Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

A Study Of The Impact Of The Picture Exchange Communication System On Verbal Language And Stereotypic Behavior In Preschool Children With Autism, Theresa Caratozzolo

Theses and Dissertations

The Picture Exchange Communication System was designed to give children with autism, developmental disorders, and social-communication disorders a way to communicate with the world around them. It is a picture based communication device that puts emphasis on the child initiating interactions. PECS utilizes many behavioral teaching techniques such as shaping, fading, backward chaining, and delayed prompting to teach children to make requests and communicate with others.

Even with the emphasis on spontaneous interactions without the use of speech, verbal language is likely to develop as a secondary outcome for those children who have the ability to develop and use speech. …

The Effect Of Participation In A Preshool Disabilities Class On Future Academic Placement, Barbara E. Zuber

Theses and Dissertations

This research hypothesized that students who received help in a preschool disabilities program would be less likely to remain classified as eligible for special education services. The study looked at eleven children who had previously attended a preschool disabilities program. It was found that seven of the eleven children were still classified in special education. The functioning of the students was examined based on their scores on the BASC(Behavior Assessment Scale for Children) Teacher Rating scale. It was found that the majority of students scored high in the area of learning problems and had low scores in study skills. These …

Social And Emotional Effects Of Inclusion In Special Education And Inclusion Classes, Ava Boyce

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to determine whether students with learning disabilities benefited socially and emotionally from inclusion placement when compared to placement in a special education class.

Forty-eight high school students were included in a 17 item attitude scale questionnaire which measured their motivation toward school as well as their self-esteem. Students were surveyed from two inclusion and two special education classes. A second questionnaire measured the attitudes of three special education teachers and three regular education teachers.

The data was analyzed by evaluating the frequency distribution for each question and then comparing the inclusion group to the special education group. …

Visual-Motor Integration Training And Its Effects On Self-Help Skills In Preschool Students With Disabilities, Kimberley L. Maneval

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether structured visual-motor integration training activities aid in the acquisition and refinement of self-help skills in preschool children with disabilities. Research has shown that visual-motor integration training can be beneficial in the remediation of some reading and math difficulties, however, not all researchers agree on the merits of structured training for young children. The experimental group for this study received twenty-three visual-motor integration training sessions over the course of thirteen weeks, in addition to the regular visual-motor integration training activities presented in the regular daily curriculum. The control group only received visual-motor …

Using "Social Stories" To Enhance The Social And Behavior Skills Of Preschool Children With Autism Or Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Amy F. Wiesen

Theses and Dissertations

Autistic or Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) children may exhibit impairments with communication skills, social skills, and cognitive skills. A treatment strategy called social stories may be an effective visual aid that provides individuals with autism/PDD accurate information regarding situations they encounter or skills they are working on. This thesis examined whether the use of social stories would increase the academic, social, and behavior skills of autistic/PDD children. A study was conducted over a three month period on three preschool students from the Bancroft Preschool. The purpose of writing a social story for each child was to teach the students to …

Teachers' Perceptions Of The Benefits And Challenges Of Instruction In Collaborative And Resource Room Settings, Dawn M. Ewing

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to pinpoint problems special education teachers face in resource centers and collaborative classes. With this information, teachers will be able to instruct their students with a higher degree of success. In this study of special education teachers who instruct in both a collaborative team-teaching class and a resource center, educators were asked to list and explain the challenges they face in each setting, and how they compared with one another. Special education teachers completed open-ended surveys, as did regular education teachers who teach collaborative classes. Teachers reported that their biggest challenges in both settings were time constraints …

The Effect Of An Alternative In-School Suspension Program On The Suspension Rate Of Special Education Students As Compared To A Program Of Out-Of-School Suspension, Kelly Brydges

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if an alternative in-school suspension program will reduce the suspension rate of special education students as compared to an out-of-school suspension program. Thirteen special education students were selected to be the subjects of this research. The discipline records of these thirteen students from the 1997-98 school year were compared to the 1998-99 school year. The alternative in-school suspension program for the 1998-99 school year differs from the 1997-98 school year. The discipline policy for the 1998-99 school year includes a Learning Center which is attended from three in the afternoon to seven …

Increasing The In-Seat Behavior Of A Third Grade Boy With Adhd Using Positive Reinforcement And Self-Reinforcement, Michael J. Miltenberger

Theses and Dissertations

An ongoing challenge for all teachers, especially special education teachers, is developing intervention programs to control the behavior of their students. The author of this research project attempted to improve the in-seat behavior of a third grade boy with ADHD by implementing a behavior modification program using positive reinforcement and self-reinforcement. The author used positive reinforcement for five weeks before moving on to the self-reinforcement portion for an additional twelve weeks. The purpose was to increase the subject's in-seat behavior while also having him become actively involved in his behavioral program. The results show that the subject's in-seat behavior did …

Transition Services For Students With Severe Disabilities, Valerie A. Gardner

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine transition services that schools provide students with severe disabilities and their parents prior and beyond the students' high school graduation. The researcher hypothesized that local educational agencies provide an adequate curriculum and instruction for transition from school to adult life, but once the students graduate, the funds and services diminish, therefore providing inadequate service to support transition planning. The research involved informal interviews and surveys with public and private schools and the parents of students with severe disabilities. A total of nine public and private schools, and four parents who had a …

The Use Of Performance Assessment In The Middle School Resource Room, Kimberly Ann Powell

Theses and Dissertations

This study focused on the use of performance assessment in the middle school resource room. I hypothesized that formally stating criteria used for evaluation would increase student performance and positively affect students' finished products. The size of the subject sample was ten students, ranging in age from 10 to 15 years and enrolled in grades four through eight. The students were all designated as Eligible for Special Education. Methods included observation, creation of materials, data collection, and formal evaluation through the use of rubrics. There were two phases of research throughout this study with results compiled for each term. Students …

The Use Of Social Skills Training And Its Impact On The Behaviors Of Elementary Students With Multiple Handicaps, Stephanie L. Winkler

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the use of social skills training and its impact on the behaviors of elementary students with multiple handicaps. The two main areas of focus were to improve social conformity and ego strength. Deficits were discovered in these two areas after a pre-test was given to the eleven subjects using the Burk's Behavior Rating Scale and after reviewing the students' Individual Education Plans (lEP's). The students then underwent a ten lesson unit that attempted to increase their social and peer interactions and therefore their self-esteem. The students were taught through modeling, prompting, discussion, direct instruction, role-playing, and discovery. …

A Study Of The Use Of Computer Technology By Students With Special Needs, Debra A. Mercincavage

Theses and Dissertations

A study was conducted to investigate the use of computer technology during the instruction of students with special needs. The study examined how computer technology was used during instruction by special education teachers and by students with mild disabilities and students with severe disabilities. The relationship between the category of student with special needs, the academic areas of Language Arts and Mathematics and the computer application used during instruction were the focus of the research. Special education teachers of students with mild and students of severe disabilities teaching in a variety of classroom setting were surveyed. Teachers of students with …