Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

The Effects Of A Tiered-Training Intervention On Teachers' Use Of Behavior Specific Praise During The Reading Instruction Of Elementary Students With Emotional Disabilities, Lauren Collins Reed

Communication Disorders & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

Despite longstanding acknowledgement regarding the effectiveness of behavior specific praise for students with emotional disabilities, there continues to be an underuse of this strategy with this population. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a tiered training intervention on teachers' use of behavior specific praise during the small group reading instruction of elementary students with emotional disabilities. A multiple baseline design was used across two groups of teacher and student participants as the means of investigating the effectiveness of the training model on teachers' use of behavior specific praise and the associated student outcomes. Similar to …

Using Two Formats Of A Social Story To Increase The Social-Communication Skills Of Three Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Nicole A. Anthony

Communication Disorders & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

An alternating treatment design was used to compare the effects of two interventions on the initiations and on-topic responses of three adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. The interventions were participant specific social stories on an iPad and in paper format, both of which occurred in an after-school setting. Results indicated two participants increased the number of initiations and on-topic responses during gaming sessions over baseline levels. In addition, all three children generalized targeted skills to another typical peer while playing the same game introduced during baseline. Implications for current educational practices are addressed and directions for future research are discussed.

Using Schematic-Based And Cognitive Strategy Instruction To Improve Math Word Problem Solving For Students With Math Difficulties, Lisa L. Morin

Communication Disorders & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

For students with math difficulties (MD), math word problem solving is especially challenging. The purpose of this study was to examine a math word problem solving strategy, bar model drawing, to support students with MD. The study extended previous research that suggested that schematic-based instruction (SBI) training delivered within an explicit instruction framework can be effective in teaching various math skills related to word problem solving. As a more generic schema approach, bar model drawing may serve as an effective form of SBI that can be developed across word problems. Moreover, the bar model approach has the potential to enhance …

Autism Assessment Scale For Children (Aasc): The Development Of A Dsm-V Aiigned Questionnaire To Screen School-Aged Children For High Functioning Autism, Christine Hebert

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to analyze the latent factor structure underlying the Ellis Functional Assessment (EFA) for children with high-functioning autism (HFA), to compare the latent factor structures for under-identified subgroups of children (older children, gifted children, female children), and to design a pre-screening assessment for HFA based on those results. The scope of the study is limited to children who have been identified as having HFA and whose parents completed the EFA while patients of a mid-Atlantic clinical practice specializing in autism spectrum disorders. The methodology uses preliminary factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis to both analyze …

Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies And Their Impact On The Math Fluency And Social Skills Of Students With Autism, Melissa Woodward

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if peer-assisted learning strategies (PALS) could increase students with autism's math fluency skills as well as enhance their social skills. All students involved in the study began their math fluency at a basic addition subtraction level 1 on the Morningside Math Fluency program. Also at the beginning of the study the students completed a How I Feel Toward Others survey and it was determined that they were either indifferent toward others or disengaged. The eight students involved in the study were engaged in PALS a minimum of three times per week over …

Differences Between Students With And Without Adhd On Task Vigilance Under Conditions Of Distraction, Peter Ross, Justus Randolph

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Distraction is a typical component of any classroom environment. For effective instruction and learning to take place, it is critical for students to eventually return to task and maintain task vigilance (i.e., returning to the task at hand) when a distraction occurs. Students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), by definition, are more distractible than students without ADHD. However, studies showing specific variability of task vigilance between students with and without ADHD are limited. This correlational study examined the differences in distractibility on task vigilance between students with and without ADHD under conditions of distraction. Two groups of participants, ranging …

Paraeducators: Gatekeepers To Youth Suicide Prevention, Danielle Ann Cannon

Theses and Dissertations

For youth between the ages of 10 and 24, suicide is the third leading cause of death. School-aged youth that struggle with suicidal thoughts often express their feelings to peers and some trusted adults. Generally, these trusted adults work in school settings. Potentially, teachers and staff can serve as vital gatekeepers to identify and support students who struggle with suicide ideation. In particular, paraeducators, who are often seen as less of an authority figure, become easier to approach due to the personal relationships created in small groups and one-on-one interactions with students. If trained in suicide prevention, paraeducators, who work …

The Fight Within: Experiences Of School District Employees Who Advocate For The Rights Of Their Own Children With Disabilities Inside The Districts Where They Work, A Heuristic Case Study, Keri Haley

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Parents of children with disabilities face a daunting task when it comes to advocating for the rights of their children in school districts across the country. Yet, when these same parents also work inside those school districts, the challenge to balance their advocacy within the expectations of their employment may come with barriers. The intent of this study was to understand the experiences of people who are parents of children with disabilities, as well as educators, and have had to advocate for their own children inside the school districts where they work. Using a heuristic case study approach, this study …

Use Of An Interdependent Group Contingency To Improve Homework Completion, Homework Accuracy, And Achievement Of High School Students With Disabilities, Maria Carrino Kennedy

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Homework is a frequently utilized teaching strategy in elementary and secondary classrooms. The completion of homework has been shown to have a strong positive effect on students' academic achievement across content and ability levels. Moreover, research suggests a stronger positive relationship between homework and achievement at the upper grade levels. Numerous interventions, both at home and at school, have been employed to increase students' level of homework completion and/or accuracy. The present investigation employed a single-subject reversal design to examine the effectiveness of an interdependent group contingency, with randomized components, on the homework completion, homework accuracy, and the academic achievement …

Incorporation Of Equine Assisted Therapy In University Curriculum, Shelby Y. Sabati

Animal Science

Equine-assisted activity and therapy incorporates physical, mental and language treatments through equine movement to remediate medical conditions or impairments in clients. For all the opportunities that equine-assisted therapy provides there is little education on the practice. The focus of this project is to present the process, benefits and limitations of adopting an equine-assisted therapy course at California Polytechnic State University so it may be used as a reference for future course proposal.

Objective: The aim of this proposal is to offer insight into Equine-assisted therapy, understanding how to integrate the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH) International curriculum into the …

Preparing The Next Generation Of Higher Education Faculty In Special Education, Laurie U. Debettencourt

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

There is a shortage in the number of funded doctoral programs in the field of special education. As a result the number of higher education faculty who are trained in the knowledge and skills necessary to train the next generation of special education teachers is critically low. This article describes a doctoral program funded by the Office of Special Education that is currently in its third of four years. Several key goals of the program address the skills needed by the next generation of special education higher education teacher educators. The goals cover teacher preparation, professional development, and academic research. …

Addressing Social, Emotional, And Organizational Goals For A Child With An Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd) Using The Cognitive Orientation To Daily Occupational Performance (Co-Op) Approach, Gina M. Czmowski, Shea L. Willert, Sarah K. Nielsen

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have social, emotional, and organizational skill deficits which are frequently addressed through behavioral based skills training. However, these approaches often do not result in generalization of skills. This case study sought to understand if the Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP), a problem-solving approach, is effective for addressing social, emotional, and organizational goals with a child with an ASD. Pre and post-intervention assessments indicated an improvement on all three client-centered goals, with the client transferring his goals and problem-based strategies to the community. Analysis of video recordings of the intervention sessions indicated the …

Blindness And Selective Mutism: One Student’S Response To Voice-Output Devices, Mary Holley, Ashli Johnson, Tina Herzberg

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

This case study was designed to measure the response of one student with blindness and selective mutism to the intervention of voice-output devices across two years and two different teachers in two instructional settings. Before the introduction of the voice output devices, the student did not choose to communicate using spoken language or gestures while at school. As a result of this intervention, the student consistently communicated her choice of a preferred activity, responded independently to social greetings, and more consistently expressed her wants and needs. She responded “yes” and “no” to questions and made significant gains in pre-reading skills.

“Tengo Que Habla Español. Yo No Entiendo Ingles!”: A Qualitative Case Study On A Bilingual Child With Autism Spectrum, Hyun Uk Kim, Marilyn Roberti

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

Language differences in children with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) often lead professionals to believe that children with ASC cannot or should not become bilingual, thus advising parents with a child with ASC raised in a bilingual household to adhere to English only. Emerging studies, however, attest that children with ASC can become bilingual, and that there are no language differences between bilingual and monolingual children with ASC. Although these findings are promising, very few studies investigated external factors, such as cultural expectations, school practices and other pertinent factors involved in raising and educating children with ASC bilingually. Drawing from video-and …

Sources Of Stress Among Parents Of Children With Intellectual Disabilities: A Preliminary Investigation In Saudi Arabia, Mubarak S. Aldosari, Lisa A. Pufpaff

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

This study identified differences in sources of stress between parents of male children with intellectual disabilities in Saudi Arabia. Seventeen pairs of parents completed the Parent Stress Index (Abidin, 1995). Each pair of parents had a male child diagnosed with intellectual disability who either attended an institute for male children with intellectual disability or a special education classroom attached to a public elementary general school in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Results indicated higher perceived stress levels in Saudi mothers compared to fathers regarding the overall parent-child relationship, the child’s individual characteristics, and the parent’s characteristics. Implications provide research-based …

Stakeholder Perceptions Of The Special Education Referral Process For Black Males Based On Ace: Administration, Culture And Environment, Malik Douglas

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this causal comparative study is to contribute to the understanding of Critical Race Theory by using a parametric test to compare the independent variable of human characteristics to the dependent variables of Administrative, Cultural, and Environmental/ Hereditary (ACE) factors to develop a picture of parents'/guardians' and educators' attitudes about factors that may explain the overrepresentation of Black males in special education programs. A total of 162 participants completed a self-reporting demographic characteristic survey and the Gresham survey to provide information on the attitudes towards the administrative, cultural, and environmental/hereditary factors that may be correlated with the overrepresentation …

Attachment Changes Post-Conversion In Committed Converts Tothe Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, Laura Jane Page

Theses and Dissertations

Religious conversion has been described as a “spiritual transformation” where converts experience an “intimate ‘union’ . . . [with] divine presence” (Sandage & Shults, 2007). To better understand motivators of conversion, several studies have examined how attachment patterns affect the likelihood, and speed of religious conversion (e.g., Granqvist & Hagekull, 1999; Granqvist & Kirkpatrick, 2004; Kirkpatrck, 1998; Kirkpatrick & Shaver, 1990; Schnitker, Porter, Emmons, & Barrett, 2012). Converts' changes in personality, self-definition, and meaningfulness following conversion have been noted (Halama and Lačná, 2011; Paloutzian, Richardson, & Rambo, 1999). However, little, if any research has been conducted examining changes in attachment …

Developing An Understanding Of Quadratics Through The Use Of Concrete Manipulatives: A Case Study Analysis Of The Metacognitive Development Of A High School Student With Learning Disabilities, Tricia K. Strickland

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

This case study analyzed the impact of a concrete manipulative program on the understanding of quadratic expressions for a high school student with a learning disability. The manipulatives were utilized as part of the Concrete-Representational-Abstract Integration (CRA-I) intervention in which participants engaged in tasks requiring them to multiply linear expressions and factor quadratic expressions embedded within contextualized area problems. The case study focused on a representative participant, Marcia, who demonstrated significant gains from pre- to post-intervention assessments. The qualitative analysis provided descriptive data which offered insight into the reasons for these gains. Results indicated that the manipulatives supported metacognition through …

Perceptions Towards Special Education Of Japanese Parents Of Children With Special Needs In The United States, Yuki Ikezaki, Janice Myck-Wayne, Adrian W. Jung

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

The purpose of this study was to examine Japanese parents of children with disabilities’ perceptions towards special education in the United States. This study included 40 participants who were born and raised in Japan and they are now living in the United States. The results revealed that most Japanese parents still maintained some negative perceptions towards special education from its history of labeling individuals with disabilities as “abnormal” in Japanese culture. Moreover, a majority of participants agreed that America’s special education was more focused on each individual’s needs and promoted independence whereas Japanese ideas of special education was mainly focused …

Elementary Principals’ Perspectives On Newly Graduated General Education Teachers’ Abilities To Teach Students With Disabilities In Inclusion Classrooms, Darla Jane England

Dissertations

Increasing numbers of students with disabilities are being educated in inclusive settings within elementary public schools across the United States. General education teachers are being hired to fill these positions, yet the characteristics principals view as necessary for them to be effective in such classrooms had yet to be explored. This study captured data on the knowledge, skills, and experiences candidates, coming directly out of college, should and do possess in order to be effective inclusion teachers. Principals’ perspectives on inclusion, as well as possible predictors for such perspectives, were also examined.

An online survey was used to collect the …