school board in southwestern Ontario which was moving to a more inclusive model of education were individually interviewed. EAs chosen for the study had a background of supporting students with developmental disabilities …

Practices And Routines In Siwi Lessons That Develop Skills In Reading, Paulson A. Skerrit

Doctoral Dissertations

The average performance of Deaf and hard of hearing (D/hh) students on test of reading comprehension is several grade equivalents below their high school hearing peers. The reading-writing connection is one way to address the literacy challenges of D/hh learners. This study explored that connection in instruction that was driven with a high fidelity to the principles of Strategic Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI). The data for this study came from two grade three classes involved in the second half of a Year II project that was part of a 3-year Institute of Education Sciences-funded project to develop SIWI for use …

Effects Of A Software Program Vs. Constant Time Delay In The Acquisition Of Sight Words For A Student With Significant Disabilities, Turkie Ali Algharbie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The development of sight words is essential for individuals with significant disability. There is a plethora of research highlighting the acquisition of sight words for this population but to date, most focus on teacher led interventions (Browder, Algrim-Delzell, Spooner, Mims, & Baker, 2009). This study investigated the use of computer technology vs. one-on-one instruction targeting sight words acquisition for a student with a significant disability. Results showed the participant indicated improved performance using the computer based intervention versus the constant time delay instructor led intervention.

Post Hoc Analysis On The Effect Of Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention Provided To Preschool Children On The Autism Spectrum, Catherine R. Maxwell Dumont

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) provides a framework for educators to assist children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to increase independence and positive social skills in the classroom (Reichow, 2012). Preschoolers with ASD who do not have access to programs tend to display negative and socially inappropriate behavior, such as acts of aggression, withdrawal, and inability to attend to lessons. Studies on program effectiveness documented that preschool children who received EIBI scored higher on IQ, language comprehension, imitation, expressive language, nonverbal communication, play, stereotyped behaviors and adaptive functioning compared to preschool children who do not receive EIBI. The literature …

From Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder To Substance Use Disorder: Perspectives From Recovering Addicts, Elena Potovsky

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

People who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are often at high risk of acquiring Substance Use Disorder (SUD). When a diagnosis is determined for a school age child, the special education team mainly focuses on the most obvious problems that occur with ADHD: executive function issues, reading and writing impairments, and disruptive behavior. They may not realize how common it is for those identified with ADHD to also acquire SUD.

The literature revealed that there may be a shared genetic basis between ADHD and SUD, that there is commonly an early onset of SUD for those who have ADHD, …

Development And Validation Of A Survey Of Knowledge Of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Laura Katherine Hansen

Master's Theses

As autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is more commonly diagnosed, having knowledge of the disorder becomes increasingly important for educators, parents, and the general public. Previous research regarding knowledge of ASD, focused mainly on knowledge possessed by those in the educational field, has found that individuals may perceive themselves as possessing average knowledge regarding ASD but have low actual knowledge (as defined by the researchers) regarding specific aspects of the disorder (Williams et al., 2011). Studies support the notion that there is a general lack of knowledge of different aspects of ASD among teachers; however, there has been little research regarding …

Culturally Relevant Parental Involvement: Perceptions Of Mexican Immigrant Mothers In Rural Wyoming, Sandra P. Sanderson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand Mexican immigrant mother's perceptions concerning parental involvement with their children's schools. It provides a perspective on cultural considerations relevant to the implementation of Epstein's model of parental involvement. Eight mothers, two documented and six undocumented, who had emigrated from Mexico and were living in rural Wyoming, were interviewed. The information provided by the participants included descriptions of practices the mothers considered meaningful when involved with their children's education. They shared their own experiences of their school attendance in Mexico and their own parents' involvement with their education. They also shared their understanding …

Increasing Rates Of Specific Praise And Otr Provided By Para-Educators In Special Education Classrooms, Jordan Christopher Politte

MSU Graduate Theses

Increasing behavior specific praise and the opportunities to respond (OTR) in a classroom increases the likelihood that students will engage in learning activities and socially appropriate behavior. This study was focused to investigate the effects of on increasing para-educator's use of positive praise and the opportunities to respond in small group reading lessons. This study employed four single-subject withdrawal designs were employed in this study. Two were ABAB, the third was ABABC, and the fourth was ABCAC. The interventions consisted of the para-educators receiving training in the area of behavior specific positive praise and opportunities to respond. After each lesson …

The Effect Of A Social Skills Package On Initiations, Responses, And Turn-Taking In Young Children With Autism, Mary Elizabeth Ortman

MSU Graduate Theses

The current study was completed in the Spring of 2015 in an elementary special education classroom. This single-subject ABAB withdrawal design utilized a social skills curriculum, self-monitoring, and video-modeling to increase the initiations, responses, turns-taken, and total duration involved in social play in two first grade males with autism. Limitations included time constraints and the setting of a busy classroom. During 15-minute data sessions, participant one's initiations increased from a mean frequency of 2 during A1 to 28 during B2, responses increased from a mean frequency of 3 to 26, turn-taking increased from a mean frequency of 10 to 29, …

“¡Ya Entiendo! Now I Understand!” Parents' Perceptions Of The Diagnosis Process And Early Intervention Services, Jenna Hudson

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

This qualitative research study examined parents’ perceptions on the diagnosis process that identified their children as deaf or hard of hearing and the early-intervention services provided after the diagnosis. It explored how culture influenced the parental perception of information given to them and the ways in which their backgrounds swayed their individual reactions. As a convenience sample, the researcher conducted interviews with six families in the participants’ homes for ease and comfort. After each interview, an observation was conducted to collect data on the family’s interactions during leisure time, focusing on how the parents and their child communicated with one …

From Adolescence To Adulthood: Analyzing Multiple Perspectives On The Transition From High School To Post-School Life Through A Multi-Case Study Design, Gregory Knollman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the transition experience of three individuals with intellectual disabilities, members of their family, their former transition program coordinator, and members of their support network including current employers or support service providers. This qualitative study used Bronfenbrenner’s (1977) ecological model and Kohler’s (1996) Taxonomy for Transition to frame three case studies designed to capture the transition experience of young adults with disabilities who exited a university-based, school district funded, transition program.

Using Bronfenbrenner’s (1977) ecological perspective, which focused on a behavior or interaction of people across multiple environments, the aim was to interview …

Characteristics Of Effective Communicative Partners For Veterans With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Ptsd), Mardee Anne Kohlmann

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study identifies communicative and non-communicative characteristics of spouses of veterans with PTSD as discussed by the participants. Due to the exposure to traumatic events, language abilities of soldiers are often affected, commonly delaying the retrieval of memories, as well as analysis and production of everyday speech. These symptoms make it difficult to perform the communication behaviors that are conducive for healthy relationships. Improved acceptance and acknowledgment of PTSD in veterans by the armed services has increased the demand for preventative and therapeutic methods being used to treat returning veterans assimilating back into society. Qualitative methodology was used in this …

Adolescent Females With High-Functioning Asd: Self And Mothers’ Perspectives Of Their School And Social Experiences, Lindsey Land

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is currently 1 in 68 (Centers for Disease Control, 2015) and research in this area is growing, high-functioning individuals on the spectrum are often overlooked. This is because of their relatively milder symptoms. The recent collapse of Asperger Syndrome (AS) with autism in the most recent version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5; APA, 2013) also has obscured the differences that may exist between those with higher vs. lower levels of functioning. Among youth with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (HFASD), girls are a particularly understudied and potentially vulnerable group. Previous research …

Restricted And Repetitive Behaviors As Strengths, Not Weaknesses: Evaluating The Use Of Social Stories That Embed Restricted Interests On The Social Skills Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Maya Nasr

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which the use of social stories that integrate a child’s particular restricted and repetitive behaviors results in differential social outcomes compared to the use of social stories that do not integrate restricted and repetitive behaviors. A non-concurrent multiple baseline experimental design across participants was used to examine the effects of two Social Story interventions on the frequency of appropriate social behaviors made by participants in a school setting. Field notes were also completed during each day of data collection in order to document the social context, events, activities, moods …

Perceptions On Inclusion In Elementary Schools, Rosanne Field

EDL Sixth Year Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine how perceptions on inclusion impact supports of both special needs and regular education students in first grade. In order to grow a stronger understanding of what perceptions are in place, the perception had by teachers and administrations, and their direct impact on supports provided, two first grade classes, two classroom teachers, and one administrator were used to seek the answers we were looking for. This study explored the impact perceptions had on two first grade teachers, one administrator, and the impacts of support on 32 first grade students. Quantitative and qualitative methods …

An Examination Of Student-Support Team Practices In One Urban Elementary Public-School Academy: A Model Of Intervention, Sherall Elaine Wade

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Under the federal laws, No Child Left Behind (NCLB, 2001) and Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA, 2004), school districts throughout the United States must provide struggling students with intervention strategies prior to diagnosis and placement into special-education programs (National Center on Educational Outcomes 2006). In 2004 Congress made many changes to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and from it Response to Intervention (RTI) became one of the most notable terms (Hale 2008). RTI is conceptualized as a multi-tiered service delivery model, which includes primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of support. The focus of the first tier is intervention at …

Job Satisfaction And Attrition Among Special Education Teachers, Sophia Mastrantuono

Theses and Dissertations

It is thought that special education teaching, as a professional entity, experiences high rates of turnover. These high levels of turnover, have been attributed to the demands included in a special education job description. While most previous studies have looked at external factors as the above, few have assessed if and how job satisfaction or the employers indication that they find their job to be meaningful or fulfilling, affects their likelihood to remain in the field instead of looking for alternate employment. The current study will investigate to what extent, job satisfaction, alleviates special education teacher's attrition rates. A survey, …

Bibliotherapy As An Intervention For Aggressive Elementary Children, Kari Newman

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effect of bibliotherapy as an intervention for aggressive elementary children at a residential treatment center in the western United States. Bibliotherapy was provided for six children, three boys and three girls, ages 9 to 11, Caucasian and Hispanic, who took part in one of two groups. The study involved a multi-baseline design, beginning with a baseline phase, followed by two separate intervention phases comprised of eight sessions of bibliotherapy. Data gathered from almost daily observations along with pre- and post-intervention ratings of aggressive behaviors indicated that four of the six students demonstrated notable decreases in observed …

Reciprocal Relationships And Creative Expression In Literacy Learning: Ameliorating Disability Circumstances And Empowering Individuals, Laurel Ann Lane

Special Education ETDs

Individuals engaged in the production of art, who are untrained, and marginalized by disability, are known as outsider or visionary artists. With them in mind I sought to better understand the relationship between art-making and meaning-making. Students with disability attributes in my classroom were motivated by arts-based activities, prompting me to include art in the content I taught. My own art-making grew out of those efforts, and in order to better understand how to implement my classroom practices, I began an autoethnographic study that evolved into phenomenology, positioning myself in the disability culture first, and then conducting an archival document …

Theories-In-Use And Espoused Theories: An Examination Of Team Decision-Making In The Initial Special Education Eligibility Meeting, Heather Anne Stewart

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether education professionals’ theories-in-use were congruent with their espoused theories (Argyris & Schön, 1974) regarding the inclusion of parents as team decision-making partners in the initial special education eligibility meeting of individualized education programming (IEP) teams. Particular attention was given to procedural practices education professionals used to include parents as decision-making partners and their descriptions of this practice.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates the inclusion of parents as members of IEP teams, including their right to participate in the special education eligibility decision. Research supports the inclusion of parents …

Developing A Written Language Inventory For Deaf And Hard Of Hearing Students: A Systemic Functional Grammar Approach, Jennifer Renée Kilpatrick

Doctoral Dissertations

Deaf and hard of hearing (d/hh) students are extremely diverse in language development due to vast differences in residual hearing, response to hearing technologies, and exposure to American Sign Language. Writing is a struggle for these students who have delayed and limited access to English. Studies have found that d/hh students continue to lag behind their hearing peers in syntactic development. Unfortunately, current methods of writing assessment do not provide teachers with sufficient information regarding the syntactic development of d/hh students. This dissertation responds to the need for an assessment that is able to provide this information that is necessary …

Autism Spectrum Disorders: Available Public Education Programming And The Influence Of Professional Perceptions, Heather Wilmot

All Theses And Dissertations

A mixed-methods research study was conducted in a small, rural western Maine school department. The intent of this research was to reveal what kind of programming is available to students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and how the availability of programming is influenced by the perceptions of educators and leaders in a public school department. In addition, the research addressed how the background and professional development of the employees impacted the availability of programming for students with ASD. Forced survey questions included quality indicators for programming for students with ASD and pre-selected follow-up focus groups questions were used.

Data analysis …

Special Education Teachers' Knowledge Of The Discipline Section Of The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act Of 2004 As It Relates To Functional Behavioral Assessment And Behavior Intervention Plans, Tricia Michelle Cox

Dissertations

This study explored the overall special education teachers’ knowledge of the discipline section of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004) as it relates to Functional Behavioral Assessments and Behavior Intervention Plans. The variables associated with this research included the special education teachers’ route of certification, level of education, years or experience, and the type, quality, and time of training associated with Functional Behavior Assessments and Behavior Intervention Plans. The participants were special education teachers in the state of Mississippi. The research revealed no significant differences or relationships between any of the variables identified above. However, even though the study …

Examining Social Interaction Behaviors Of Students With Disabilities Engaged In Project Trips, Heather Leigh Shultz

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of Project TRiPS on social interaction behaviors of students with disabilities. Project TRiPS is a program at the University of Tennessee offered to college students as a class where they go into public schools and implement therapeutic recreation activities to students with disabilities. A total of eighteen students with disabilities were observed on five social interaction behaviors: (1) motor gestural positive behaviors, (2) motor gestural negative behavior, (3) vocal verbal positive behavior, (4) vocal verbal negative behavior, and (5) response to environment. Results indicated there were a few instances where …

American Sign Language Curriculum And Materials, Michelle Grace Swaney

Masters Theses

American Sign Language (ASL) began to gain widespread acceptance as a foreign language in the 1990s, but instruction, programming, teaching and learning are still in the process of developing and transitioning into a mature field. This thesis study is designed to assess: perceived gaps in current ASL curriculum utilized for ASL 1-6, how and to what extent curriculum is supplemented by instructors in these courses, and how ASL lab is implemented and to what extent supplemental materials are needed. This information will help guide future development of instructional materials that follow the American Council of the Teaching of Foreign Languages …

Tennessee Per-Pupil Expenditures In Special Education And Academic Achievement, Melanie C. Davidson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Federal legislation known as the No Child Left Behind act has required states to close achievement gaps. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between special education spending by districts in the state of Tennessee and standardized achievement for students with disabilities.

Secondary data were obtained from the Tennessee Department of Education’s website (www.tn.gov/education). Data from each local education association were collected for the years of 2010-2014 in the areas of special education spending, special education population, and TCAP proficiency percentages in reading and math grades 3-8. Data from each local education association were collected …

Risk Behaviors Of Students At Alternative Schools, Deborah Peterson

Culminating Projects in Special Education

No abstract provided.