Education Commons^™

Latent Structure Of Scores From The Emotional And Behavioral Screener, Matthew C. Lambert, Stacy-Ann A. January, Corey D Pierce

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

The Emotional and Behavioral Screener (EBS) is a recently developed teacher-reported brief screening instrument for identifying students who are at-risk of an emotional or behavioral disorder (EBD). Although prior research supports the technical adequacy of scores from the EBS, there is a gap in the literature regarding strong evidence of the factor structure underlying EBS scores. This study investigated the latent structure of scores from the EBS in a sample of 646 elementary students who were rated by their teachers in a 2-week screening period. Single-factor confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and bifactor models were used to test the hypothesis that …

Remembering Gregg Schraw, Matthew T. Mccrudden

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Gregg Schraw passed away on September 15, 2016 at age 62 after a battle with cancer. Gregg was a Barrick Distinguished Professor of educational psychology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He completed a bachelor’s degree in secondary education and became a certified teacher. Later, he completed a M.S. in instructional science (1986), a M.S. in applied statistics (1988), and finally a Ph.D. in cognition and instruction, each from the University of Utah. The progression of his degrees was a prelude to a professional career that was characterized by his emphasis on the use of theory, design, and …

Self-Perceived Competence And Social Acceptance Of Young Children Who Stutter: Initial Findings, Naomi H. Rodgers, Patricia Zebrowski Ph.D

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Purpose: The goals of this study were to determine whether young children who stutter (CWS) perceive their own competence and social acceptance differently than young children who do not stutter (CWNS), and to identify the predictors of perceived competence and social acceptance in young speakers.

Method: We administered the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children (PSPCSA; Harter & Pike, 1984) to 13 CWS and 14 CWNS and examined group differences. We also collected information on the children’s genders, temperaments, stuttering frequencies, language abilities, and phonological skills to identify which of these factors predicted PSPCSA scores. …

Factor Analysis Of The Preschool Behavioral And Emotional Rating Scale For Children In Head Start Programs, Cynthia J. Cress, Matthew C. Lambert, Michael Epstein

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Strength-based assessment of behaviors in preschool children provides evidence of emotional and behavioral skills in children, rather than focusing primarily on weaknesses identified by deficit-based assessments. The Preschool Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scales (PreBERS) is a normative assessment of emotional and behavioral strengths in preschool children. The PreBERS has well-established reliability and validity for typically developing children as well as children with identified special education needs, but this has not yet been established for children in Head Start programs, who tend to be at high risk for development of emotional and behavioral concerns. This study explores the factorial validity of …

Program Monitoring Practices For Teachers Of The Deaf And Hard Of Hearing In Early Intervention, Anne E. Thomas, Christine Marvin

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Program monitoring is an important and necessary assessment practice within the field of early childhood deaf education. Effective program monitoring requires a focus on both the consistent implementation of intervention strategies (fidelity) and the assessment of children’s ongoing progress in response to interventions (progress monitoring). Teachers of the deaf and hard of hearing (TODs) who provide early intervention services need to conduct regular program monitoring to evaluate the merit of their efforts. However, progress monitoring is a practice often overlooked by practitioners within the field of early intervention. It is recommended that TODs monitor children’s progress “regularly,” but evidence of …

Stereocilia-Staircase Spacing Is Influenced By Myosin Iii Motors And Their Cargos Espin-1 And Espin-Like, Seham Ebrahim, Matthew R. Avenarius, M’Hamed Grati, Jocelyn F. Krey, Alanna M. Windsor, Aurea D. Sousa, Angela Ballesteros, Runjia Cui, Bryan A. Millis, Felipe T. Salles, Michelle A. Baird, Michael W. Davidson, Sherri M. Jones, Dongseok Choi, Lijin Dong, Manmeet H. Raval, Christopher M. Yengo, Peter G. Barr- Gillespie, Bechara Kachar

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Hair cells tightly control the dimensions of their stereocilia, which are actin-rich protrusions with graded heights that mediate mechanotransduction in the inner ear. Two members of the myosin-III family, MYO3A and MYO3B, are thought to regulate stereocilia length by transporting cargos that control actin polymerization at stereocilia tips. We show that eliminating espin-1 (ESPN-1), an isoform of ESPN and a myosin-III cargo, dramatically alters the slope of the stereocilia staircase in a subset of hair cells. Furthermore, we show that espin-like (ESPNL), primarily present in developing stereocilia, is also a myosin-III cargo and is essential for normal hearing. ESPN-1 and …

Dysphagia Management And Research In An Acute-Care Military Treatment Facility: The Role Of Applied Informatics, Nancy Pearl Solomon, Angela M. Dietsch, Katie E. Dietrich-Burns, Edda L. Styrmisdottir, Christopher S. Armao

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Purpose: This report describes the development and preliminary analysis of a database for traumatically injured military service members with dysphagia. Methods: A multidimensional database was developed to capture clinical variables related to swallowing. Data were derived from clinical records and instrumental swallow studies, and ranged from demographics, injury characteristics, swallowing biomechanics, medications, and standardized tools (e.g.. Glasgow Coma Scale, Penetration-Aspiration Scale). Bayesian Belief Network modeling was used to analyze the data at intermediate points, guide data collection, and predict outcomes. Predictive models were validated with independent data via receiver operating characteristic curves. Results: The first iteration of the model (n …

Using Caregiver Strain To Predict Participation In A Peer-Support Intervention For Parents Of Children With Emotional Or Behavioral Needs, Kristin Duppong-Hurley, Stacy-Ann A. January, Matthew C. Lambert

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Children receiving services for severe emotional and behavioral difficulties are less likely to have parents who are involved in their education and support services. Peer-to-peer family support programs are one approach to increasing the self-efficacy and empowerment of parents’ engagement in the treatment of a child’s mental health conditions. Furthermore, programs providing parental support may reduce the strain and negative consequences caregivers may experience due to the stress of caring for a child with emotional and behavioral needs. Although much is known about the relation between caregivers’ strain and children’s use of mental health services, less is known about caregiver …

Assessing The Writing Achievement Of Young Struggling Writers: Application Of Generalizability Theory, Steve Graham, Michael Hebert, Michael Paige Sandbank, Karen R. Harris

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

This study examined the number of writing samples needed to obtain a reliable estimate of young struggling writers’ capabilities. It further assessed if performance in one genre was reflective of performance in other genres for these children. Second- and third-grade students (81 boys, 56 girls), who were identified as struggling writers in need of special assistance by their teacher and scored at the 25th percentile or lower on a norm-referenced story-writing test, wrote four compositions: a story, personal narrative, opinion essay, and informative text. Applying generalizability theory (G-theory), students’ scores on three writing measures (total number of words [TNW], vocabulary …

Applied Examples Of Screening Students At Risk Of Emotional And Behavioral Disabilities, Corey D. Pierce, Philip D. Nordness, Michael Epstein, Douglas Cullinan

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Early identification of student behavioral needs allows educators the opportunity to apply appropriate interventions before negative behaviors become more intensive and persistent. A variety of screening tools are available to identify which students are at risk for persistent behavior problems in school. This article provides two examples in which the Emotional and Behavioral Screener (EBS) was used to identify students at risk of emotional or behavioral problems. Example 1 demonstrates how the EBS can be used within a school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports framework to inform decision making. Example 2 demonstrates how the EBS can be used to inform …

Professional Practice And Ethical Issues Related To Physical Restraint And Seclusion In Schools, Brenda Scheuermann, Reece L. Peterson, Joseph B. Ryan, Glenna Billingsley

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Use of physical restraint and seclusion procedures in schools continues to be controversial, and foster proposals for federal and state legislation and regulation. Despite much discussion about what policies are needed, there has been little discussion about the professional practice issues and the ethical issues related to these practices. The purpose of this report is to present six clusters of professional practice and ethical issues that have not heretofore been specifically identified. To do so, we will examine the codes of professional practice and ethics of organizations representing educators who work with students with severe behavioral challenges. To illustrate these …

Students At Enrollment Into Communitybased Systems Of Care: Characteristics And Predictors Of Functioning In School, Stacy-Ann A. January, Matthew C. Lambert, Michael Epstein, Mary Spooner, Tesfayi Gebreselassie

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Community-based systems of care (SOC) provide a range of services to students with significant emotional and behavioral difficulties and their families. However, little is known about the educational characteristics and functioning of students at enrollment in SOC. The purpose of this study was to replicate and extend previous research by examining the educational characteristics and predictors of school functioning for students referred to SOC using a large and diverse national data source. Participants were 5,628 students ages 6 to 18 years who were enrolled in community-based SOC across 45 U.S. states, districts, and territories. Students’ grades, discipline, and attendance (as …

Teacher Perceptions Of Two Multi-Component Interventions: Disability Awareness And Science, Emily A. Dorsey, Chryso Mouzourou, Hyejin Park, Michaelene M. Ostrosky, Paddy C. Favazza

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

This study investigated teachers’ perspectives about two interventions designed to promote kindergarteners’ attitudes toward peers with disabilities. Interviews with teachers were conducted following the 6-week interventions. Teachers shared views on the best and most difficult aspects of the interventions, perceived benefits for teachers and children, and suggestions for improving the interventions. Teachers’ responses were analyzed using content analysis. One salient teacher reported benefit was notable improvement in social skills made by all students. Moreover, students in the experimental condition displayed increased acceptance of peers with disabilities, whereas teachers reported becoming more confident discussing the topic of disability with students. Teachers …

Differential Effects Of Cdh23753a On Auditory And Vestibular Functional Aging In C57bl/6j Mice, Bruce E. Mock, Sarath Vijayakumar, Jessica Pierce, Timothy A. Jones, Sherri M. Jones

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

The C57BL/6J (B6) mouse strain carries a cadherin 23 mutation (Cdh23^753A, also known as Ahl), which affects inner ear structures and results in age-related hearing loss. The B6.CAST strain harbors the wild type Cdh23 gene, and hence, the influence of Ahl is absent. The purpose of the present study was to characterize the effect of age and gender on gravity receptor function in B6 and B6.CAST strains and to compare functional aging between auditory and vestibular modalities. Auditory sensitivity declined at significantly faster rates than gravity receptor sensitivity for both strains. Indeed, vestibular functional aging was …

Real-Time Classification Of Patients With Balance Disorders Vs. Normal Subjects Using A Low-Cost Small Wireless Wearable Gait Sensor, Bhargava Teja Nukala, Taro Nakano, Amanda Rodriguez, Jerry Tsay, Jerry Lopez, Tam Q. Nguyen, Steven Zupancic, Donald Y. C. Lie

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Gait analysis using wearable wireless sensors can be an economical, convenient and effective way to provide diagnostic and clinical information for various health-related issues. In this work, our custom designed low-cost wireless gait analysis sensor that contains a basic inertial measurement unit (IMU) was used to collect the gait data for four patients diagnosed with balance disorders and additionally three normal subjects, each performing the Dynamic Gait Index (DGI) tests while wearing the custom wireless gait analysis sensor (WGAS). The small WGAS includes a tri-axial accelerometer integrated circuit (IC), two gyroscopes ICs and a Texas Instruments (TI) MSP430 microcontroller and …

Influence Of Writing Ability And Computation Skill On Mathematics Writing, Sarah R. Powell, Michael Hebert

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Mathematics standards expect students to communicate about mathematics using oral and written methods, and some high-stakes assessments ask students to answer mathematics questions by writing. Assumptions about mathematics communication via writing include (a) students possess writing skill, (b) students can transfer this writing skill to mathematics writing, and (c) mathematics writing is representative of a mathematics knowledge. We conducted a study in which we investigated the connections among general writing ability, mathematics computation skill, and mathematics writing. With 155 fourth-grade students in two regions of the United States, we administered a measure of essay writing, a measure of mathematics computation …

Using Motor Imagery To Control Brain-Computer Interfaces For Communication, Jonathan S. Brumberg, Jeremy D. Burnison, Kevin M. Pitt

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Brain-computer interfaces (BCI) as assistive devices are designed to provide access to communication, navigation, locomotion and environmental interaction to individuals with severe motor impairment. In the present paper, we discuss two approaches to communication using a non-invasive BCI via recording of neurological activity related to motor imagery. The first approach uses modulations of the sensorimotor rhythm related to limb movement imagery to continuously modify the output of an artificial speech synthesizer. The second approach detects event-related changes to neurological activity during single trial motor imagery attempts to control a commercial augmentative and alternative communication device. These two approaches represent two …