Education Commons^™

Strategies For Delivering Sexual Health Education To Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorders: An Integrative Review Of The Literature, Megan Harris

Grace Peterson Nursing Research Colloquium

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurobiological condition leading to cognitive and social deficits within individuals on the spectrum. Adolescence is a time of intense physical and psychosocial changes that prove difficult for youth with ASDs. As families work through this transition they try to navigate teaching sexual health to their adolescent with an ASD. Teaching should be done to promote health, healthy relationships, and to prevent victimization. Yet, parents report that they lack the knowledge and support to complete this task. The purpose of this literature review was to synthesize research on strategies for teaching sexual health education to …

Preliminary Data Of The Smartsignplay Prototype: A Sign Language App For Families With Children Who Are D/Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing, Caroline A. Guardino, Brianna Balch, Sarah Rearick

DHI Digital Projects Showcase

SmartSignPlay is an app aimed to assist children who are d/DHH and their families learn functional signs to support early communication development. The app is interactive and can be played on smartphones and tablets. The process of developing the app and preliminary results of the pilot study will be presented.

Building Social Justice Awareness Through The Curriculum: Teaching A Crash Course In Disability Studies, Beth Ann Bryant- Richards

Southeast Regional AHEAD Conference

This session will highlight my experience teaching a sophomore seminar course about the rhetoric of disability. Each seminar had to have a focus in multiculturalism in the United States, and many of the established courses focused on issues of race, gender, ethnic, and religious identity. Mine was the first course in the offerings that treated ability level as a component of multiculturalism or diversity. I will discuss the structure of the course, explain course readings and student activities and assignments. I will also provide some feedback that I received from students. After the presentation about the details of the course, …

The Role Of Administrative Support In The Retention Of Special Education Teachers, Atinart Koonkongsatian

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

Administrative support towards special education teachers can be a determining factor towards their success in regards to teacher retention, motivation, and overall happiness. Special education teachers face large amounts of paperwork, meetings, and other administrative duties that they are expected to complete in addition to the various teaching duties required as well. The amount of work given can lead to feelings of stress, inadequacy, and most importantly, a lack of desire to continue working in the field of special education. The quantity and quality of administrative support towards special education teachers can play an important role in the retention, motivation, …

Understanding The Learning & Advocacy Needs Of A Twice-Exceptional Student Through A Strengths-Based Lens: A Case Study In California, Lisa Krausz

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

Twice-exceptional students possess both high ability and learning disabilities. Due to the complex interaction of their gifts and disabilities, these students present challenges to both educators and parents alike in identifying and understanding their learning and growth needs. Most educators adopt a deficit approach when working with these learners; new research, however, calls for multi-dimensional, strengths-based approaches in order to more effectively engage these students into positive school experiences and academic growth. Strength-based approaches draw upon an understanding of the student’s strengths, interests, and talents to entice them into both more rewarding and difficult work; it also calls for a …

The Benefits Of Music Education In The Mild To Moderate Special Education Classroom, Grades 3-5, Kimberly Lloyd

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

Though extensive studies exist regarding the use of the arts in general education settings, a comparable amount of research is still needed to support the need for the use of the arts in special education settings. This research project investigated how a once a week music class impacted 3rd-5th grade students with mild to moderate disabilities in developing their academic, social and behavioral goals as identified in their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). This qualitative research study utilized multiple data forms, including classroom observations of both music and non-music instruction and interviews with teachers, artists, and parents throughout the course of …

The Benefits Of Music Education On Academic, Behavioral, And Communicative Skills With Middle School Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Sarah V. Foley

Scholarly and Creative Works Conference (2015 - 2021)

Music education has an important place for students with special needs. Through community based arts education programs, student benefits range from social to academic. The problem is that too often music education, among arts programs, is not taught in special education classrooms. The purpose of this study was to identify benefits that music education has on students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), focusing specifically on academic, behavioral, and communicative skills.

A review of the literature revealed that music is beneficial to students in a variety of ways, when they are provided the opportunity to engage in music education. Through this …

The Values Grounded Learning Environment: Developing A Positive School Culture And Student Success, Michael J. Redivo Ph.D., Lynn Coleman

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

The Values Grounded Learning Environment training provides educators with a comprehensive positive behavior management model, including basic strategies for effective limit setting and positive reinforcement. It is a user friendly model that can be implemented in a variety of educational settings and provides a framework for thoughtfully responding to student behaviors and emphasizing student and staff accountability.

Pathway To Graduation: A Summer Reading Intervention Project For Middle School Students, Mandy Strong

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Usefulness to Practitioners

This presentation will provide an overview of a summer reading intervention program for middle school students who are struggling readers and exhibit behavioral deficits. The purpose of the program was twofold: (1) to intervene with struggling readers; (2) to use a social skills component to develop motivational skills in participants.

Attendees of the presentation can leave with an understanding of ways to implement summer interventions in an effort to enhance the academic performance of struggling students. This presentation is geared toward administrators, teachers, and university partners on ways to develop future programs to impact achievement.

Teaching The Value Of Work Through School And Community Integration, Sharon Singleton, Jason Bossart

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Bonnie Brae is a 100 year old residential treatment facility for youth at-risk. Recognizing a need to implement experiential learning into our school, we have effectively collaborated and partnered with numerous community non-profit organizations for work experience. Because of this integration, our boys are prepared to successfully transition from the residential environment knowing the importance of interpersonal skills and the value of work.

Increasing Academic Engagement And Compliance With Self-Management And Social Sills Instruction, Tom J. Clees, Todd Stephens Ph.D.

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

The implementation of Self-recording techniques and social skills instruction designed to increase engagement and compliance to teacher directions will be described. Two research studies will be presented in which students with behavioral challenges improved academic engagement and compliance.

Deaf Education And Mental Health, Katherine Schwartz

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Previous research has indicated that deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) students are more at risk for being identified with mental illness. Unfortunately, research has also indicated deaf educators are ill-equipped to provide the necessary support to these students and their families. This lack of knowledge and confidence to address such problems can and does have detrimental effects on students in and out of the classroom. Students with mental health issues struggle not only cognitively, but also socially and emotionally. To address the issue, a pilot study was conducted to examine deaf educators’ current abilities to work with students with …