Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

Instructional Accommodations For Students With Asperger Syndrome In The General High School Classroom, Myrna Baylis

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

General education teachers in the secondary sector are held responsible for adapting their lessons and classroom environment for students with Asperger Syndrome. With the growing number of students within the autism spectrum disorder being placed in general education classrooms, teachers are faced with yet another challenge in making their curriculum inclusive. It has been my observation that teachers who have no prior training or knowledge of Asperger Syndrome struggle with making instructional accommodations to ensure these students reach their greatest potential. This study is intended to describe what secondary high school teachers are doing to differentiate instruction for their students …

Latency As A Dependent Variable In Trial-Based Functional Analysis, Elizabeth Dayton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The following research project consisted of two parts. The first was a data analysis of previously collected data. The second was conducted in local public schools at no cost to the teachers, students, or schools. Many individuals with disabilities engage in aberrant behaviors that negatively affect their lives and the lives of those around them. The following research paper examined a tool currently being used in schools (trial-based functional analysis; FA) to determine its effectiveness at identifying the function of an individual’s behavior.

The trial-based FA is an assessment tool that is accessible to classroom teachers to help them identify …

Effects Of High-Interest Writing Prompts On Performance Of Students With Learning Disabilities By, Kelsey J. Chlarson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The following study was done to examine the extent to which high-interest narrative writing prompts for 12- to 13-year old students in special education increase accuracy and total words written (TWW) in a 3-min timed writing sample compared to low-interest writing prompts.

Students who will participate will be individuals from a sixth- and seventh-grade special education language arts class who have been classified with LD. In this study, participants select high-interest writing prompts as story starter topics as preferred prompts for writing tasks. Initially, participants will select high- and low-interest writing topics using a prompt selection procedure. Given 40 potential …

Students With Reading Disabilities Participating In Literature Discussions: A Case Study, Elysha Patino O’Brien

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This qualitative case study addressed a lack of research concerning literature discussions for students with learning disabilities in reading. Fourth and fifth grade students with reading disabilities participated in twice-weekly literature discussions, 30- to-60 minutes each, for 12 weeks. The students attended a Title I school and most were Hispanic males. Together, they read and discussed five postmodern picturebooks. The purpose of the study was to understand (a) reader responses to the illustrations, text, and postmodern features of the books, and (b) the individual reader’s response habits. Situated within a sociocultural frame, the theories guiding this study pertained to language …

Development, Implementation, And Evaluation Of A Social Skills Training Intervention In A Rural Special-School Setting For Students With Mild/Moderate Disabilities, Sheree Duncan

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Given the critical degree to which a person’s level of social competence influences one’s academic, mental, social, and interpersonal success, it is imperative that schools facilitate the learning of social skills. The purpose of this study was to design, implement and evaluate a social skills training intervention for students with mild disabilities (and behaviors that adversely affect their participation in a general curriculum or resource settings) in a rural special school setting. A review of literature guided the design and evaluation of the intervention. According to analysis of data on student behavior, the social skills training intervention did not consistently …

Impact Of Computerized “Sounding Out” On Spelling Performance Of A Child Who Uses Aac: A Preliminary Report, Jillian H Mccarthy, David R. Beukelman, Tiffany Hogan

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Spelling is a vital skill for people who rely on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The ability to spell words provides an opportunity to create novel and spontaneous communication and increases educational, social, and employment opportunities for children and adults. However, many children and youth who rely on AAC struggle to gain functional spelling skills and written language. The purpose of this preliminary investigation was to develop a strategy to provide auditory letter-sounds using commercially available computer equipment and to evaluate how such a computerized “sounding out” strategy influences spelling accuracy for one child who required AAC support. The spelling …

The Pros And Cons Of Inclusion For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: What Constitutes The Least Restrictive Environment?, Lindsay J. Vander Wiele

Senior Honors Theses

In the contemporary educational system, the issue of full inclusion has brought about much discussion and debate. Because the principle of the least restrictive environment (LRE) mandates that students with special needs should have the opportunity to be educated with non-disabled peers to the greatest extent appropriate, the necessary components of inclusion impact all educational circles without exception. In fully inclusive settings, students with disabilities are provided with the services and supports appropriate to their individual needs within the general education classroom. Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are defined as neurodevelopmental disorders resulting in impairments in communication and social interaction. In …

The Decision-Making Process Of Finding Students With Significant Intellectual Disabilities Eligible For Participation In The Virginia Alternate Assessment Program, Karren Streagle

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand the decision-making process used by IEP teams and case managers for students with significant intellectual disabilities who participate in alternate assessments based on aligned academic achievement standards (AA-AAS). Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with case managers for students participating in the Virginia Alternate Assessment Program (VAAP) from school divisions in central Virginia. Traditional inductive data analysis techniques were used to analyze data collected from the in-depth interviews, the researcher’s reflexive field notes and observations, and a review of VAAP training and guidance documents provided by study participants. Findings illuminated the decision-making process …

Mobile Modeling: Using And Creating Ipad And Ipod Apps To Shape Students With Disabilities, Carolyn Wicks, Amanda J. Rockinson-Szapkiw, Justin M. Tucker

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Modeling is a technique that is often used to teach new skills to students with disabilities. Modeling is effective for teaching communication, social, and functional living skills to students with emotional, behavioral, and cognitive disorders (Werts, Caldwell, & Wolery, 1996). Video modeling and audio prompts can be as effective as live modeling (Murzynski & Bourret, 2007; Rehfeldt, Dahman, Young, Cherry, & Davis, 2003). In fact, some researchers have suggested that video modeling results in more rapid acquisition of skills than live modeling and may even be more generalizable across environments (Charlop & Milstein ,1989). With the introduction of mobile devises, …

High Stakes Play: Early Childhood Special Educators' Perspectives Of Play In Pre-Kindergarten Classrooms, Joanne Scandling Manwaring

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined Early Childhood Special Educators' perceptions of play as a developmentally appropriate practice in special education prekindergarten classrooms in one southeastern school district. Through purposeful sampling, eight prekindergarten special educators were identified because they held multiple teaching certifications and some held National Board certification. The participants had many years of experience in pre-kindergarten special education, and were professional development trainers, teacher mentors and or leaders in the prekindergarten special education community. These eight accomplished pre-kindergarten special education teachers were interviewed using an informal, semi-structured format about their beliefs concerning play, how they implement it in their classrooms as …

Racial/Ethnic Matching Of Clients And Therapists In Mental Health Services: A Meta-Analytic Review Of Preferences, Perceptions, And Outcomes, Timothy B. Smith, Raquel R. Cabral

Faculty Publications

The effects of matching clients with therapists of the same race/ethnicity have been explored using a variety of approaches across several decades. We conducted a meta-analysis of three variables frequently used in research on racial/ethnic matching: Clients' preferences for a therapist of their own race/ethnicity, clients' perceptions of therapists, and therapeutic outcomes. Across 52 studies of preferences, the average effect size was d = .63, indicating a moderately strong preference for a therapist of one's own race/ethnicity. Across 81 studies of individuals' perceptions of therapists, the average effect size was d = .32, indicating a tendency to perceive therapists of …

Can Prevention Programs Work Together? An Example Of School-Based Mental Health With Prevention Initiatives, Hank Bohanon, Meng-Jia Wu

Education: School of Education Faculty Publications and Other Works

Personnel addressing mental health in schools are required to provide supports in settings that have decreasing resources and multiple initiatives. While competing initiatives in schools can pose problems, integration of prevention systems and data may lead to more efficient supports and effective outcomes. Mental health service providers must consider how the integration of schoolwide initiatives such as positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS), response to intervention (RtI), and social and emotional learning (SEL) can improve their work. This article will provide an example showing varying levels of integration of schoolwide models in one state. This example will include (a) the …

Effects Of Tiered Training On General Education Teachers' Use Of Specific Praise, Michele T. Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

Research suggests a compelling correlation between teacher behavior and effective learning environments (Sutherland & Morgan, 2003; Brophy & Good, 1986). Focusing on the evidence-based teaching skill of offering behavior-specific praise (BSP), the researcher worked with 3 elementary-level general educators in a tiered model of instruction, commonly known as response to intervention (RtI). Although RtI commonly provides targeted instructional support to students, this study, a systematic replication of Myers, Simonsen and Sugai (2011), used the RtI framework to provide professional development to teachers. The researcher also tracked the behavior of 3 students, identified by the teachers as having behavioral difficulties, who …

The Effects Of Wilson Reading System And Guided Reading On The Reading Achievement Of Students With Learning Disabilities, Rachel Ricci

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose for this study was based on Millville Public School's need for students to meet annual yearly progress in language arts literacy according to state standards. This study evaluated the results of the use of the Wilson Reading System compared to a Guided Reading program on the reading achievement of students with learning and reading disabilities using the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) first grade assessment data. DIBELS was used to assess the students on nonsense word fluency, whole words read and oral reading fluency. Combining all of the DIBELS skill areas assessed, the students in …

A Comparison Of Video Modeling And Social Stories To Decrease Inappropriate Behaviors, Caitlin Peluszak

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine which type of social intervention is more efficient when comparing Video Modeling and Social Stories when attempting to decrease inappropriate social behaviors. Two children were chosen because they both displayed inappropriate mouth noises at various points throughout their time in the self contained classroom. Three baseline data collection periods were held and alternated with two intervention periods. A personalized peer modeling video and a personalized Social Story with photographs of the child was made for each child. These interventions were shown the children across separate five-day periods at a decreasing frequency, and …

Preparing Elementary Teachers To Teach Students With Disabilities A Comparison Of Program Structures & Elements Across Teacher Preparation Institutions, Jessica Close

HIM 1990-2015

Students with disabilities have the right to the least restrictive environment (IDEA, 2004). Elementary teachers are teaching more of these students in the inclusive classroom because of this right. Elementary teachers are willing to take on this responsibility, but most feel they are not prepared to do so. In order to address this concern, elementary teacher preparation at the institution level must be addressed. This is a descriptive thesis which identifies and compares methods that different institutions across the country use to prepare teachers to teach students with disabilities. Institutions chosen for this thesis were recognized by either the U.S. …

The Effects Of Concrete-Representational-Abstract Sequenced Instruction On Struggling Learners Acquisition, Retention, And Self-Efficacy Of Fractions, Elizabeth Hughes

All Dissertations

A growing body of research supports instructional strategies, such as concrete-representational-abstract (CRA) sequence, to teach mathematics to students at risk of failure, including those with disabilities. This study extends the current body of CRA research by analyzing the effects of CRA sequence of instruction on student achievement, and retention, and self-efficacy of performance on computations of fractions. Thirty-five students participated in this study. A series of repeated measures ANOVAs were performed to assess main effects and interaction effects for performance and self-efficacy of students in a control group who received traditional fractions instruction and a treatment group who received CRA …

Investigating The Effects Of Addition With Regrouping Strategy Instruction Among Elementary Students With Learning Disabilities, Christi Miller Carmack

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Many students, specifically those with learning disabilities, struggle to master foundational computation skills such as addition with regrouping. With this in mind, the purpose of this research was to examine the effects of strategy instruction that involved the use of the concrete-representational-abstract teaching sequence on the addition with regrouping computation and word problem-solving skills of students with learning disabilities. This study involved the use of a multiple probe across participants design with two replications. The participants included nine second through sixth graders who had been identified as having a learning disability and were demonstrating mathematics difficulties. There were three females …

Proposal Project To Improve Greeting Skills Of An Adult With Disabilities Using Social Stories, Jamie Dawn Palmer-Ormsby

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Mike is a 22 year-old adult with CHARGE Syndrome and autism spectrum conditions. Mike often struggles to greet and interact appropriately when people come to visit him and his family at his house. The purpose of this project was to help Mike improve his greeting and overall social skills. One event that seems to provoke problem behavior in people with autism is sudden unannounced schedule changes. Advanced warning of schedule changes have been used to prepare people with disabilities similar to Mike’s to teach social and behavioral skills. Social stories have also been used as an intervention to give individuals …

Creating And Evaluating Teacher Training Modules In Applied Behavior Analysis, Summer Lynn Navarrete

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The use of applied behavior analysis (ABA) in the treatment of young children with autism has been shown to be effective in increasing their developmental trajectory. Many teachers, however, are unfamiliar with these teaching techniques. In training individuals to implement ABA interventions, didactic training should be paired with activities such as supervised practice and immediate feedback. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness in the use of computerized training modules to teach specific information related to implement ABA programming with children with disabilities.