Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

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 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 …

Increasing Eye Contact And Appropriate Verbalizations Of Young Children With Autistic Characteristics, Ping P. Seah

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Social skills have been widely regarded by researchers and educators to be crucial to successful school performances as well as an individual's overall social functioning. The need to be competent in social skills increases for children with autism or autistic characteristics. A teaching strategy was modelled and taught to increase appropriate verbal and nonverbal responses of the participants through sociodramatic play with the researcher and trained peers. Hats and toys belonging to various occupations were used as training material. The two dependent variables measured were the number of appropriate verbalizations and total length of eye contact time given by each …

Influencing The On-Task And Off-Task Behaviours Of Children Who Have Attention Problems Or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Through The Use Of A Token Economy And Self-Management, Renee Ball

Theses : Honours

Attention problems have been identified as a major contributor to below average academic competence in Western Australian students. The present study used an A B C D A' single-subject experimental design to investigate the effects of a token economy, managed first by the researcher, and then by participants, on off-task behaviour. Phase A was a baseline, phase B was a token economy managed by the researcher, phase C was a token economy managed by the participant, phase D was the thinning of the reinforcers (still managed by the participant), and phase A' was a return to baseline. Two participants were …

Parental Perceptions On Full Inclusion For Children With Sensory And Cognitive Disabilities, Marsha Sledge-Bryant

Theses

This investigation was designed to compare the perceptions of parents who have children with sensory, cognitive or multisensory disabilities in relationship to full inclusion within the educational setting. Eighty-one parents participated in the study by completing a questionnaire designed by the researcher. It was hypothesized that parents of children with sensory impairments would have greater resistance to the practice of full inclusion for their own child(ren). Results indicated no significant differences between the three groups' perceptions about full inclusion. In fact, all parents supported the concept of full inclusion, but did not agree that it was an appropriate educational service …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …