Digital Commons Network^™

Technology Aided Instruction And Intervention To Teach Grade Level Science Term Definitions To Middle School Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Jessica L. Richards

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The purpose of this study was to teach middle school students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) academic, grade level science term definitions. Three students with ASD who were served in a self-contained classroom for students with moderate and severe disabilities participated in the study. A multiple probe (days) across behaviors research design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of a model-lead-test procedure delivered using a computer software program to teach three sets of five science term definitions from the general education academic standards. Generalization probes were conducted in the general education setting by giving each student terms that they learned …

A Comparison Study Of Constant Time Delay And Progressive Time Delay In The Acquisition Of Academic Content For Students With Intellectual Disabilities, Melissa M. Zinck

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

Constant time delay (CTD) and progressive time delay (PTD) are both evidence-based practices used to teach students with intellectual disability (ID). The prompt delay strategies have been used for instruction with academics, social, vocational, and communication skills. There is limited research regarding the differential effectiveness of the time delay variations for teaching academic content to students with ID. The present study compares the effects of CTD and PTD in the acquisition of academic content with four students with ID. An adapted alternating treatments design was used to compare the effectiveness and efficiency of the two procedures. Generalization was assessed across …

Qr Code Accessed Video-Based Instruction To Teach Vocational Skills To Students With Moderate To Severe Disabilities, Lora N. Barnett

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of QR code (quick reference) linked video-based instruction (VBI) on daily vocational skills for students with moderate to severe disabilities (MSD). A multiple probe across participants was used to evaluate the effectiveness of VBI accessed through scanning a QR code. During technology training a system of least prompts was used to teach students to unlock the iPod, scan the QR code, press play, and press pause between each step of the task; after reaching mastery, students entered into the intervention condition (VBI). During VBI an immediate change in level was …

The Effects Of Behavior Skills Training On Acquisition Of Self-Instructional Skills For Elementary Students With Intellectual Disability, Amber Tincher

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

Research demonstrates that video modeling and visual activity schedules have been effective in teaching students with disabilities a variety of skills. However, the instructional procedures used to teach students to acquire the necessary skills to perform the tasks can take time for the students and the instructors. A behavior skills training package was investigated within a multiple probe design across students to determine if four elementary aged students with intellectual disability, with and without autism spectrum disorder, could acquire self-instructional skills. The dependent variables in the study were the effects of behavior skills training on the acquisition of self-instructional skills …

The Use Of Technology To Implement Peer Mediated Intervention: Students With Autism As Tutors And Tutees, Lindsey R. Graessle

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

Peer mediated interventions have been effective in teaching academic and social skills to students with disabilities. The present study assesses the effectiveness of students with autism spectrum disorder serving as the tutor and tutee. Four peer mediators and four students with autism spectrum disorder used technology and the simultaneous prompting procedure to teach acquisition of social studies vocabulary. Results indicate that both students with and without autism spectrum disorder effectively delivered instruction using technology and all students learned a portion of the vocabulary taught by a same-aged peer.

The Effects Of Picture Activity Schedules On Transition Times In An Inclusive Preschool Classroom, Elizabeth A. Reis

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

This study determined the effectiveness of using picture activity schedules with preschoolers who exhibited disruptive behaviors in an inclusive setting during transition times in a public preschool. The participants in this study were three male and one female student, ages 3 years to 5 years, who were enrolled in an inclusive public preschool. All children are Caucasian. Three of the children had an individualized education plan including goals for speech and social-emotional concerns. One child was typically developing and did not have an individualized education plan. The study method used a single-subject withdrawal design (ABAB). The results confirmed that the …

Parents' Perceptions Of Transition And Postsecondary Services For Their Children With Disabilities, Elizabeth Joyce Strong

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Students with intellectual and other disabilities who age out of transition programs or graduate from high school may experience marginalization as young adults. There exists scant literature on the perceptions of parents about access to employment and services for their adult children with disabilities. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how parents perceived educational services, financial burdens, social isolation, and lack of access to employment for their children with intellectual and other disabilities. Critical disability theory and transformational theory constituted the study's conceptual framework. The research questions concerned how parents perceived access to services related to financial …

The Positive Effects On Attitude Among High School Students Towards Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Mario Castillo-Urbina

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Inclusion in the classroom requires that the local education agency provide services (i.e., direct, related) to support each student’s needs. The philosophy guiding inclusion is that these services will allow each student to keep pace or catch-up with his or her typically developing peers (Elkins, Van Kraayenoord, & Jobling, 2003). Students’ attitudes towards their peers with disabilities have been researched and reported through the years however, little work has examined these attitudes in a physical education setting (Archie & Sherrill, 1989; Block & Malloy, 1998; Block & Zeman, 1996; Tripp, French, & Sherrill, 1995). Researchers have reported that individuals avoid …

Combining Intake And Iep Meetings: Evaluation Of The Effects Of Interagency Collaboration Between Vocational Rehabilitation And Special Educators, Katrina Cummings

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

Collaboration between agencies has been shown to be an indicator of post-school success for individuals with disabilities. While it is shown to be important, collaboration between Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) and Special Educators (SPED) does not always occur. This project examined the effects of combining Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and intake interviews on the rate and satisfaction of collaboration and the understanding of the other agencies roles and responsibilities. Participants included four SPED teachers and two VR counselors. All participants worked with individuals with disabilities between the ages 15-22 years who attend public education in a school district in the western …

Siblings Of Adults With Intellectual Disabilities: Their Perspectives On Guardianship And Its Alternatives, Anna M. Brady

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Adult siblings of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are often on the front lines of supporting their brothers and sisters with IDD through caregiving and guardianship roles after their parents pass away. However, these siblings are often uninformed or under informed about ways that they can support their brothers and sisters. This study had the following three purposes: to determine what adult siblings of adults with IDD know about guardianship and its alternatives; to explore how adult siblings view guardianship and its alternatives; and to explore what adult siblings think about their role of being a guardian or …

Effects Of Parent Training On Increased Knowledge And Changes In Perceptions Regarding Transition To Adulthood For Middle School Youth With Disabilities, Lauren E. Wright

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Parents of children with severe/moderate disabilities experience uncertainty and a lack of knowledge as their children go through the transition to adulthood. Research has shown parents play a key role in their child's postschool outcome success and that parent training and beginning transition preparation early are key predictors. This study examined the effects of parent training on parents' knowledge, expectations, and action towards their child's transition to adulthood. Participants consisted of parents of middle school youth with severe/moderate disabilities. The study measured parent knowledge, expectations, and actions. Procedures involved (a) a pretest administered to parents on their transition knowledge, (b) …

A Dynamic Measure Of Morphological Awareness In Young Children, Frances Elizabeth Gibson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Although sound awareness has been proven critical for skilled literacy development, further investigation is needed to examine additional factors that could also be critical. Awareness of meaning or morphological awareness is an additional factor that could impact literacy development. Although morphological awareness is mastered early in spoken language, little is known in regard to this skill in other language and literacy contexts. This study investigated the validity of a dynamic measure of morphological awareness (DMMA) in young children. Seventy-eight first-grade children completed a language and literacy battery. Morphological awareness was assessed using both a standardized and an experimental measure comprised …

Training Parents In Descriptive Assessment And Function Identification, Makenzie Sip

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

It is often difficult for parents to address their child’s problem behavior. Children with special needs can display more frequent and intense problem behavior. Therefore, professionals need to help parents of children with special needs identify how to decrease their child’s problem behavior. Professionals help to decrease problem behavior by performing assessments called descriptive assessments to identify why the problem behavior is happening, and then using these assessments to create an appropriate plan of how to prevent and respond to the problem behavior. We examined if parents could be taught the skills necessary to perform descriptive assessments and then use …

Expert Consensus On Barriers To College And University Online Education For Students With Blindness And Low Vision, Sachin D. Pavithran

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The availability of online college and university courses have continued to grow, offering opportunities for education to students that may find attending in a regular classroom difficult, if not impossible. The number of students with disabilities enrolling in online courses is also growing. However, because of the mode of delivery (via computer/internet), blind and low vision college and university students can find it difficult to participate fully in an online course if it is not designed with accessibility in mind. Education is directly related to blind and low vision individuals becoming fully employed and independent. Blind and low vision college …

The Use Of The Performance Diagnostic Checklist For Human Services To Increase Paraeducators’ Effective Implementation Of Error-Correction Procedures During Discrete Trial Training, Melissa Bowe

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Employees in the field of human services can influence the health and rate of progress of the clients they serve. A human service supervisor’s responsibilities include identifying why an employee may be performing poorly and provide an effective intervention to ensure improved performance. The Performance Diagnostic Checklist for Human Services (PDC-HS) has been used in treatment clinics to identify the variables that can contribute to poor employee performance, and subsequently recommend an intervention to improve performance.

The special education classroom is a human service setting in which special education teachers supervise paraeducator’s skills and performance. A paraeducator’s role includes providing …

Comparison Of General And High Probability Motor Sequence Attentional Cues For Increasing Vocabulary Identification In Students With Autism, Ashleigh G. Obst

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The present study assessed if embedding high probability responding (high-p) into an attentional cue, versus a general attentional cue (GA), would result in students with moderate and severe disabilities displaying differential responding for grade level science vocabulary word identification. Using an adapted alternating treatments design, three students with autism spectrum disorder received an intervention involving a GA cue and one with a high-p to determine which is more efficient. Hypothesized results are that the attentional cue with a high-probability motor sequence would be more effective for teaching vocabulary word identification.

Using A Naturalistic Time Delay To Initiate A Request For Preferred Objects From Same Aged Peers, Brian A. Newton

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The purpose of this study was to provide training to peer tutors in order to teach students with severe intellectual disability to initiate communication to obtain preferred objects. A multiple probe (days) across students was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the peer implementing a naturalistic time delay to teach the communication skill. Two of the four students were able to initiate communications with the peer tutors to use objects they preferred. One student showed increasing in responding prior to the implementation of the intervention. The results showed that the peers were able to maintain the instructional procedures to teach …

Increasing Self-Initiated Question Asking With Adults With Autism Using Pivotal Response Training Strategies And Constant Time Delay, John Colin Vogler

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The purpose of this study was to implement pivotal response training (PRT) strategies paired with constant time delay (CTD) to teach an individual with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID) to self-initiate through question asking. A multiple probe across behaviors design was used to evaluate effectiveness of implementation. Results show that this naturalistic intervention is effective for some questions, while other questions need to be taught in more contrived scenarios.

The Effects Of Video Activity Schedules On Life Skills For Individuals With Mild Intellectual Disability, Kaylee A. Ortiz

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

This study used a multiple probe across settings design to evaluate the effects of video activity schedules (VidAS) on the acquisition of life skills in various settings within the home. In a technology training phase, participants were taught how to navigate a mobile application and use the pause and play feature of the video using a system of least prompts. In baseline, participants were given a task direction to complete the tasks within each setting with access to a static picture schedule. During intervention, participant task completion was evaluated when self-instructing with the use of VidAS in each setting. One …

Teaching A Picture Exchange Communication System To Young Adults With Moderate To Severe Disabilities Using The Pecs Phase Iii Application, Kristen L. Kapp

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching a picture communication system to students with moderate to severe disabilities using the PECS Phase III application. A multiple probe across participants design was used to conduct the study and evaluate the effectiveness of the training on the PECS Phase III application. The results of the study demonstrated that teaching a picture communication system on an augmentative and alternative communication device is effective in the school setting with young adults with moderate and severe disabilities.

Developing Technology Applications For Improving The Problem-Solving Skills Of Middle School Students With Learning Disabilities, Samuel Y. Choo

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The achievement gap in mathematics education continues to be a concern in the United States. Students with disabilities (SWD) are often excluded from the general education curriculum or the least restrictive environment due to their low performance in mathematics and disability-related deficits. Legislative and professional reports have addressed the needs of SWD by promoting evidence-based math interventions using instructional technology. However, the focus of many math interventions with instructional technology has been limited to basic facts instruction or drill-and-practice routines. In this study, I developed a curriculum-based technology tool called Anchored Instruction with Technology Applications (AITA) based on pedagogical concepts …

Examining The Efficacy Of Co-Teaching At The Secondary Level: Special Educators' Perceptions Of Their Productivity As Co-Teachers, Kera B. Ackerman

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

For decades, federal legislation has mandated the education of students with disabilities to be in their least restrictive environment. Nationally, this has resulted in more than 60% of students with disabilities receiving the majority (80%) of their education in the general education environment. To provide special education services in the general education environment, co-teaching, commonly defined as two educators with distinct expertise providing instruction in a common setting, is often used. The purpose of this non-experimental cross-sectional survey study was to examine special educators’ perceptions of their productivity in co-taught settings and the degree to which their perceptions were related …

Using A System Of Least Prompts And A Graphic Organizer To Teach Academic Content To Students With Moderate Intellectual Disabilities, Kristen B. Dieruf

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of a system of least prompts procedure and use of a graphic organizer to teach an academic standard for elementary students with moderate intellectual disabilities. A multiple probe (days) across participants design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of using a system of least prompts and a graphic organizer to teach students how to compare two characters from adapted text. The results showed a system of least prompts and the use of graphic organizer was effective in teaching an academic standard for students with moderate intellectual disabilities.

Visual Activity Schedules With Embedded Video Models To Teach Laundry Skills To Adults With Intellectual Disability, Charity G. Watson

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

Research using visual activity schedules (VAS) with embedded video models (VM) has been effective to teach novel skills to children and adolescents with intellectual disability (ID). However, there is limited research using VAS/VM to teach adults with ID. The purpose of the current study was to determine if VAS/VM could be used as a self-instructional tool for adults with ID to increase independence in laundry skills. Results from the current study provide evidence that a functional relation exists when using VAS/VM to teach laundry skills to adults with ID. Two adults generalized the use of the VAS/VM to a novel …

Special Education Teachers, Literacy, And Students With Moderate And Severe Intellectual Disability: A Survey, Ann Katherine Griffen

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

Literacy includes many skills involving the use of language to read, write, listen, and speak. The ultimate goal in acquiring literacy skills is to function as independently, and in as integrated a manner as possible, in a literate society. Literary skills are critical skills for all students, both with and without disabilities. Since the 1990s, literacy has moved closer and closer to the forefront of our collective awareness regarding students who are at risk of not acquiring sufficient literacy ability. However, students with moderate and severe intellectual disability (MSID) have not always been included in this group of students. In …

A Review Of Video Modeling To Teach Social Skills To Preschoolers With Asd, Jordan Brovelli

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The purpose of this comprehensive literature review is to evaluate if existing research studies have produced substantial evidence to determine if the use of video modeling is as an evidence based instructional tool to teach social skills to preschool aged children with autism spectrum disorder. Literature was reviewed against standards suggested by What Works Clearinghouse for being an evidence-based practice. Based on the criteria set by What Works Clearinghouse for examining experimental rigor, evidence, and the requirements for practices being considered an evidence base, video modeling to teach this population of students social skills is not an evidence-based practice at …

Effects Of Using An Ipad App With Embedded Models To Teach Sight Words To Elementary Students With Developmental Disabilities, Meghan A. Traynor

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of teaching sight words using an iPad app with embedded models to students with developmental disabilities. The experimental design used was multiple probe (conditions) across behaviors replicated across students. All sessions occurred in a one-to-one format. The results showed the iPad app with embedded models were effective in teaching sight words to students with developmental disabilities.

Effects Of Power Cards On Conversational Skills For High Schoolers With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Molly K. Mcgee

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

This study employed a multiple probe across settings design to evaluate the effectiveness of Power Cards, as they were originally designed by Gagnon (2001), on the conversational behaviors for two high school students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Data were collected on the percentage of conversational behaviors engaged in per session, as well as the number of times the participants accessed their Power Card during conversations, and the frequency of additional questions or comments made by the participants. Results of this study indicated that Power Cards improved conversational behaviors for both participants in their first setting. While covariation occurred across …

A Literature Review Of Sensory-Based Alterative Seating For Individuals With Disabilities, Hannah Von Schlutter

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The purpose of this review was to determine whether the use of sensory-based alternative seating to increase the appropriate behaviors of individuals with disabilities is an evidence-based practice (EBP). Articles located on this topic were descriptively analyzed, and What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) guidelines were applied to determine each study’s methodological rigor, level of evidence, and whether, taken together, there is enough research to support alternative seating as an EBP. A total of 37 studies of the effects of sensory-based alternative seating on individuals with disabilities were found. These studies included a total of 44 participants, between 3 to 9 years …

Classroom Readiness For Successful Inclusion: Teacher Factors And Preschool Children’S Experience With And Attitudes Toward Peers With Disabilities, Kyong-Ah Kwon, Soo-Young Hong, Hyun-Joo Jeon

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

The current study examined (1) associations among teachers’ experiences regarding children with disabilities (i.e., education, specialized training, years of work experience), their attitudes toward disabilities, and their classroom practices in relation to inclusion and (2) associations among children’s attitudes toward peers with disabilities and child and teacher factors. Ninety-one 4- and 5-year-old children participated in an interview, and their teachers completed a survey. Teachers’ specialized training and bachelor’s degree in early childhood education (ECE) were positively associated with their inclusive practices in the classroom; teachers’ bachelor’s degree in ECE and experiences working with children with disabilities were positively associated with …