Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

Theory Of Mind Deficits In Children With Intellectual Disabilities : A Test Of Specificity And Uniqueness Hypotheses, Dianne Campbell

Theses : Honours

This study was designed to determine (a) whether children with intellectual disabilities have a theory of mind deficit relative to younger children of the same verbal mental age and (b) whether theory of mind in children with intellectual disabilities is domain-specific or related to other general cognitive functions. A group of 15 children with intellectual disabilities (mean age= 10;0), 15 children of average intelligence (mean age= 10;0) and 15 children of average intelligence (mean age= 6:0) matched on verbal mental age with the children with intellectual disabilities. The children were given a series of theory of mind tasks. The children …

Teaching Children With Mild To Moderate Intellectual Disabilities To Select And Produce Facial Expressions Of Emotion Using Modelling And Feedback, Tracey Rayworth

Theses : Honours

The ability to produce facial expressions accurately is essential for effective communication of thoughts and feelings. Children need to select the facial expression to produce in a given situation, while considering the social context, and produce it accurately. This is especially important for children with intellectual disabilities who often experience difficulties in verbal communication. The purpose of this study was to investigate ways of teaching children with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities to select and produce facial expressions appropriate to various situations. The theoretical framework of this study suggests that providing facial modelling and mirror feedback to children will increase …

A Secondary Student Instructional Support Team (Assist): Teachers Face The Challenge Of Student Diversity, Robert A. Gable, M. Lee Manning, Jo M. Hendrickson, Joseph P. Rogan

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

The writers discuss the challenges related to instructing a diverse secondary-level student population. Many elementary and middle school teachers are benefiting from working collaboratively toward common instructional goals. Through collaboration, general and special education teachers can better address the content area needs of the individual students, foster a greater sense of shared responsibility for educating a heterogeneous population of students, increase communication across professional disciplines, enlarge the knowledge base and teaching repertoire of participants, and establish rewarding and long-lasting professional relationships. The concept of A Secondary Student Instructional Support Team (ASSIST) provides a realistic means for implementing the “class within …

Teaching Phoneme-Grapheme Correspondence Rules To Children With Learning Difficulties : An Implementation Of The Fernald Method, Paula Kinsman

Theses : Honours

A single subject design was used to investigate the effectiveness of the Fernald method as an instructional technique for teaching phoneme-grapheme correspondence rules. Participants were tour primary grade children with learning difficulties in reading. Intervention training focussed on teaching phoneme-grapheme correspondence rules through the implementation of an adapted version of the Fernald method. The two dependent variables were word recognition and fluency rates. The design of the study allowed analysis of maintenance and generalisation of the relevant variables. Results demonstrated an increase in word recognition skills and fluency rates by all four children with learning difficulties. Maintenance of these gains …

An Analysis Of Parental Involvement At Iep Conferences For Students With Hearing Impairments, Kristina S. Kroeker Parker

Masters Theses

Legislation of the 1970's and 80's mandated parental involvement in the development of special education plans for children with disabilities. The literature has indicated that parents are often passive recipients of information (Goldstein, Strickland, Turnbull, & Curry, 1980) even though parent involvement in a child's education has been associated with academic success (Epstein, 1990). An observational analysis of eighteen IEP conferences for children with hearing impairments receiving services through the Eastern Illinois Area Special Education Cooperative was completed. Observers recorded the frequency of verbal participation by the parents, and parents and teachers completed questionnaires addressing satisfaction and perceptions of involvement …

Advancing Skills Of Developmental Specialists, Robert L. Morgan

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

Advancing Skills of Developmental Specialists focuses on general skills related to preparing and delivering instruction, carrying out activities related to Individual Program Plans, gathering information on a person's progress, and troubleshooting problems. This program addresses topics important to many specialists, including those working with people who have various disabilities. Since its scope is broad, the program is organized around general principles that have a wide range of application. However, because the scope is broad, instructors working for some organizations may wish to supplement information in this manual with additional material. You are encouraged to supplement with additional information where necessary!

Observation Of Direct Instruction Teaching Behaviors: Determining A Representative Sample Of Time For Supervision, N. E. Marchand-Martella, R. Martella, Benjamin Lignugaris / Kraft

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to determine the optimal amount of time a supervisor needed to observe a teacher to obtain a representative sample of his teaching behaviors while Direct Instruction was provided. These data were gathered across two Direct Instruction programs—Spelling and Reading Mastery—presented by a teacher with over 10 years of Direct Instruction experience. A Direct Instruction observation instrument and rating form were used to gather and summarize these data across 3-, 6-, 9-, 12-, 15-, 18-, 21-, and 24-min observation sessions. Results indicated that although there were minor variations in the percentages of teacher behaviors and …

Meeting The Needs Of The Learning Disabled-Gifted Child : A Problem Of Non-Identification, Jill R. Nooren

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to ascertain possible solutions to remedy the pervasive problem of the failure to identify and meet the needs of learning disabled-gifted children. Using a literature review, the writer sought to determine the characteristics of learning disabled-gifted children, perceived barriers to the identification of learning disabled-gifted children, and programming approaches that would best meet the needs of these unique learners.

An Evaluation Of A Socio-Sexuality Education Program For Individuals With A Developmental Handicap, David Nelson Morrow

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis is an evaluation of eight week socio-sexuality education group for seven individuals with a developmental handicap who live in a twenty-four hour supervised group home. Pre and post-test data collection measured the socio-sexual knowledge of the participants. Attitudes of their primary counsellors toward the sexuality of individuals with developmental handicaps were also measured pre and post-test. A qualitative analysis of the facilitators’ process notes and a post participation focus group with the counsellors provided an understanding of why changes in knowledge and attitude had, or had not, occurred There was a significant increase in the client groups overall …

Perceptions Of Problem Solving: Where's Waldo?, Darla Olk Stack

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Until recently, intervening for a child experiencing difficulty in school meant referring the student for special education evaluation. Problem solving is a new administrative arrangement recommended in many states, where a team of people who know the child, meet to define and recommend interventions to address the concern prior to referral for possible special education placement.

The purpose of this study was to observe the problem solving process and describe the process as it is implemented in the schools. Results indicated that while documentation of problem solving suggested problem solving was taking place, the traditional test-and-place model continues to be …

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Perspectives Of Participants Involved In The Identification And Treatment Process, Judy Davison

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to investigate the viewpoints, the perspectives, and the understandings about Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) which are held by parents, teachers, other school personnel, and physicians who are regularly involved in the process of identifying and/or treating students for ADD. A qualitative inquiry approach was initiated in a middle class community in a Midwestern metropolitan area and included individual interviews and classroom observations.

The researcher offered her understanding of the meaning and intentions behind the expressions/behaviors/decisions of individuals who work or interact with children labeled as ADD. An examination of the data revealed incongruencies in …

A Case Study Approach To Examining The Social Functioning Of Learning Disabled Children With A Nonverbal Impairment, Laura Kate Donelan

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study is concerned with exploring the hypothesis that the deficits associated with the nonverbal learning disability syndrome (NLD) have a direct impact on the interpretation of nonverbal social cues and that this contributes to lower social functioning and as a result, higher rates of internalized pathology in those so diagnosed. Children with NLD have significant visual, organizational and perceptual deficits. In the literature it is suggested that these impairments lead to difficulty in interpreting the nonverbal social cues of others, which in turn leads to impairments in social functioning. To examine this hypothesis a case study of two individuals …