Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

Measurements Of Student And Teacher Perceptions Of Co-Teaching Models, Randa G. Keeley

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

Co-teaching is an accepted teaching model for inclusive classrooms. This study measured the perceptions of both students and teachers regarding the five most commonly used co-teaching models (i.e., One Teach/One Assist, Station Teaching, Alternative Teaching, Parallel Teaching, and Team Teaching). Additionally, this study compared student responses to teacher responses to ascertain the presence of both main effects and interactions. It was found that while main effects existed regarding student and teacher perceptions, an interaction did not exist in any category. This study suggests that students perceive positive benefits when teachers implement certain co-teaching models (i.e., Station Teaching, Alternative Teaching, Parallel …

Randall Lynn Wright—A Tribute To A Colleague And Friend, Carolyn Eggleston, Thom Gehring

Journal of Critical Issues in Educational Practice

A tribute to Professor Randall Lynn Wright who died in October 2014.

College Student’S Perceptions Of Living And Learning With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd), Michael P. Gallo, Patricia Mahar, Lynne Chalmers

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

How does the K-12 special education system prepare children with ADHD for the rigors and independent learning of higher education? This article examines the K-12 experiences, including special education, of three college students diagnosed with ADHD during their early elementary years. In their own words, they provide insight into what benefited them and what educators can do to prepare children with ADHD to have a successful post secondary experience.

A Synthesis Of Literature Examining The Structured Teaching Components Of The Teacch Model Employing The Use Of A Visual Conceptual Model, Karin Kliemann

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

A synthesis of research on the TEACCH Model was conducted to determine which components of Structured Teaching under the TEACCH model meet criteria as evidenced based practices using the Reichow, Volkmar, and Cicchetti criteria (2007) along with reporting on the findings of the National Autism Center report (2009). The critical components of the Structured Teaching approach under the TEACCH model as defined by Schopler et al. (1995) are: physical structure; visual schedules; work systems; and task organization. Our analysis found visual schedules met the Reichow et al. (2008) criteria and a case can be made for task organization. A secondary …

Universal Design For Learning In K-12 Educational Settings: A Review Of Group Comparison And Single-Subject Intervention Studies, Yvel C. Crevecoeur, Sarah E. Sorenson, Victor Mayorga, Adriana P. Gonzalez

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

This literature review on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) included articles from January 1984 through June 2014. We (a) investigated the UDL educational framework without the inclusion of other major K-12 educational frameworks in learning environments, (b) reported researchers’ scope and depth of use of the UDL principles, and (c) focused our investigation on two research methods: group comparison and single-subject. We used the quality indicators for evidence-based practices (EBPs) in special education to review, not rate, the final pool of five peer-reviewed articles. Results included analyses of the incorporation of UDL principles in all identified studies, highlighting the need …

Preparing The Next Generation Of Higher Education Faculty In Special Education, Laurie U. Debettencourt

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

There is a shortage in the number of funded doctoral programs in the field of special education. As a result the number of higher education faculty who are trained in the knowledge and skills necessary to train the next generation of special education teachers is critically low. This article describes a doctoral program funded by the Office of Special Education that is currently in its third of four years. Several key goals of the program address the skills needed by the next generation of special education higher education teacher educators. The goals cover teacher preparation, professional development, and academic research. …

Addressing Social, Emotional, And Organizational Goals For A Child With An Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd) Using The Cognitive Orientation To Daily Occupational Performance (Co-Op) Approach, Gina M. Czmowski, Shea L. Willert, Sarah K. Nielsen

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have social, emotional, and organizational skill deficits which are frequently addressed through behavioral based skills training. However, these approaches often do not result in generalization of skills. This case study sought to understand if the Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP), a problem-solving approach, is effective for addressing social, emotional, and organizational goals with a child with an ASD. Pre and post-intervention assessments indicated an improvement on all three client-centered goals, with the client transferring his goals and problem-based strategies to the community. Analysis of video recordings of the intervention sessions indicated the …

Blindness And Selective Mutism: One Student’S Response To Voice-Output Devices, Mary Holley, Ashli Johnson, Tina Herzberg

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

This case study was designed to measure the response of one student with blindness and selective mutism to the intervention of voice-output devices across two years and two different teachers in two instructional settings. Before the introduction of the voice output devices, the student did not choose to communicate using spoken language or gestures while at school. As a result of this intervention, the student consistently communicated her choice of a preferred activity, responded independently to social greetings, and more consistently expressed her wants and needs. She responded “yes” and “no” to questions and made significant gains in pre-reading skills.

“Tengo Que Habla Español. Yo No Entiendo Ingles!”: A Qualitative Case Study On A Bilingual Child With Autism Spectrum, Hyun Uk Kim, Marilyn Roberti

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

Language differences in children with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) often lead professionals to believe that children with ASC cannot or should not become bilingual, thus advising parents with a child with ASC raised in a bilingual household to adhere to English only. Emerging studies, however, attest that children with ASC can become bilingual, and that there are no language differences between bilingual and monolingual children with ASC. Although these findings are promising, very few studies investigated external factors, such as cultural expectations, school practices and other pertinent factors involved in raising and educating children with ASC bilingually. Drawing from video-and …

Sources Of Stress Among Parents Of Children With Intellectual Disabilities: A Preliminary Investigation In Saudi Arabia, Mubarak S. Aldosari, Lisa A. Pufpaff

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

This study identified differences in sources of stress between parents of male children with intellectual disabilities in Saudi Arabia. Seventeen pairs of parents completed the Parent Stress Index (Abidin, 1995). Each pair of parents had a male child diagnosed with intellectual disability who either attended an institute for male children with intellectual disability or a special education classroom attached to a public elementary general school in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Results indicated higher perceived stress levels in Saudi mothers compared to fathers regarding the overall parent-child relationship, the child’s individual characteristics, and the parent’s characteristics. Implications provide research-based …

Developing An Understanding Of Quadratics Through The Use Of Concrete Manipulatives: A Case Study Analysis Of The Metacognitive Development Of A High School Student With Learning Disabilities, Tricia K. Strickland

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

This case study analyzed the impact of a concrete manipulative program on the understanding of quadratic expressions for a high school student with a learning disability. The manipulatives were utilized as part of the Concrete-Representational-Abstract Integration (CRA-I) intervention in which participants engaged in tasks requiring them to multiply linear expressions and factor quadratic expressions embedded within contextualized area problems. The case study focused on a representative participant, Marcia, who demonstrated significant gains from pre- to post-intervention assessments. The qualitative analysis provided descriptive data which offered insight into the reasons for these gains. Results indicated that the manipulatives supported metacognition through …

Perceptions Towards Special Education Of Japanese Parents Of Children With Special Needs In The United States, Yuki Ikezaki, Janice Myck-Wayne, Adrian W. Jung

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

The purpose of this study was to examine Japanese parents of children with disabilities’ perceptions towards special education in the United States. This study included 40 participants who were born and raised in Japan and they are now living in the United States. The results revealed that most Japanese parents still maintained some negative perceptions towards special education from its history of labeling individuals with disabilities as “abnormal” in Japanese culture. Moreover, a majority of participants agreed that America’s special education was more focused on each individual’s needs and promoted independence whereas Japanese ideas of special education was mainly focused …

Articulating A Vision: A Case Of Study Of Democracy, Education, And Prisoner Rehabilitation In A Day Reporting Center, Gregory A. Jones

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Abstract

Unfortunately, little or no time is spent on transitioning inmates back into society, especially those with physical and mental disabilities. One support service that is being taken into consideration is the Day Reporting Center. Day Reporting Centers are highly structured nonresidential programs. Parolees report to the center on a daily basis, submit to drug tests, and are enrolled in various counseling, education, or vocational classes. Whereas most centers have strict monitoring and surveillance of parolees, one center that stands out in its alternative approach of self-governance is the San Bernardino Day Reporting Center in San Bernardino, California. There, the …

The Efficacy Of Charter Schools In The San Bernardino City Unified School District Meeting The Needs Of Students With Disabilities, Gregory A. Jones

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Abstract

The aim of charter schools is to provide equal learning opportunities for all children, particularly those with disabilities; the results, though, are mixed. Some charter school students fare better than traditional school students, while others do worse. The exception is students with disabilities, where they excel and outperform in the charter school environment. This is not the case with San Bernardino City Unified School District charter school students with disabilities. Not only do they not outperform their regular education peers, but actually regress in their academic performance.

Inclusion - Spanish, Stanley L. Swartz

Special Education, Rehabilitation & Counseling Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words: How Do Special Education Administrators Prevent And Resolve Conflict With Families?, Tracy Gershwin Mueller, Shawn Piantoni

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

Conflict between parents of children with disabilities and school district members has been an ongoing issue for decades. Special education administrators are often designated to address conflict with the intent to find an amicable resolution. Otherwise, conflict can lead to due process hearings that move valuable time and money away from general district funds. Understanding how administrators informally address such conflict can guide leaders as they promote collaboration between the home and school. This paper presents a qualitative interview study of special education directors’ experiences with conflict prevention and resolution. Seven key action-based strategies that prevent and resolve conflict with …

Examining Co-Teaching Through A Socio-Technical Systems Lens, Robert S. Isherwood, Richael Barger-Anderson, Matthew Erickson

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

Qualitative research was conducted in a large suburban school district implementing co-teaching as a new service delivery model for special education. Researchers examined the changes that resulted from the new service delivery model using a socio-technical systems lens. This framework views schools as open systems that contain a structural, task, human, and technical subsystem. The intent of the study was to document the changes in each of these subsystems resulting from the implementation of co-teaching and to provide educators with strategies to implement co-teaching in a seamless and effective manner. Unanticipated challenges included scheduling, teacher work ethic, personality compatibility, classroom …

No Teacher Left Behind: Educating Students With Asd And Adhd In The Inclusion Classroom, Michaela N. Jones, Kimberly P. Weber, T.F. Mclaughlin

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of a token economy on on-task behaviors by two seventh grade boys with varying disabilities within a public school inclusion classroom setting. At the end of the study, the participant identified with ASD increased his on-task behaviors approximately 52%. The participant identified with ADHD increased about 59% and decreased an average of 3.3 talk-outs per minute, although there were environmental limitations that impacted the design and confounded the ability to determine an educational effect. One specific limitation was the lack of support for the general education teacher to influence …

Teacher Needs For Educating Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders In The General Education Classroom, Kim Finch, Robert Watson, Cynthia Macgregor, Natalie Precise

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

The purpose of this study was to gather information on experiences of general education teachers concerning inclusion practices for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). In this case study third, fourth, and fifth grade general education teachers in a rural Southwest Missouri school district provided the data source to keep a narrowed focus on the needs of education teachers for inclusion. The sample accounted for 16 elementary education teachers. Surveys were sent to all third, fourth, and fifth grade general education teachers in the district. Perceptions of general education teachers on proper inclusion training were identified as necessary for the …

Perspectives Of First Generation Asian American Parents Towards Children With Disabilities And Their Educational Programs, Quynh Nguyen, Margaret Hughes

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

The aim of this descriptive study was to examine the perspectives of first generation Asian American parents of children with disabilities regarding causes, meaning of disabilities, level of educational involvement and self-advocacy in their children’s special education school programs. Using convenience sampling, 18 Asian American parents from the San Francisco Bay area participated in this study. The major findings in this study were interesting ones in that some were similar and others different from those previously reported in the past for Asian American families. First, the majority of the parents did not believe their past wrong doings caused their child’s …

A Synthesis Of International School-Based Bullying Interventions, Jennifer Goodman, Jessica Medaris, Kimberley Verity, Brittany Hott

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

Bullying is a prevalent problem in school systems in the United States and abroad. This literature review focuses on elementary school-based bullying interventions for students published between 2005-2012. Ten studies reviewed included students from the first grade through the eighth grade from five countries. There were many common themes among successful bullying interventions including: (a) teacher training, (b) school-wide interventions, (c) social skills training in the classroom, (d) homework as a follow up to instruction, and (e) the incorporation of storybooks. Implications for practice and future research directions are shared.

The Effectiveness Of Computer-Assisted Instruction For Teaching Mathematics To Students With Specific Learning Disability, Sherry L. Stultz

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

Using computers to teach students is not a new idea. Computers have been utilized for educational purposes for over 80 years. However, the effectiveness of these programs for teaching mathematics to students with specific learning disability is unclear. This study was undertaken to determine if computer-assisted instruction was as effective as other methods of instruction that do not use computers for teaching mathematics to these students. A two-week experimental research study with 36 male and 22 female participants was conducted to determine if a difference existed in the learning of high school students with specific learning disability who were taught …

Single Subject Research: A Synthesis Of Analytic Methods, Fahad Alresheed, Brittany L. Hott, Carmen Bano

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

Historically, the synthesis of single subject design has employed visual inspection to yield significance of results. However, current research is supporting different techniques that will facilitate the interpretation of these intervention outcomes. These methods can provide more reliable data than employing visual inspection in isolation. This article compares the different techniques, compares the benefits of utilizing these techniques in addition to visual inspection, the limitations of each technique being reviewed, and evidence for combining traditional statistical measures with visual inspection.

The Effects Of Professional Development On Co-Teaching For Special And General Education Teachers And Students, Chelsea Miller, Kevin Oh

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

As we progress into a future where more students with IEPs are in general education classes, teachers must be innovative, creative, and passionate about providing an opportunity for all students to succeed in the classroom. Rather than students with IEPs be taken from their classrooms to receive remedial services from their special education teacher, it is more beneficial to all students and teachers to have education specialists and general education teachers co-teach classes (Conderman, 2011). Education specialists have extensive knowledge in acquisition of literacy skills, how to scaffold, and present information through multiple mediums. General education teachers are experts in …

Implementing Multi-Tiered Systems Of Support In Mathematics: Findings From Two Schools, Erin Donovan, Katharine Shepherd

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

This study examined the benefits and challenges associated with implementing RtI in the area of mathematics in an elementary and a middle school in a rural district in the northeastern United States. We sought to document the ways in which two schools approached implementation of RtI and to explore the issues they encountered with respect to instruction, intervention, and assessment. Five themes were identified that described implementation of the RtI framework: Shifting roles and changing structures, increasing opportunities for collaboration and communication, increasing instructional and assessment support for students who struggle in math, increasing knowledge of support strategies for learners …

Attitudes About Inclusion: Through The Lens Of Practitioners And Novices, Janet R. Desimone, Nancy Maldonado, M. Victoria Rodriguez

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of preservice and inservice education students, towards inclusion in school settings. Graduate students working on their New York State teacher certification in early childhood special education (n= 152) completed a survey, Attitudes Toward Inclusion. The survey addressed the following: attitudes towards various disabilities; perceptions of preparedness to modify instruction for students with disabilities and to meet their needs; willingness to include students with more severe disabilities in their classrooms; placement issues; and impact on general education students. The findings revealed three major themes: 1) inclusion for some students with special …

Teachers Of Students With Emotional And Behavioral Disorders’ Perceptions Of The Importance Of Selected Professional Standards Of Practice, Mandy E. Lusk, Lyndal M. Bullock

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

Utilizing the Council for Exceptional Children’s (CEC) standards delineated for preparation programs in teaching students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), the present study sought to determine how graduates of one teacher preparation program perceived the importance of the standards in their work with students with EBD. Results indicated that graduates viewed the CEC standards as important to their work. Further, a multiple regression model examined specific demographic variables (i.e., total years of teaching experience, positions graduates currently held, graduates’ feelings about working with students with EBD, and their feelings as to causal factors leading to EBD) as predictors for …

Relationships Between Risk Factors, Perceptions Of School Membership And Academic And Behavioral Engagement Of Students Who Attend An Alternative School For Behavioral And Emotional Challenges, Sunyoung Ahn, Richard Simpson

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between the perceptions of school membership, risk factors, and behavioral and academic engagement among a sample of alternative school students. The study subjects were 48 7th-9th graders who were at high risk for school failure because of their serious and chronic behavioral and academic problems. All subjects had an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). A 25 item school membership questionnaire adapted from existing school membership surveys was used to assess students’ perceived school membership. The study participants reported a moderately positive school membership score. The findings indicated that commonly known risk …

The Accessibility Of A Children’S Museum, Mary G. Curtis, Limor H. Chavez

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

Service learning is an effective means of implementing course curriculum in the real world (Driskoll, 2009). As a Carnegie Foundation classified campus for the Advancement of Teaching, Community Engagement, the University of Texas Brownsville actively promotes service learning and partnerships with community agencies (www.utb.edu/vpaa/cce/Pages/). While enrolled in a graduate course in assistive technology, graduate participants in special education were challenged with a service learning project for the local children’s museum. To help meet the needs of the museum, the graduate students were charged with task of evaluating the accessibility of the museum exhibits for children with disabilities. This project provided …

The Perspectives Of Professionals And Parents On Inclusion In Head Start Programs, Thuy Nguyen, Margaret Hughes

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

This study examined the perspectives of professionals and parents on part-time inclusive preschool Head Start programs that included both children with and without disabilities. The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to examine parent and teacher perspectives of inclusion on the developmental outcomes of all children and (b) to investigate their perspectives on what constitutes a high quality inclusive program. Thirty Head Start and Early Childhood Special Education preschool teachers, as well as 30 parents of children with and without disabilities participated in this study. The major findings indicated that both parents and teachers strongly agreed that all children …