Early Childhood Education Commons^™

How Do Parents Of Typically Developing Children Perceive And Interact With Children With Exceptionalities?, Zurisaday N. Decker

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

The purpose of this study was to examine how parents with children displaying typical development, perceive and interact with children who have exceptionalities or disabilities and explore parents’ openness to having discussions about exceptional children in inclusive classrooms. Given that parents function as foundational sources of knowledge to children in their early childhood years, understanding parents’ perceptions of and interactions with children with disabilities may help to understand how these parents’ children will, in-turn, perceive and interact with classroom peers with disabilities. This line of inquiry is supported by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, which views microsystems such as the family, …

The Use Of Video Modeling To Improve Transitions Within A Preschool Classroom, Amanda L. Duncan

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

Video modeling is a widely accepted and utilized intervention for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A multiple probe design across participants was utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of using video modeling to decrease transition duration within a preschool classroom. Participants were between the ages of 3-5 and students within an interdisciplinary public preschool classroom in a rural county. All sessions were conducted in the student’s classroom during their typical routine and the intervention was implemented by their classroom teacher. Preliminary results indicate that video modeling is an effective intervention for reducing the duration of transitioning.

Teaching Children To Use Interaction Strategies With Their Younger Siblings That Are Minimally Verbal, Abby Rucker

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

Children that are minimally verbal often lack same- or near-age peer interaction outside of the home environment. This study attempted to bridge that gap by training older siblings of minimally verbal children to use interaction strategies during play sessions. Through this, researchers were able to examine both the fidelity of use of the trained interaction strategies as well as their effect of the younger siblings’ communication skills.

Improving Writing Skills With Kindergarten Students Using Embedded Learning Opportunities In Dramatic Play, Samantha Tabor

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

How do kindergarten teachers meet the required instructional mins, get students to reach mastery of common core standards, and embed learning opportunities in play? Teachers will need to focus on creating environments that foster creativity, problem-solving, and will help their individual students grow academically, socially, and emotionally (Cress & Holm, 2017). There are very few studies that discuss embedding learning opportunities for kindergarten students using kindergarten common core standards. There are no current studies that address kindergarten teachers using embedded learning opportunities to increase kindergarten writing skills as outlined by common core standards. This study focused on just that: Do …

Evaluation Of Preschool Life Skills (Pls) Program To Teach Social Skills In A Preschool Class, Zhenying Jiang

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

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a Tier 2 PLS program on increasing critical social skills (i.e., requesting for attention, framed requesting for materials and assistant, and delay and denial tolerance) and decreasing problem behaviors for the participants with risk of delay in social domain. A multiple probe across behaviors design replicated across participants was employed. The intervention terminated due to the end of school year before skill 3 could be introduced. Two of three participants met criteria for two taught skills, while one participant did not acquire all skills. Decrease of problem behavior accompanied …

The Effects Of Interactive Shared Book Reading Recall Procedures On Preschoolers' Friendship Development, Samantha M. Mcgehee

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

Developing friendships is an important aspect in the lives of children. Children begin developing friendship related skills in toddlerhood and can begin maintaining these friendships by preschool-age. Few Tier 1 interventions exist to support children in preschool classrooms to develop these critical friendships. Interactive shared book reading is a common practice in early childhood classrooms that involves an adult reading a book to one or more students with embedded questions about the book to increase engagement and understanding with book themes. Reading to Engage Children with Autism in Language and Learning (RECALL) is an adaptation of interactive shared book reading …

Using Concurrent Operant Analyses To Predict Reinforcers To Increase Work Completion In Schools, Amanda Jo Schaefer

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

In this study, a concurrent operant analysis (COA) was conducted for two elementary aged students in a public school to determine if the results yielded a possible reinforcer for work completion. A simultaneous treatments design was used during the COA to evaluate choice making behavior. The results of the COA indicated the student’s choice making behavior was maintained by access to tangibles, access to attention, or escape. The results were then used to create a token economy in which the student could earn their preferred reinforcer for work completion. An alternating treatments design was used to compare work completion during …

A Retrospective Within-Session Analysis Of Interview Informed Synthesized Contingency Analyses For The Purposes Of Quality Improvement Within A University-Based Clinic, Amy Wolfe

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

Functional analysis (FA) is a tool practitioners can utilize to identify the function of challenging behavior. An interview informed contingency analysis (IISCA) is a variation of a FA. In an effort to improve patient care within a university-based clinic, a within-session analysis of the first test condition of an IISCA was conducted to determine if a shorter assessment yield results similar to the full IISCA. An alternating treatments design was used to evaluate differentiated rates of challenging behavior across conditions for eleven client cases at the university-based clinic. A single test session was enough to determine the function of challenging …

The Effects Of System Of Least Prompts On Preschool Children’S Play Skills, Hailey D. Helton

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

This research study utilized a multiple probe design to teach pretend play skills while embedding the system of least prompts teaching strategy during pretend play. Four preschool-aged children with and without disabilities participated in the study. When the system of least prompts was embedded within pretend play, play skills increased.

Teaching The Picture Exchange Communication System Phases I-Ii To Preschool Students With Disabilities, Olivia Kelly

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

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching the PECS protocol to preschool students with disabilities using the PECS Phases I-II. A multiple probe across participants design was used to conduct the study and evaluate the effectiveness of the training on the PECS Phases I-II. The results of the study demonstrated that teaching the PECS protocol using picture cards of preferred items was effective in the preschool setting to teach preschool students with moderate to severe disabilities to independently travel to a PECS book and exchange a picture request with the investigator.

Validation Of An Early Childhood Emotional And Social Competence Instrument Using A Rasch Partial Credit Model, Nan Li

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

The release of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) started a new chapter of education in the United States. The ESSA emphasizes the importance of preschool education; the act states that more resources will be devoted to preschool education, which lays the foundation for children’s school learning process. The goal of the act is to make sure children enter kindergarten education with equal preparatory. School, family, and researchers are paying more attention to developing preschool children’s social and emotional competency before entering Kindergarten. For understanding preschool children’s social and emotional skill development situation, instrument is the mostly widely adopted method …

Coaching Caregivers In Rural Communities On Naturalistic Strategies Via Telehealth, Stevie L. Ogburn

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

Naturalistic strategies have been shown in research to promote expressive language in children by embedding opportunities for learning trials during routines and activities. Efforts to promote expressive language development are often focused on training caregivers in implementing naturalistic strategies in their child’s typical daily routine. Coaching is a consistently effective training practice to prepare family members to implement the naturalistic strategies. While coaching has been shown to be effective, the recommended time requirement could be a barrier for most caregivers. Caregivers living in geographically remote areas also face additional barriers, such as higher rates of poverty and less access to …

Supporting School Readiness Through Librarian-Child Interactions In Public Library Storytimes: An Analysis Of Assessment Scores And Influential Factors, Maria Cahill, Hayley Hoffman, Erin E. Ingram, Soohyung Joo

Information Science Faculty Publications

A recent trend in public libraries′ children’s services emphasizes the role of promoting school readiness. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the school readiness efforts present in storytime programs, this study observed and scored 68 public library preschool storytime sessions presented by 35 storytime providers across three states using the CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System) measure. The CLASS evaluates adult-child interactions in learning environments within three domains related to positive outcomes in children’s school readiness: emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support. Additionally, the study examined whether differences among CLASS scores were influenced by the population density of …

Incorporating Environmental Arrangement Strategies Into Classroom Activities, Brandy M. Denton

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

Individuals with extensive support needs, including those who have autism spectrum disorder and are classified as level 3 in the area of social communication, are more likely than same-age peers to display delays in age-appropriate social communication and engagement in activities. To address these issues, special education teachers, in collaboration with related-service providers, should create social communication and engagement objectives. Once objectives are identified, teachers can plan for and implement environmental arrangement (EA) strategies to promote these behaviors in a natural context. EA strategies are a long-standing approach to creating a communication-rich environment and can be used alone or paired …

Alternative Thesis Project For Spring 2020 Semester, Elaine Murner

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

During the Spring 2020 semester, students within the special education program were conducting applied thesis projects within typical contexts as part of their fulfillment of the requirements of a master’s degree program. Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), public schools and related facilities closed with no plans to reopen within the time frame to allow for graduation for students in the last semester of their graduate program. Students were allowed to complete an alternative thesis assignment in the form of responding to writing prompts followed by an oral defense of the written products, along with questions related to their …

Comparing, Contrasting, And Evaluating Single Case Research Designs And Describing How To Apply Coaching Techniques In An Applied Setting, Kasey Jo Waddell

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

During the Spring 2020 semester, students within the applied behavior analysis/special education/interdisciplinary early childhood education program were conducting applied thesis projects within typical contexts as part of their fulfillment of the requirements of a master’s degree program. Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), public schools and related facilities closed with no plans to reopen within the time frame to allow for graduation for students in the last semester of their graduate program. Students were allowed to complete an alternative thesis assignment in the form of responding to writing prompts followed by an oral defense of the written products, along …

Virtual Coaching Chinese Parents To Use Naturalistic Communication Intervention With Children With Special Needs, Lin Zhu

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

Effective early communication intervention is essential for preventing long-term, language-related problems for children with special needs. Particular for young dual language learner, supports provided family members in their home language can effectively promote development of communication skills in both home language and English. To help Chinese parents better support their children’s communication needs at home, this study applied a multi-component coaching intervention to teach parents to use a naturalistic communication intervention.

Using multi-probe single subject design, this study experimentally evaluated the effects of coaching intervention on parents’ acquisition of naturalistic intervention. The coaching intervention included a video-based training session, pre-practice …

A Comparison Of Multiple Baseline Family Of Designs, An Analysis Of A Multiple Probe Study, And Coaching For Practitioners, Katherine Jordan

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

Overview of Alternative Thesis Project

During the Spring 2020 semester, students within the applied behavior analysis program were conducting applied thesis projects within typical contexts as part of their fulfillment of the requirements of a master’s degree program. Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), public schools and related facilities closed with no plans to reopen within the time frame to allow for graduation for students in the last semester of their graduate program. Students were allowed to complete an alternative thesis assignment in the form of responding to writing prompts followed by an oral defense of the written products, …

An Educational Pilot Intervention To Increase Environmental Health Literacy Among Rural Kentucky Youth Attending Summer Camp, Ashley Rose Mattingly

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

Risk factors, including exposure to environmental pollutants, poor dietary and overall health outcomes, and low environmental health literacy (EHL), place the rural Appalachian youth population at increased risk for chronic diseases. Implementation of nutrition and pollution curriculum into two week-long summer day camps for youth ages 5-12 years that focus around healthy lifestyles and environmental stewardship has the potential to increase health protective action in this community. This research utilized qualitative interviews of 30 Kids on the Creek Camp attendees to determine the efficacy of the implementation of an active learning lesson to increase EHL by explaining the link between …

An Exploratory Case Study: Using Web-Based Micro Videos As A Parent Involvement Tool To Support Families With Preschool Age Children In Early Numeracy Development, Jamie Thompson

Theses and Dissertations--Curriculum and Instruction

The United States Federal Government recognized the importance of parent involvement in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001. Parent involvement has been associated with lower grade retention rates (student repeating a grade level), higher graduation rates, and higher student achievement rates. Reported obstacles to parent involvement include lack of child development knowledge and time constraints. In early childhood, a major focus has been placed on early literacy skills. However, studies that involve early numeracy skills especially in the home environment are lacking. Therefore, this study attempted to fill that void. An instrumental exploratory case study research design …

Examining The Practices And Quality Of Preschool Teachers’ Practices Managing The Challenging Behaviors Of Young Children, Cameron A. Tyrrell

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

All teachers have to manage a classroom environment and meet the needs of their students. In early childhood educational settings, challenging behaviors have been found to be a significant responsibility. The variables involved in effectively intervening in challenging behavior, and developing behavior support plans, are often determined by various factors. Previous research into challenging behaviors of young children have focused on the effectiveness of certain behavioral interventions, professional development opportunities, and curriculum such as the Pyramid Model. This proposed qualitative study centered the practices teachers reported using interceding in problem behavior, and inquired about the influences behind why teachers used …

Using Coaching Strategies To Support Parents When Promoting Social Communication In Individuals With Disabilities, Molly Baldridge

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

The purpose of this practitioner’s piece was to provide educators with a research-based coaching model that will increase opportunities for meaningful collaboration with parents or guardians in order to promote family-centered and socially meaningful child outcomes for their children with autism or other intellectual disabilities. The training model was based on Lane et. al.’s (2016) brief coaching method approach. Other suggested components to parent training included cultural competency, goal setting, planning for generalization, following up and asking for feedback, and troubleshooting any problem behaviors.

Functional Assessment Of Behavioral And Social Supports, Beth S. Rous

Educational Leadership Studies Faculty Publications

The Functional Assessment of Behavioral and Social Supports is a practice-oriented assessment tool designed to help early childhood teams identify children’s behavioral, social, communication, classroom, work, and self-management skills and the supports needed for successful participation in early childhood settings. The assessment allows teams to document whether skills are present, emerging, inconsistent, or not present; identify adult or classroom supports; describe patterns of support; and summarize priority skills for intervention. The tool is intended for use by teachers, families, and assessment team members as part of early childhood transition, intervention planning, and classroom support processes.

Instructional Strategies Manual, 4th Edition: For The Helpful Entry Level Skills Checklist, 4th Edition, Beth S. Rous

Educational Leadership Studies Faculty Publications

The Instructional Strategies Manual, 4th Edition is a companion resource for the Helpful Entry Level Skills Checklist. The manual provides teachers, families, and early childhood teams with strategies, activities, and adaptations to support young children’s development of social, behavioral, communication, classroom, work, and self-management skills during the transition from preschool to school-age programs. The manual is organized around five major skill areas: classroom rules, work skills, communication skills, social behavior skills, and self-management skills. It includes strategies that can be embedded into daily classroom routines, family activities, and individualized supports, with adaptations for children with hearing, vision, cognitive, physical, speech/language, …

Typical Peers’ Perceived Self-Efficacy Towards Including Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Elizabeth A. Caldwell

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

One in 59 children is identified as having an Autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates that students with disabilities be educated in the general education setting with typical peers to the maximum extent possible. This practice of inclusion has led to increased social-isolation and peer rejection among students with ASD. Research suggests inclusion alone without implementing peer intervention training is ineffective in fostering positive interactions between students with ASD and their typical peers. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to contribute to the literature by evaluating a peer educational intervention designed to promote …

Training Teachers In Inclusive Preschool Classrooms To Monitor Child Progress And Make Data-Based Decisions Through Direct Behavioral Observation, Collin Niles Shepley

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

Progress monitoring and data analysis are essential skills needed by classroom teachers within the implementation of multi-tiered systems of support for making data-based decisions about student progress and instruction. Within the early childhood MTSS research, consideration of teacher-collected progress monitoring data followed by data-based decision-making is rare. To provide teachers with a robust progress monitoring strategy, I trained preschool teachers of inclusive classrooms to use direct behavioral observations to collect data and inform their instruction.

The project experimentally evaluated teachers’ generalization of acquired behaviors within the context of a single-case research design. The project’s independent variable, teacher training, consisted of …

Examining School Readiness, Whitney A. Stevenson

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

This research study was conducted to provide information on school readiness. While there is no national definition for school readiness, states and organizations have developed various definitions to highlight readiness skills that have been deemed important for kindergarteners. The early childhood developmental domains that are often cited in these individual definitions are physical (fine/gross motor), social-emotional, cognition (academics), and communication skills. By considering a holistic approach of school readiness, a child’s development is not isolated to mastering one domain to be “ready” for school.

While most states do not have a statutory school readiness definition, many have been measuring school …

Perception Of Rural General Educators On The Inclusion And Participation Of Students With Significant Disabilities, Rachel L. Crouch

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

The purpose of the study was to question rural general education teachers’ perceptions and attitudes on the inclusion of students with significant disabilities. The investigator surveyed rural general education teachers on their perceptions of what should be occurring in terms of inclusion and on what they saw as occurring in terms of inclusion of students with significant disabilities. The results yielded mixed perceptions and were generally positive in terms of the inclusion occurring within that school district.

The Field Trip Project: Using Environmental Education To Bridge Science Learning Across Formal And Informal Kindergarten Settings, Meg Gravil

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

The Field Trip Study was conducted in direct response to the emergence of scientific thinking as it relates to children’s cognitive abilities. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of nature-based, experiential activities on children’s acquisition of science knowledge. A multiple treatments and controls with pretest research design was utilized to compare science knowledge acquisition between kindergarten children in four instructional conditions: 1) nature-based field trip plus extension activities from an environmental education curriculum, and corresponding book reading and activities, 2) nature-based field trips plus extension activities from an environmental education curriculum, 3) nature-based field trips plus …

Effects Of Naturalistic Time Delay On Promoting Functional Requests Using Aac In Preschoolers With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Brianna Rinaldi

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

The purpose of this study was to teach preschool children with autism spectrum disorders to make requests with a speech generating device using a naturalistic time delay prompting procedure. The participants in this study were two males, enrolled in a public preschool program, between four and five years old. Both participants showed significant delays in expressive communication requiring alternative and augmented communication. The study utilized a multiple probe design across behaviors. Results showed utilizing naturalistic time delay increases independent requests using a speech generating device.