Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

Developing A School-Based Multitiered Model For Self-Regulation, M. Brady Webb, Evelyn S. Johnson, Julie Meek, Brooke Herzog, Anne B. Clohessy

Early and Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Self-regulation is the control mechanism that enables a student to manage attention, emotion, behavior and cognition to engage in goal-directed actions, like learning. Too often, students at- risk for poor school outcomes do not enter school with strongly developed self-regulation skills and have difficulty developing them on their own. Self-regulation skills can be taught however, and are especially effective when introduced within the school setting. This manuscript describes a school based model for fostering self-regulation. We created the model within the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework, to facilitate successful implementation.

What Makes A House A Home? Supported Living Environments For Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Rose Meadows

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

My research aims to address how supported living environments for adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) can best support their stakeholders. This is an inherently human and personal problem, but existing research tackling this problem utilizing a person-centric and/or resiliency theory lens or framework is lacking. My research will use the perspective of parents/guardians and staff/caregivers in combination with existing knowledge and research to create ideas for how to maximize support in supported living environments for adults with ASD and their families. This is a qualitative study that uses a humanized approach and in-person interviews with stake-holders to highlight their …

Comparative Use Of The Ages And Stages Questionnaires In Low‐ And Middle‐Income Countries, Jason W. Small, Hollie Hix-Small, Emily Vargas-Baron, Kevin P. Marks

Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

Aim: To map the breadth of use of the Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs) across world regions, and examine procedures for ASQ translation, adaptation, psychometric evaluation, and administration.

Method: We conducted a review of all original, peer‐reviewed studies written in English referencing use of the ASQ in LMICs. We used a consensus rating procedure to classify each article into one of four categories: feasibility study, psychometric study, prevalence study, or research study.

Results: We analysed 53 peer‐reviewed articles written in English detailing use of the ASQ in LMICs. We found evidence …

Entering The Inclusive Space: An Autoethnography Of A Future Educator, Lindsey Reuter

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Inclusive Education is the practice of educating all students in one classroom. Students with disabilities or who qualify for special education are members of regular education classrooms, and remain in the classroom for as much of the day as possible. The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) legalized that schools provide free and appropriate education, as well as educate students in the least restrictive environment. The least restrictive environment is in the general education classroom. This legislation helped to increase the prevalence of inclusion in schools.

This research represents my development as a future educator. I entered Syracuse University as in …

A Journey Toward Better Understanding Disability In The Classroom, Connor Bradley

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Beginning with the institutionalization movement, where children with intellectual and physical disabilities were put in institutions because they were deemed to be hopeless and uneducable, and continuing today, intellectual and physical disabilities have been a cause for discrimination and inequality in the world of education. In the current education system, students with disabilities still face segregation, but are increasingly being included in classes with their peers who do not have intellectual and physical disabilities.

Through the passage of legislation such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, students with intellectual or physical disabilities have been guaranteed a free and appropriate …

How A Humanizing Pedagogy Effects The Social/Emotional Needs Of Students With Adhd, Wendy Baker

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

A quantitative study was conducted at a Monterey High School using a twelve question, cross-sectional survey using a likert scale to determine whether a relationship exists between teacher attitudes involving students with ADHD and their knowledge about the disorder. This study indicates teachers who have a negative experience hold negative attitudes, while teachers who have had positive experiences with students with ADHD had positive attitudes regarding the disorder. Thus, this capstone argues for an attitudinal and pedagogical shift in how teachers see ADHD and how they care about students, as their obligations as teachers to teach the whole child. Students …

Benefits Of Educational Services For Students With Disabilities, Miguel Zazueta-Ruiz

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone research project examines the benefits of educational services that schools offer to students with disabilities for a smooth transition from elementary school level to middle school and high school level. Federal and state laws, e.g. the Re-authorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Educational Act (IDEA) of 2004, ensure that students with disabilities receive a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) specifically designed to provide services to meet the needs of individual student with disabilities through the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Through the use of relevant literature review and surveys …

Preparing Multiple-Subject Pre-Service Teachers To Work Effectively With Students Who Have Autism, Makalah Vosmera

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Commission on Teacher Credentialing of the State of California mandates that teacher preparation programs prepare effective and knowledgeable pre-service teachers to teach all students. Through the use of literature review, interviews and surveys with graduating Liberal Studies students, this senior capstone examines whether Liberal Studies graduating students are being prepared to work effectively with autistic students or not. The findings indicate that they take introductory education courses on autism spectrum disorder along with other forms of disabilities, but they do not receive sufficient breadth and depth coverage on how to work effectively with autistic students in regular classrooms.

How Morning Meetings Impact Classwork Productivity, Lisa Parelius

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Research has shown that students who are given social and emotional tools to work with in their school day are better able to learn in all subject areas (Kriete & Davis, 2014). Responsive Classroom offers a program which includes Morning Meeting as an opportunity to teach social and emotional tools. This is a qualitative research project that utilized case study with action based research. This research revealed that Morning Meetings impacted classwork productivity because they helped to identify and meet students’ social and emotional needs, which created a sense of belonging and connection. This provided teachers with vital information for …

Natural Learning Environments And The Social-Emotional Development Of Students With Sensory Processing Challenges, Denise Elizabeth West

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

This study examined the impact of a natural learning environment on the social-emotional development of students with Autism and/or Sensory Processing Disorder. For this research, social-emotional development consisted of social behavior, communication, and participation. The elements of a traditional classroom are characterized by confinement, harsh lighting/acoustics, and other habitual triggers for sensory discomfort. A natural learning environment can provide students with natural stimuli, fresh air, natural acoustics, natural lighting, etc. Additionally, the natural learning environment fosters a connection with nature, which research shows is important for the self-discovery, self-advocacy, and self-efficacy of all humans. Considering the artificial nature of the …

How To Best Support Individuals Growing Up With A Special Needs Sibling, Lauren Mcdonell

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

The purpose of this study was to understand the emotions of a neurotypically developing sibling. This study also attempted to understand how caregivers can best support the neurotypical sibling in the areas of self-concept and overall well-being. The gap is knowledge is how to better support neurotypical developing siblings specifically in the areas of self-concept and overall well-being. Three participants were interviewed to gain insight about their experiences with their special needs sibling. Participants who participated in a support group for neurotypical developing children with a SNS were surveyed to gain insight about their experiences with the support group. Through …

Effects Of Social-Emotional Instruction On The Behavior Of Students With Learning Disabilities, Kelsey Olson

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Students with learning disabilities who spend the majority of the school day in a general education classroom often struggle to appropriately deal with feelings of frustration and anxiety. There is currently a gap in understanding how special education teachers can support the social and emotional inclusion of students with learning disabilities when they are in the general education classroom. The purpose of this study is to explore the results of implementing a social-emotional curriculum both in a pullout setting and in the general education setting and examine the effect of the program on the behavior of students with learning disabilities …

Responding To Interactive Troubles – Implications For School Culture, Gro E. Lund, John M. Winslade

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

Responding to interactive troubles in schools can create processes of exclusion and marginalization. Certain basic assumptions can become knitted into school culture in ways that give rise to specific exclusionary practices. However, it does not have to be this way. Inclusionary ways of responding to interactive troubles can also be produced, given a school culture that nurtures relational ways of engagement. This article presents such relational practices and argues thoroughly for their use.

“Yo Soy Su Mama”: Latinx Mothers Raising Emergent Bilinguals Labeled As Dis/Abled, Maria Cioe Peña

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Parental involvement in the United States has been identified in both academic and mainstream literature as a defining marker in academic achievement. Yet most of the literature regarding parents and schools are written about them without including their voice or their stories. Through the use of ethnographic case studies, this dissertation presents the experiences of immigrant, monolingual Spanish-speaking Latinx women raising emergent bilingual children who are labeled as dis/abled. This research is guided by an intersectional framework and the following questions:

1. What are the mothering experiences of Spanish-speaking Latinx mothers of emergent bilingual children labeled dis/abled?

2. What values, …

Collaborative Practices In Special Education: An Exploratory Study, Blanka Pentek, Katherine Sadoff, Evelyn Tang

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Objective: This exploratory survey study examined collaborative practices of professionals working in special education. The basis for the survey was the Conceptual Model of Collaboration (CMC), created by Hess and colleagues (2017).

Methods: 27 professionals who work in special education participated. Cross tabulation tests and Pearson's correlation tests were run to determine relationships between the variables.

Results: The findings indicated that the majority of participants value collaboration for student outcomes and professional development. Most participants agreed on common facilitators and barriers to collaboration. Collaboration primarily takes place in IEP meetings, through email and text messaging and is frequent in all …

A Peer-Mediated Social Network To Increase Social Interactions For A Student With Autism Using Augmentative Communication, Marissa L. Letterman

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Social competency is a primary deficit for individuals with autism. Developing peer networks to support individuals with autism has been proven as an effective social skills strategy. This study focused on developing a peer network within a public-school setting to promote increased social communication between a seven-year old student with autism and his typically developing peers. A single-subject multiple baseline design was utilized to analyze the effects of the peer network intervention across three settings. Dependent variables included frequency of social initiations and social responses of the target and network peers. All sessions were video-recorded, and data were collected for …

The Inclusive Classroom: Perceptions Of General And Special Educators’ Preparedness To Meet The Needs Of Students With Disabilities, Allecia Frizzell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to determine whether kindergarten through eighth grade general education teachers and special education teachers were prepared to meet the needs of students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms. Conducted in Northeast Tennessee, an online survey was used to collect responses from participants in six school districts. The survey focused on four dimensions including perceptions of preparedness, attitudes towards inclusion, perceptions of administrator support and perceptions of self-efficacy. Data collected from 180 respondents were analyzed and informed the results of this study.

Findings indicated that special education teachers reported significantly higher levels of preparedness to meet the needs …

Preschool Teachers' Perceptions Of Children Prenatally Exposed To Drugs, Brandie D. Maness

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the incidence of prenatal drug exposure increasing, it is important that preschool teachers are prepared and confident in serving the needs of children affected by this exposure. Teachers need more training and education to prepare them for working with children with prenatal drug exposure.

The purpose of this sequential mixed-methods study was to explore the perceptions, training, and shared experiences of preschool teachers when working with 4- and 5-year-old preschool children who have experienced prenatal drug exposure. The researcher invited 77 preschool teachers in northeast Tennessee working in either Head Start or Tennessee Voluntary Pre-K Initiative programs to complete …

A Qualitative Analysis Exploring The Development Of Problematic Sexual Behaviors In Adolescent Males With Developmental Disabilities, Maria J. Watters

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Adolescents with developmental disabilities (DD) experience regular physical and sexual development. Some adolescents with developmental disabilities engage in problematic sexual behaviors (PSB). In order to be able to address the needs of this population in terms of prevention of PSB, and provision of effective treatment after PSB has begun, their experience must be understood and contributing factors identified. It is with this in mind that this study was designed, with the purpose being the exploration of the experiences of adolescents with DD who have engaged in sexually problematic behaviors, including compulsive or addictive patterns of behavior, and to identify the …

An Investigation Of The Developmental Growth Of Preschool Children With Disabilities Being Served In Inclusive Settings In Comparison With Noninclusive Settings In California, Elizabeth Nicole Schroeder

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to perform a secondary data analysis to investigate the relationship between preschool setting and the developmental growth of all children receiving state-funded preschool special-education services in California in inclusive settings compared with all children receiving state-funded preschool special-education services in California in noninclusive settings.

To accomplish this purpose, a secondary data analysis of a longitudinal data set was conducted using the Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP, 2015) to measure progress across eight domains of child development over a 2-year time span and four assessment time points. This study used individual growth modeling to analyze …