Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

Using Group Video Self-Modeling In The Classroom To Improve Transition Speeds With Elementary Students, Matthew T. Mcniff

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Video self-modeling has been proven to be an effective intervention for individuals with a variety of disabilities and behavioral issues. Very few studies have addressed the impact of video modeling on behaviors that are displayed by groups of students and no studies have tackled the issue of group behaviors with video self-modeling as an intervention. This study focused on analyzing the effects of video self-modeling on students in an elementary classroom in order to increase the speed at which the students lined up and transitioned. Further, the study addressed the question of whether the intervention had a differential impact on …

The Power Of Nature: Developing Prosocial Behavior Toward Nature And Peers Through Nature-Based Activities, Ibrahim H. Acar, Julia C. Torquati

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

An early childhood teacher nurtures children’s perspective taking and respect for another living thing. These interactions happen daily at the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center (SANC) Preschool in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Experiences like this promote children’s development of prosocial behavior, consistent with the Early Childhood Environmental Education Programs: Guidelines for Excellence (NAAEE 2010). This article examines the research question, How can teachers nurture the development of prosocial behavior for preschool-aged children through nature-based play and activities? To address this question, five researchers (including the second author) conducted 74 running record observations of children’s behavior and social interactions over the course of two …

Rfx Transcription Factors Are Essential For Hearing In Mice, Ran Elkon, Beatrice Milon, Laura Morrison, Manan Shah, Sarath Vijayakumar, Manoj Racherla, Carmen C. Leitch, Lorna Silipino, Shadan Hadi, Michèle Weiss-Gayte, Emmanuèle Barras, Christoph D. Schmid, Aouatef Ait-Lounis, Ashley Barnes, Yang Song, David J. Eisenman, Efrat Eliyahu, Gregory I. Frolenkov, Scott E. Strome, Bénédicte Durand, Norann A. Zaghloul, Sherri M. Jones, Walter Reith, Ronna Hertzano

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Sensorineural hearing loss is a common and currently irreversible disorder, because mammalian hair cells (HCs) do not regenerate and current stem cell and gene delivery protocols result only in immature HC-like cells. Importantly, although the transcriptional regulators of embryonic HC development have been described, little is known about the postnatal regulators of maturating HCs. Here we apply a cell type-specific functional genomic analysis to the transcriptomes of auditory and vestibular sensory epithelia from early postnatal mice. We identify RFX transcription factors as essential and evolutionarily conserved regulators of the HC-specific transcriptomes, and detect Rfx1,2,3,5 and 7 in the developing HCs. …

Tiers 2 & 3 Intervention: Suspension, Scott Fluke, Natalie Hoff, Ana Cathcart, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion School suspension has been used for many years as a disciplinary consequence. Research has shown that Zero Tolerance Policies are associated with increasing use of suspension, often for minor violations such as tardiness, dress code infractions, and minor classroom misbehavior. Suspension has been shown to be relatively ineffective, failing to change student behavior, leading to future suspension, lower academic achievement, and eventual dropout. Moreover, suspension has been used disproportionately with minorities and students with disabilities. As a result a variety of efforts are underway to develop strategies to identify alternative disciplinary consequences, and to implement other procedures which have …

Effects Of Age, Sex, And Body Position On Orofacial Muscle Tone In Healthy Adults, Angela M. Dietsch, Heather M. Clark, Jessica N. Steiner, Nancy Pearl Solomon

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Purpose: Quantification of tissue stiffness may facilitate identification of abnormalities in orofacial muscle tone and thus contribute to differential diagnosis of dysarthria. Tissue stiffness is affected by muscle tone as well as age-related changes in muscle and connective tissue.

Method: The Myoton-3 measured tissue stiffness in 40 healthy adults, including equal numbers of men and women in each of two age groups: 18–40 years and 60+ years. Data were collected from relaxed muscles at the masseter, cheek, and lateral tongue surfaces in two positions: reclined on the side and seated with head tilted.

Results: Tissue stiffness differed …

Understanding Childhood Maltreatment: Literature Review And Practical Applications For Educators, Sarah E. Wright

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this thesis is to conduct a critical and descriptive review of the research related to children who experience trauma due to maltreatment—whether because of physical, sexual, emotional, or psychological abuse and neglect—their effects on children, and the potential impact in school and how educational personnel can support the needs of these students. An overview of child maltreatment and review of the literature related to children who have experienced maltreatment was provided including: (a) type of maltreatment, (b) prevalence of maltreatment, (c) effects of maltreatment, (d) treatment approaches, and (f) relevance for educators. The methods and results for …

The Effects Of Expository Text Structure Instruction On The Reading Outcomes Of 4th And 5th Graders Experiencing Reading Difficulties, Janet J. Bohaty

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of a standard protocol supplemental expository text structure intervention (i.e., Structures) on 45 4^th and 5^th graders experiencing reading difficulties. Students were enrolled in six K-8 parochial schools located in a Midwestern suburban city. Within classrooms, students were randomly assigned to Structures intervention or a business-as-usual control condition. Students in the Structures condition were taught to identify and discriminate among the five text structures used by authors of expository text (Meyer, 1975, 1985): description, sequence, cause/effect, compare/contrast, and problem/solution. Students in the business-as-usual control condition participated in the …

Tiers 1, 2 & 3 Intervention: Student Engagement, Amber Olson, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Although it is a broad term which includes many potential components, student engagement is a critical component to both academic and behavioral success. Various research studies have linked positive student engagement to an increase in school success, a decrease in adolescent troubles, and a decrease in dropout risk (Skinner et al., 2008; Fredricks, Blumenfeld, & Paris, 2004; O’Farrell & Morrison, 2003; Stout & Christenson, 2009). Increasing teacher engagement and support has been identified as a key way to increase student engagement (Bryson & Hand, 2007). Various instruments can be used to assess the levels of student engagement within schools, …

Vestibular Dysfunction, Altered Macular Structure And Trait Localization In A/J Inbred Mice, Sarath Vijayakumar, Teresa E. Lever, Jessica Pierce, Xing Zhao, David Bergstrom, Yunxia Wang Lundberg, Timothy A. Jones, Sherri M. Jones

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

A/J mice develop progressive hearing loss that begins before one month of age and is attributed to cochlear hair cell degeneration. Screening tests indicated this strain also develops early onset vestibular dysfunction and has otoconial deficits. The purpose of this study was to characterize the vestibular dysfunction and macular structural pathology over the lifespan of A/J mice. Vestibular function was measured using linear vestibular evoked potentials (VsEPs). Macular structural pathology was evaluated using light microscopy, SEM, TEM, confocal microscopy and Western blotting. Individually, vestibular functional deficits in mice ranged from mild to profound. On average, A/J mice had significantly reduced …

Deletion Of Shank1 Has Minimal Effects On The Molecular Composition And Function Of Glutamatergic Afferent Postsynapses In The Mouse Inner Ear, Jeremy P. Braude, Sarath Vijayakumar, Katherine Baumgarner, Rebecca Laurine, Timothy A. Jones, Sherri M. Jones, Sonya J. Pyott

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Abstract

Shank proteins (1-3) are considered the master organizers of glutamatergic postsynaptic densities in the central nervous system, and the genetic deletion of either Shank1, 2, or 3 results in altered composition, form, and strength of glutamatergic postsynapses. To investigate the contribution of Shank proteins to glutamatergic afferent synapses of the inner ear and especially cochlea, we used immunofluorescence and quantitative real time PCR to determine the expression of Shank1, 2, and 3 in the cochlea. Because we found evidence for expression of Shank1 but not 2 and 3, we investigated the morphology, composition, and function of afferent postsynaptic densities …

Tiers 2 & 3 Intervention: Dropout Screening & Early Warning, Natalie Hoff, Amber Olson, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Understanding the various risk factors and how they may impact a student’s success in school or their decision to drop out is very important. Identifying these factors and understanding which students are at-risk can help schools to take action early and reduce dropout rates. One method of doing this is to implement a universal, or school-wide, dropout screener. These screeners flag students at risk for individual or multiple variables and are helpful in keeping track of which students are in need of immediate assistance or intervention, which students should be watched carefully, and which students are on track for …

Tiers 2 & 3 Intervention: In-School Suspension, Jenna Strawhun, Reece L. Peterson, Scott Fluke, Ana Cathcart

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

According to Dickinson and Miller (2006), “no in-school suspension (ISS) program, or any other discipline program, will be longitudinally effective until educators help students get to the basis of their behavior problems” (page 80). This notion is reflected in the delivery of ISS in a manner that emphasizes therapeutic and academic goals that relate to the function of students’ behavior problems. The research outlined in this brief has suggested that depending on the mode of delivery, there is great variability in the practices and outcomes associated with ISS. In order to diminish the need for assignments to ISS (or …

Tiers 1, 2 & 3 Intervention: Motivation, Scott Fluke, Reece L. Peterson, Amber Olson, Ana Cathcart

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Motivation is central to education. One of the goals of a successful classroom is to motivate students to complete academic work and engage in activities that will lead to learning. Research on motivation has demonstrated, as might be expected, that students who are highly motivated perform better in school, are less likely to dropout, and overall have a more satisfying and engaging school experience. To assist educators with motivating their students, researchers have also identified a number of different strategies to encourage motivation, whether it is extrinsic motivation or intrinsic motivation. Many of these strategies, such as building a …

Tier 1 Intervention: Dropout Screening & Early Warning, Natalie Hoff, Amber Olson, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Understanding the various risk factors and how they may impact a student’s success in school or their decision to drop out is very important. Identifying these factors and understanding which students are at-risk can help schools to take action early and reduce dropout rates. One method of doing this is to implement a universal, or school-wide, dropout screener. These screeners flag students at risk for individual or multiple variables and are helpful in keeping track of which students are in need of immediate assistance or intervention, which students should be watched carefully, and which students are on track for …

Tier 1 Intervention: School Values & Expectations, Reece L. Peterson, Jenna Strawhun, Natalie Hoff

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

At present, school value statements are believed to be a useful component of efforts to improve student behavior and school climate. These statements of values or expectations have been particularly emphasized as one of the key components of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports. Although there is strong research related to the overall outcomes of PBIS, there has been virtually no research about these values or expectations independent of PBIS. However, there has been some research on more global school mission statements, which appears to provide promise for future research on these more specific behavioral expectations. Based on the PBIS …

Convergent Validity Of The Strength-Based Behavioral And Emotional Rating Scale With Youth In A Residential Setting, Kristin Duppong-Hurley, Matthew C. Lambert, Michael H. Epstein, Amy Stevens

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Strength-based assessment has been identified as an appropriate approach to use in planning treatment and evaluating outcomes of youth in residential settings. In previous research the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale-2, a standardized and norm-referenced strength-based measure, has demonstrated adequate reliability and validity with youth served in community and educational settings. The purpose of the present study was to examine the internal reliability and convergent validity of the BERS-2 by comparing the test to the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Symptoms and Functioning Severity Scale (SFSS). The results indicate that the scores from the BERS-2 are internally consistent …

Psychometric Evaluation Of The Symptoms And Functioning Severity Scale (Sfss) Short Forms With Out-Of-Home Care Youth, Thomas J. Gross, Kristin Duppong-Hurley, Matthew C. Lambert, Michael Epstein, Amy L. Stevens

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND—There is a need for brief progress monitoring measures of behavioral and emotional symptoms for youth in out-of-home care. The Symptoms and Functioning Severity Scale (SFSS; Bickman et al., 2010) is one measure that has clinician and youth short forms (SFSS-SFs); however, the psychometric soundness of the SFSS-SFs with youth in out-of-home care has yet to be examined.

OBJECTIVE—The objective was to determine if the psychometric characteristics of the clinician and youth SFSS-SFs are viable for use in out-of-home care programs.

METHODS—The participants included 143 youth receiving residential treatment and 52 direct care residential staff. The current study assessed internal …

Professional Practice And Ethical Issues Related To Physical Restraint And Seclusion In Schools, Brenda Scheuermann, Reece 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 …

Tiers 2 & 3 Intervention: Individual Behavior Plans & Functional Assessment, Scott Fluke, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Individual behavior plans are intensive interventions designed to decrease the problem behavior of an individual student. Accordingly, individual behavior plans should be reserved for students who exhibit challenging behavior that is resistant to less intensive intervention efforts. When implemented correctly (i.e., when informed by functional behavior assessments, data-based decision making, and supervised by a problem-solving team with members trained in behavioral support), individual behavior plans have been shown to reduce problem behaviors and increase pro-social behaviors in a variety of populations, including students in special education. Functional behavior assessments and individual behavior plans should therefore be considered as evidence-based …

Tiers 1, 2 & 3 Intervention: Punishment, Ana Cathcart, Reece L. Peterson, Shir Palmon

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Punishment in school settings has several possible meanings. It can be viewed as retribution for misbehavior, as a behavioral intervention strategy, or as a part of a restorative plan. Punishment can be used effectively, particularly for behaviors that are dangerous or need speedy remediation. However, punishment can have several negative side effects associated with its use including ethical issues, emotional responses by the student, escape and avoidance, misuse and over use by the adult, and undesirable modeling by the adult. There are better options for changing behaviors that are more effective and less harmful to the child. Using punishment …

Tiers 1, 2 & 3 Intervention: Service Learning & Community Service, Shir Palmon, Ana Cathcart, Paige T. Lembeck, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

It is clear that service learning and community service programs in schools may promote student engagement and bolster attempts to reduce school dropout, particularly for at risk or struggling students. Additional benefits include improved leadership skills and increased appreciation for community needs and civic responsibility and engagement. However, offering service learning or community service opportunities is not a common practice in schools today, and many question the relevance it has to students’ academic achievement needed for postsecondary education. Moreover, the push towards schools spending more time on academic instruction seems to diminish opportunities for service learning in schools. More …

Technical Adequacy And Acceptability Of Curriculum-Based Measurement And The Measures Of Academic Progress, Stacy-Ann A. January, Scott P. Ardoin

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Curriculum-based measurement in reading (CBM-R) and the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) are assessment tools widely employed for universal screening in schools. Although a large body of research supports the validity of CBM-R, limited empirical evidence exists supporting the technical adequacy of MAP or the acceptability of either measure for universal screening. Purposes of the current study were to replicate and extend prior research by (a) examining the extent to which CBM-R performance measures more than word reading skills, (b) evaluating the concurrent validity of MAP with CBM-R, (c) determining the potential benefit of administering MAP with CBM-R for universal …

Examining Change In Therapeutic Alliance To Predict Youth Mental Health Outcomes, Kristin Duppong-Hurley, Mark J. Van Ryzin, Matthew Lambert, Amy L. Stevens

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Objective—To examine the link between therapeutic alliance and youth outcomes.

Method—The study was conducted at a group-home with 112 youth with a disruptive-behavior diagnosis. Therapeutic alliance was collected routinely via youth and staff report. Outcome data were collected using youth and staff reports of externalizing behavior as well as behavioral incidents occurring during care. Outcome data were collected following intake into services and at 6 and 12 months of care. Data were analyzed to examine (1) if youth behavior problems at intake were predictive of therapeutic alliance and (2) if changes in alliance were predictive of subsequent youth outcomes. These …

Vocabulary Word Instruction For Students Who Read Braille, Mackenzie E. Savaiano, Donald L. Compton, Deborah D. Hatton, Blair P. Lloyd

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

The association made between the meaning, spelling, and pronunciation of a word has been shown to help children remember the meanings of words. The present study addressed whether the presence of a target word in braille during instruction facilitated vocabulary learning more efficiently than an auditory-only instructional condition. The authors used an adapted alternating treatments single-case experimental design with three students with visual impairments who read braille, collecting data on definition recall and spelling during each session. Data on definition recall were used to determine mastery. The results of this study are not consistent with previous findings with students who …

Tolerance Of The Vocalog Vocal Monitor By Healthy Persons And Individuals With Parkinson Disease, Jeff Searl, Angela M. Dietsch

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Objective: To assess subject tolerance of extended use of the VocaLog^TM vocal monitor (VM), a device marketed to log calibrated decibel sound pressure level.

Study Design: Prospective between-subjects design including two age- and sex-matched groups: individuals with Parkinson disease (IWPD) and healthy persons.

Methods: After an initial session to calibrate the device and demonstrate its use, participants wore the VM during waking hours for five consecutive days. At a second visit to return the VM, participants completed a survey and a short interview regarding their experience with and perceptions of the device.

Results: Those with …

Validation Of The Symptoms And Functioning Severity Scale In Residential Group Care, Matthew C. Lambert, Kristin Duppong-Hurley, Thomas J. Gross, Michael Epstein, Amy L. Stevens

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Tests that measure the emotional and behavioral problems of children and youth are typically not normed and standardized on youth diagnosed with disruptive behavior, particularly those youth in residential care. Yet professional standards mandate that before instruments are used with a specific population the psychometric properties need to be studied and re-established: specifically, psychometric properties, including validity, need to be evaluated (AERA, APA, & NCME, 1999). The purpose of the present study was to assess the validity characteristics of the Symptoms and Functioning Severity Scale (SFSS; Bickman, et al., 2010), a widely used test developed for use in outpatient clinics, …

Using Visual Scene Displays As Communication Support Options For People With Chronic, Severe Aphasia: A Summary Of Aac Research And Future Research Directions, David R. Beukelman, Karen Hux, Aimee R. Dietz, Miechelle L. Mckelvey, Kristy S.E. Weissling

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Research about the effectiveness of communicative supports and advances in photographic technology has prompted changes in the way speech-language pathologists design and implement interventions for people with aphasia. The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of photographic images as a basis for developing communication supports for people with chronic aphasia secondary to sudden-onset events due to cerebrovascular accidents (strokes). Topics include the evolution of AAC-based supports as they relate to people with aphasia, the development and key features of visual scene displays (VSDs), and future directions concerning the incorporation of photographs into communication supports for people with …

White Matter Differences Between Multiple System Atrophy (Parkinsonian Type) And Parkinson’S Disease: A Diffusion Tensor Image Study, L. Ji, Yingying Wang, Nanjing Medical University, J. Shi

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

The clinical differential diagnosis between the Parkinson variant of multiple system atrophy (MSA-P) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) is difficult in early stages. To identify objective markers for differential diagnosis, we combined the novel tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) and region of interest (ROI) analyses for the first time to investigate three groups (15 MSA-P, 20 PD patients and 20 controls) with diffusion tensor imaging data. By TBSS, we performed pairwise comparisons of fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity, radial diffusivity (RD) and axial diffusivity maps. The clusters with significant differences between MSA-P and PD were used as ROIs for further analyses. FA/RD …

Formative Assessment And Writing: A Meta-Analysis, Steve Graham, Michael Hebert, Karen R. Harris

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

To determine whether formative writing assessments that are directly tied to everyday classroom teaching and learn- ing enhance students’ writing performance, we conducted a meta-analysis of true and quasi-experiments conducted with students in grades 1 to 8. We found that feedback to students about writing from adults, peers, self, and com- puters statistically enhanced writing quality, yielding average weighted effect sizes of 0.87, 0.58, 0.62, and 0.38, respectively. We did not find, however, that teachers’ monitoring of students’ writing progress or implemen- tation of the 6 􏰑+ 1 Trait Writing model meaningfully enhanced students’ writing. The findings from this meta-analysis …

Tier 2 Intervention: Mentoring, Jenna Strawhun, Shir Palmon, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Although the outcomes of mentoring studies tend to be mixed, mentoring relationships have the potential to be effective, particularly when outcomes are selected and efforts are made to create lasting relationships. Particular considerations for mentoring program developers and practitioners include the length of the mentoring relationship, recruitment and screening of mentors, mentor training, mentee mobility, mentoring activities, and consistent systematic evaluation and modifications of mentoring programs based on data.

There have been no large widespread controlled studies of mentoring, probably due to the wide variation in the variables associated with mentoring programs as discussed earlier, including the goals, populations …