Digital Commons Network^™

Peer-Implemented Script Fading To Promote Play-Based Statements In Children With Autism, Jessie Rosdahl

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Teaching communication and social skills to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) requires systematic teaching and instruction. Teachers provide these interventions to multiple students and the efforts can be strenuous. In order to help relieve teachers, as well as provide a more efficient way to teach social skills, this study was conducted to assess the benefits of using peers as implementers and communication exchange partners for children with ASD. In this study, we used an intervention called script fading, a prompt procedure that provides children with ASD with an appropriate audio phrase, which they then repeat during play. This study …

Training Early Childhood Educators To Identify Behavior Function And Select Function-Matched Interventions, Laura V. Cox

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Problem behavior in the classroom can have a negative impact not only on the student’s learning but on his or her social interactions and the child may risk rejection by teachers and peers. This study evaluated the effects of a training package delivered to preschool teachers on their ability to identify what may be causing the problem behavior and identify strategies that may reduce problem behavior.

Previous research has demonstrated the effectiveness of this training package in older age groups or grade levels as well as to other professionals who work with children with problem behavior. Results from this study …

The Implementation Of Interventions For Problem Behavior Based On The Results Of Precursor Functional Analyses In The Early Childhood Setting, Hayley Halversen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study consisted of three parts. We first used a video observation method and statistical analysis to identify benign behaviors that occurred before the problem behavior. These benign behaviors are known as precursor behaviors. We then used a precursor functional analysis to identify the function of the precursor behaviors. Lastly, we developed and implemented an intervention based on the results of the precursor functional analysis. The interventions effectively reduced problem behavior for the participants in the study. The participants engaged in minimal instances of problem behavior throughout the study. The results of this study may be useful to teachers and …

Effects Of A Self-Management Procedure Using Student Feedback On Staff Members' Use Of Praise In An Out-Of-School Time Program, Cade T. Charlton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Out-of-school time (OST) programs are under increasing pressure to improve student achievement. However, OST program administrators face a number of challenges to improving program effectiveness including inconsistent student participation, inexperienced staff members, and a lack of high-quality professional development. OST program administrators can address these challenges by implementing staff development practices that encourage the use of effective instructional strategies.

Specific praise is a simple and effective instructional strategy that has been linked to improved student engagement, enhanced academic achievement, and stronger student-teacher relationships. Unfortunately, there have been very few studies examining the effects of interventions designed to increase OST staff …

Self-Determination Training: A Collaboration Model For Schools And Vocational Rehabilitation, Shannon M. Williams

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Transitioning from high school to postsecondary education and employment is often difficult for students with disabilities. Research has shown that students with increased self-determination skills have a greater likelihood of being successful in a postsecondary setting and in obtaining employment.

Students with disabilities often receive extensive specialized instruction in the areas of English and math, but their teachers have not historically been given training in teaching self-determination. Vocational Rehabilitation counselors are trained to give career guidance and encourage self-determination skills, but are not experienced teachers.

The purpose of this thesis was to determine whether or not a self-determination curriculum created …

An Evaluation Of A Stimulus Preference Assessment Of Ipad Applications For Young Children With Autism, Lyndsay D. Nix

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The process researchers use to determine what children with disabilities like and dislike is called preference assessment. Studies have been conducted with preference assessments using different types of materials (e.g., food, toys, music). In this study, we used a preference assessment on the iPad for children with autism. The purpose was to see if iPad applications (apps) could be used to increase responding. The preference assessment ranked iPad apps for each participant in order of most-preferred to leastpreferred. Participants’ responding increased when they could receive the most-preferred iPad app for completing the task (i.e., stringing beads). These results show that …

The Effects Of Didactic Instruction On The Rate Of Preservice Teachers' Low-And High-Level Questions, Monica Lewis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Developing a teacher’s ability to ask meaningful questions is a simple, effective way to influence learning outcomes. Questions serve as a beneficial instructional strategy, allowing teachers to facilitate student learning opportunities through engagement, and by reinforcing understanding, promoting higher levels of thinking, and providing feedback.

This study evaluated the use of questioning sequence, moving from low- to high-level questions, to support students’ reading comprehension. After engaging in instruction and practice in the TeachLivE™ Lab, two teacher participants implemented low- and high-level question sequences during reading instruction with elementary students. The study measured teacher performance as a rate of question sequences …

From Teachlive™ To The Classroom: Building Preservice Special Educators’ Proficiency With Essential Teaching Skills, Melanie Rees Dawson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Preservice special education teachers need to develop essential teaching skills to competently address student academics and behavior in the classroom. TeachLivE^TM is a sophisticated virtual simulation that has recently emerged in teacher preparation programs to supplement traditional didactic instruction and field experiences. Teacher educators can engineer scenarios in TeachLivE^TM to cumulatively build in complexity, allowing preservice teachers to incrementally interleave target skills in increasingly difficult situations.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of TeachLivE^TM on preservice special education teachers’ delivery of error correction, specific praise, and praise around in the virtual environment and …

Evaluation Of Interactive Computerized Training To Teach Paraprofessionals How To Implement Errorless Discrete Trial Instruction, Kristina R. Gerencser

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As special education classrooms continue to rely on paraprofessionals to implement interventions, provide instructions, and monitor student progress— it is imperative paraprofessionals are well trained. Without adequate training, paraprofessionals can unintentionally create prompt dependency, limit academic growth, and reinforce problem behavior. However, providing quality training to paraprofessionals can be costly to school districts. Interactive computerized trainings may be a solution. The current study investigated the effectiveness of an interactive computerized training to teaching paraprofessionals a commonly used teaching strategy for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other related developmental disabilities called discrete trial instruction. Often procedures to reduce student errors …

Cultivate Fall/Winter 2016, Utah State University

Cultivate Magazine

No abstract provided.

Negative Reinforcement Through Contingent Easy-Task Presentation, Cicely Irene Nickerson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Escape from instructional demands is one of the most common functions of problem behavior. Some research suggests that a switch from difficult to easy tasks may function as a reinforcer for problem behavior. This is of particular concern for situations in which easy tasks are part of the intervention procedure to reduce problem behavior. This project examined the reinforcing effects of a switch from low-probability (low-p) to high-probability (high-p) tasks for individuals whose problem behavior was maintained by escape from demands. It also provided preliminary evidence as to the quality of reinforcement provided by a switch from low- high-p tasks. …

Teacher- And Student-Developed Summaries Of Performance: Perceptions Of Teachers And Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors, Heidi S. Preece

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Special education students often struggle to access services upon graduation from high school. A summary of performance is a document that should ease this transition, but often is nothing more than a meaningless piece of paper. This study sought to use a student-completed portfolio as a summary of performance.

A student-completed portfolio and a teacher-completed summary of performance document was evaluated by special education teachers and Vocational Rehabilitation counselors. Results indicate the usefulness of a student-completed portfolio for person centered planning.

An Evaluation Of An Ipad-Based Activity Schedule, Kassidy Stuart Reinert

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A visual activity schedule is a set of pictures or words that can be used to teach an individual with disabilities to complete a set of tasks. These schedules can help individuals with disabilities to become more independent and complete tasks appropriately. Children with autism often engage in behaviors that are repetitive or not appropriate when playing. Visual activity schedules have been used to teach a variety of skill and teach appropriate play. Typically, activity schedules are paper based; this study examines the use of an activity schedule taught on an iPad. This study included three young boys with a …

Comparison Of Neurological Activation Patterns Of Children With And Without Autism Spectrum Disorders When Verbally Responding To A Pragmatic Task, Daphne U. Hartzheim

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined the neurological activation of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) while performing a pragmatic judgment task. In this study, children between the ages of 9 and 15 years responded to questions regarding a social situation, taken from the Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language, while concurrently having their brain activity measured. We targeted four brain regions for analysis: dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), superior temporal gyrus (STG), and the inferior parietal lobule (IPL).

Ten children with ASD and 20 typically developing (TD) children participated. Matching occurred in a bracketing manner with each child in the ASD …

Using Video Prompting On An Ipod Touch To Teach Multiple-Step Recipes To Transition-Age Students With Moderate To Severe Cognitive Disabilities, Kjerstin Mourra

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study investigated effects of video prompting using an iPod Touch to teach recipe-following to four 16-19 year-old youth with intellectual disability and autism in a transition classroom. Target behaviors involved correctly following three multi-step recipes: microwave dinner, brownies, and gelatin. A multiple-probe design across recipes was replicated across participants. After low levels of responding in baseline probes, researchers presented participants with an iPod Touch showing each step of the task using video and with audio narration. Following the video prompting phase, maintenance and home-based generalization probes were conducted. The intervention increased recipe-following performance for all participants. Performance maintained and …

The Effects Of Brief, Localized, Intensive, Social Skills (Bliss) Training On Social Outcomes For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder In Inclusive School Settings: Form And Function, Christian V. Sabey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined the impact of a framework for implementing social skills training, entitled BLISS, on the social vocalizations of students with autism spectrum disorder.

The number of students with autism spectrum disorder is on the rise and many of these students are being served predominantly in general education settings. However, there is a serious lack of social skills training interventions that have been effectively integrated into the typical school setting, including the use of typically available school personnel as interventionists. The developers of the BLISS approach take a step closer to the ideal by integrating brief social skills instruction …

Perceptions Of Customized Employment Among Employers: A Survey And Focus Group, Melanie D. Adams

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Employment for individuals with significant disabilities can be achieved through customized employment. Unfortunately the employer perspective of customized employment is often overlooked. This study sought to identify employer's feelings about customized employment.

A focus group developed a list of barriers and facilitators to customized employment. The list was turned into a survey that was given to a different group of employers. The results showed that employers were unfamiliar with customized employment and were most concerned with the cost of accommodations. Researchers found that employers considered support from other agencies, financial incentives and increased productivity to be upsides to customized employment.

The Effects Of Unidirectional Peer Tutoring On Mathematics Outcomes For Students With Learning Disabilities In An Inclusive, Secondary Setting, Daniel Pyle

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Students with disabilities included in general education settings often require varying levels of supports and services to execute classroom routines effectively while maximizing their learning opportunities. One support that holds potential to increase outcomes for students with disabilities in general education settings is peer tutoring. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects that a targeted, unidirectional tutoring intervention had on the math outcomes for students with learning disabilities in a Secondary Mathematics I class. High school students that had advanced skills in mathematics served as interventionists (i.e., peer tutors) and were trained to deliver the unidirectional …

A Translational Investigation Of Positive And Negative Behavioral Contrast, Megan A. Boyle

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Applied behavior analysts implement research-based techniques to improve behavior. However, research with nonhumans suggests that intervening to improve behavior in one context may result in a worsening of that same behavior in another context (behavioral contrast). Although there are clinical implications of behavioral contrast, the vast majority of research on contrast has been conducted with nonhuman animals. Results from basic research suggest that contrast is influenced differentially depending on whether a change in conditions follows versus precedes a given context. For example, a child might encounter three contexts each day: home, school, and daycare. An intervention to reduce the child’s …

The Use Of Feedback In Group Counseling In A State Vocational Rehabilitation Setting: A Pilot Study, Saara Grizzell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Thirty individuals with disabilities receiving services at a vocational rehabilitation state agency attended a ten week skills based group counseling program. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: feedback or the treatment-as-usual. Prior to each session, participants filled out the Outcome Questionnaire-45, a questionnaire that provides measures of four different aspects of counseling outcomes: level of symptom distress, problems with interpersonal relationships, social role performance, and mental health functioning. Reports were then generated showing each participant’s scores and progress over time. Group counselors and participants in the feedback condition received these weekly reports. At the end of the …

The Effectiveness Of An Intervention Designed To Increase The Positive To Negative Ratio Of Instructor Interactions During After-School Programming, Rikki K. Wheatley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this research was to assess the effectiveness of two interventions used to train instructors to increase PN ratios. The first intervention (workshop training) followed a didactic workshop-training model. The second intervention (coaching) included the components of the didactic workshop model with the addition of modeling, role-play, and performance feedback. In this study four instructors in an after-school program were randomly assigned to one of two groups to participate in training programs. These programs were designed to help them increase PN ratios when interacting with students during homework time in the after-school program. Group 1 received only the …

Indicator 13 Training For Transition Teachers: Comparison Of Pre-And Post Test Scores On Writing Of Goals, Christina B. Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Special education teachers sometimes experience problems with knowing how to construct and write transition goals that meet Indicator 13 requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This project examined the effects of teacher training in Indicator 13 requirements on the quality of transition goals. Participants included 17 special education teachers from one school district located in a western state. Target behaviors where increasing each participants’ post-test goal quality scores from individualized transition plans (ITP) written after they demonstrated knowledge about requirements through a post-instruction goal quality writing probe. Procedures involved (a) a pre examination of participants’ transition goals that …

Assessing Preference For Home Language Or English Praise In English Language Learners With Disabilities, Casey James Clay

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Assessing preference for stimuli has been shown to be of value when determining potential rewards for individuals with disabilities. Researchers have found that preference for forms of social interaction can be identified for persons with disabilities. Furthermore, these same social interactions can be used as rewards for these same persons. This study conceptualized different languages as different types of social interactions. Assessing preference for languages may be of use to identify forms of social reinforcement that can be used with English Language Learners (ELLs) with disabilities. Identifying reinforcers may be of value for this population to inform how to structure …

Educational Policies Committee Program Proposal, Emma Eccles Jones College Of Education And Human Services, May 16, 2014, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Utah State University requests approval to offer a specialization in Audiology within the existing Disability Disciplines PhD Program.

Supporting Students With Psychiatric Disabilities In Postsecondary Education: Important Knowledge, Skills, And Attitudes, Scott I. Kupferman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Students with psychiatric disabilities are the largest subgroup of students with disabilities enrolled in postsecondary education. However, their high enrollment rate does not equate to a high retention rate. Approximately 86 percent of students with psychiatric disabilities withdraw prior to degree completion. As a result, calls for improved disability services in postsecondary education have been plentiful. In an effort to take a step toward answering these calls, the current study began the exploratory process of identifying knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are important for disability service professionals to possess in order to provide beneficial services to students with psychiatric disabilities …

Development And Validation Of An Instrument To Measure Participant Engagement In State-Federal Vocational Rehabilitation Programs, Joshua D. Southwick

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, calls for participants to become “active and full partners in the vocational rehabilitation process.” This study represents the first research to specifically address the actual meaning and importance of participant engagement in the state-federal Vocational Rehabilitation program. Defining the construct of participant engagement is an important first step in creating more effective services for persons with disabilities. It was proposed that engagement in vocational rehabilitation would include three factors: (a) attendance at meetings with the counselor, (b) fulfillment of an expected contribution during meetings, and (c) completion of homework tasks between meetings. Through …

Educational Policies Committee Minutes, December 5, 2013, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee

Educational Policies Committee Agenda, December 5, 2013, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Course Approvals
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda, December 5, 2013, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Department of Applied Economics

• Prerequisite Change

School of Applied Sciences, Technology and Education

• New Course

Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Sciences

• Course Description Change

Department of Plants, Soils and Climate

• Prerequisite Change

Department of Art and Design

• Title Change, Course Description Change
• Title Change, Credit Hour Change, Prerequisite Change, Remove Repeatable for Credit, Course Description Change
• Title Change, Credit Hour Change, Course Description Change
• Prerequisite Change

Jon M. Huntsman School of Business

• Title Change, Prerequisite Change, Course Description Change

Department of Management

• New Course
• Prerequisite Change, Course Description Change

Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation

• New Course
• Course …

Curriculum Subcommittee Minutes, December 5, 2013, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Department of Applied Economics

• Prerequisite Change

School of Applied Sciences, Technology and Education

• New Course

Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Sciences

• Course Description Change

Department of Plants, Soils and Climate

• Prerequisite Change

Department of Art and Design

• Title Change, Course Description Change
• Title Change, Credit Hour Change, Prerequisite Change, Remove Repeatable for Credit, Course Description Change
• Title Change, Credit Hour Change, Course Description Change
• Prerequisite Change

Jon M. Huntsman School of Business

• Title Change, Prerequisite Change, Course Description Change

Department of Management

• New Course
• Prerequisite Change, Course Description Change

Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation

• New Course
• Course …