Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

A Few Simple “Tweeks” = Successful Students In My Class: Creating A Successful Learning Environment For All Learners In The Classroom, Susan S. Williams, Chastity Baccus

Inclusion Across the Lifespan Conference

A regular education classroom is filled with many students of varying talents and abilities. By implementing simple ‘tweeks’ in teaching, routines, and procedures, teachers can make a tremendous difference in the success rate for a child on the autism spectrum as well as the other students in the classroom. The presenters will provide straight forward strategies that each attendee will be able to implement upon leaving the session. These are proven strategies that the presenters currently use and will be sharing. Although the focus of the presentation will be on the inclusion of students on the autism spectrum within the …

Winthrop Think College-Postsecondary Options For Students With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Tanner Crossnoe, Dominic Cianciosa, Brittany Black, Alexis Pattinson

Inclusion Across the Lifespan Conference

Winthrop Think College is a postsecondary option for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Our goal is to prepare students for competitive employment and active participation in local communities. Session will highlight experiences from first year of our program. The audience will hear from the Winthrop Think College Students and Peer Mentors.

Inclusiveness At Work: Think College Partners With Macfeat Laboratory School, Erin Hamel, Liz Mcnelly

Inclusion Across the Lifespan Conference

This presentation describes the partnership that exists between Winthrop’s Macfeat Laboratory School and THINK College. Winthrop University’s THINK College Program aims to “provide an inclusive post-secondary education experience to students with intellectual disabilities to prepare them for competitive employment and active participation in local communities with as much independence as possible” (http://www.winthrop.edu/thinkcollege/). Since 1895, Macfeat Laboratory School has served Winthrop University and the community as a research, demonstration and training center for best practices in early childhood education. Macfeat has two preschool classes for three and four year olds and one multi-age kindergarten class. The school provides a …

The Ins And Outs Of Co-Teaching, Krystine Blocker

Inclusion Across the Lifespan Conference

My journey as an inclusion teacher and the lessons I’ve learned regarding what works and what does not. Tips for teachers on co-planning, co-teaching and co-assessing as well as strategies to keep all students engaged in instruction!

Special Needs Planning 101: Securing Your Child’S Future, Ryan F. Platt

Inclusion Across the Lifespan Conference

You are invited to an Educational Experience that will empower you to build a solid planning foundation for you, your loved one and your entire family. You will not only learn about wills, trusts, the ABLE Act, Special Needs Trust, Guardianship, Defining your child’s lifetime needs, Government Benefits, Proactive Tax Strategies, Communication Techniques, but you will also learn the importance of integrating all the necessary pieces into a cohesive plan, so the vision you have for your child’s life can become a reality whether you are here or not.

Beyond Inclusion! Inclusive Programming Options, Wendy Balough

Inclusion Across the Lifespan Conference

Gather ideas to define or redefine inclusion in your district, school or classrooms. We will explore inclusive practices that help connect students with general curriculum and classroom participation. The emphasis will be on practical tips, research-based strategies, and useful classroom examples and include roles and responsibilities, co-teaching, curricular modifications, and using para-educators.

High School Literacy Instruction For Students With Developmental Disabilities In General Education Classrooms, Kathryn Haughney, Caryn Allison, Diane Browder

Inclusion Across the Lifespan Conference

This session will describe the elements of Alternate Achievement Literacy (AAL), including the use of grade-aligned, chronological age-appropriate materials, evidence-based instructional practices and supports for teachers and students. Inclusion will be discussed in depth, especially as it pertains to meaningful academic inclusion in typical Language Arts high school classrooms. Examples will be shown of group literacy instruction including both student s with significant disabilities, students with autism and their typical peers. Instruction is delivered by general education teachers, special education teachers and typical peers.

Online Curriculum For Evangelism Training For Adults With Special Needs, Sidney A. Carmichael

Senior Honors Theses

The purpose of this project is to address the discrepancy between Liberty University’s mission to train all individuals to be Champions for Christ and the lack of access to higher education for individuals with disabilities. My role in this project will be to come alongside the School of Education (SOE) in helping to write the curriculum, create the activities and manage the creation of a new online program that teaches Bible foundations and evangelism strategy. This project will be developed after consulting literature of best practices for teaching adults with disabilities using online technology. The outcome of this project has …

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 …

Deaf Children’S Science Content Learning In Direct Instruction Versus Interpreted Instruction, Kim B. Kurz, Brenda Schick, Peter C. Hauser

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

This research study compared learning of 6-9th grade deaf students under two modes of educational delivery – interpreted vs. direct instruction using science lessons. Nineteen deaf students participated in the study in which they were taught six science lessons in American Sign Language. In one condition, the lessons were taught by a hearing teacher in English and were translated in ASL via a professional and certified interpreter. In the second condition, the lessons were taught to the students in ASL by a deaf teacher. All students saw three lessons delivered via an interpreter and three different lessons in direct ASL; …

What I Taught My Stem Instructor About Teaching: What A Deaf Student Hears That Others Cannot, Annemarie Ross, Randy K. Yerrick

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Overall, science teaching at the university level has remained in a relatively static state. There is much research and debate among university faculty regarding the most effective methods of teaching science. But it remains largely rhetoric. The traditional lecture model in STEM higher education is limping along in its march toward inclusion and equity. The NGSS and Common Core reform efforts do little to help university science teachers to change their orientation from largely lecture-driven practice with laboratory supplements. While it is impossible to address all diverse student groups, the need for accommodations tend to be overlooked. As a Deaf …

The Use Of Pre-Correction By Pre-Service Teachers, Brook Heard

Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference (Archived)

Theoretical Framework

The use of pre-correction strategies by pre-service teachers can, in theory, reduce the number of problem behaviors in the classroom, and greatly increase desired behaviors. By reducing the amount of problem behaviors through pre-correction, the pre-service teachers will spend less classroom time having to address the undesirable behaviors and instead, will be able to increase the amount of time he/she has to teach the lesson planned for the day.

Methodology Data

The pre-service teacher will choose a focus learner and identify a behavior that can be operationally defined such as, the focus learner getting out of his/her seat. …

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 …

Living With Students: Lessons Learned While Pursuing Tenure, Administration, And Raising A Family, Michael Humphrey, Janet Callahan, Geoff Harrison

Early and Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

This case study is centered on two faculty-in-residence: one pursuing tenure and raising a young child while living in the residence halls and one an established professor and associate dean raising two teens while living in the residence halls. This case study offers two unique perspectives of faculty-in-residence at various stages in their career, living in residence with their students, working closely with students outside a typical classroom, all while managing professional and familial obligations.

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 …

Learning From Finland: A Book Review, John M. Winslade

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

A review of Pasi Sahlberg’s (2015) Finnish Lessons 2.0: What can the world learn from educational change in Finland (2^nd Edn.).

Using Group Video Self-Modeling In The Classroom To Improve Transition Speeds With Elementary Students, Matthew T. Mcniff

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Video self-modeling has been proven to be an effective intervention for individuals with a variety of disabilities and behavioral issues. Very few studies have addressed the impact of video modeling on behaviors that are displayed by groups of students and no studies have tackled the issue of group behaviors with video self-modeling as an intervention. This study focused on analyzing the effects of video self-modeling on students in an elementary classroom in order to increase the speed at which the students lined up and transitioned. Further, the study addressed the question of whether the intervention had a differential impact on …

Elementary And Secondary Special Education Teachers Experiences Of Inclusion For Students With Moderate To Severe Disabilities: A Phenomenolgical Study, Shannon Anders

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of special education teachers regarding inclusive practices with students with moderate and severe disabilities in a rural North Carolina school district. The purpose of this research was to seek the overall essence of the lived experiences of a purposeful criterion sample of 11 special education teachers as they used inclusion strategies with their students. This study had one central question: How do rural special education teachers describe their experiences with inclusive practices for their students with moderate to severe disabilities? The theories guiding this study were Maslow’s Hierarchy …

How Educator Attitudes, Knowledge, And Practice Impact The Academic Achievement Of Students Who Have Epilepsy: A Phenomenological Investigation Of Canadian Secondary School Teachers, Tawnya Fanjoy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to discover how teacher attitude, knowledge, and practice with epilepsy impact the academic achievement of students who have epilepsy. This study assumed that middle school teachers perceive students diagnosed with epilepsy as lower academic achievers when compared to students who do not have epilepsy. The stigma associated with labels, such as epileptic, can negatively impact the academic performance of children with this disorder. For this study, stigma was generally defined as the negative perceptions about epilepsy held by middle school teachers. The participants included six middle school teachers from the Anglophone West School …

The Power Of Nature: Developing Prosocial Behavior Toward Nature And Peers Through Nature-Based Activities, Ibrahim H. Acar, Julia C. Torquati

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

An early childhood teacher nurtures children’s perspective taking and respect for another living thing. These interactions happen daily at the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center (SANC) Preschool in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Experiences like this promote children’s development of prosocial behavior, consistent with the Early Childhood Environmental Education Programs: Guidelines for Excellence (NAAEE 2010). This article examines the research question, How can teachers nurture the development of prosocial behavior for preschool-aged children through nature-based play and activities? To address this question, five researchers (including the second author) conducted 74 running record observations of children’s behavior and social interactions over the course of two …