Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

Effects Of Pecs Phase Iii Application Training On Independent Mands In Young Children With Autism, Jessica June Love

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of PECS phase III application training on independent mands in young children with autism. Participants were five children with autism ranging from ages 2 to 4 years old. A multiple baseline across participants was used to evaluate acquisition of independent correct mands across baseline and treatment conditions during training with the PECS Phase III iPadTMapplication.

Data for Participant Four did not demonstrate experimental control directly, as he showed high levels of mands during baseline. The functional relationship for Participant One was questionable as she too likely learned to mand by …

Mathematics Interventions: A Correlational Study Of The Relationship Between Level Of Implementation Of The Accelerated Math Program And Student Achievement, Deborah Walker Driesel

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Current legislation, such as No Child Left Behind (2001) or the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004), has increased accountability for schools for the education of all students. These laws require schools to provide interventions for struggling learners, as part of the Response to Intervention process (IDEA, 2004). Accelerated Math (AM), published by Renaissance Learning, is a scientifically based program designed to supplement quality instruction as part of the RtI process. This correlational study examined ex post facto data using pre and posttest scores on the STAR Math Test in relation to amount of classroom time dedicated to AM instruction …

A Comparative Study Of Administrator And Special Education Teacher Perceptions Of Special Education Teacher Attrition And Retention, Danielle Angelina Sheldrake

Dissertations and Theses

This mixed methods study identifies perceived causes of and solutions to the attrition of special education teachers. Researchers have documented that special education teaching positions encounter higher attrition rates than their general education peers (Katsiyannis, Zhang, & Conroy in Olivarez & Arnold, 2006; Mitchell & Arnold, 2004; Otto & Arnold, 2005; Stempien & Loeb, 2002). More than 66 administrators and 200 special education teachers/Teachers on Special Assignment (TOSAs) employed in the Portland, Oregon metro area (Washington, Clackamas, and Multnomah counties) completed a survey on special education teacher attrition and retention and identified what they believed are the causes of high …

Off Sunset Boulevard: Students, Homelessness And Disability In Los Angeles- Idea, Mckinney Vento And The Void In Between, Remy Krumpak

LUX: A Journal of Transdisciplinary Writing and Research from Claremont Graduate University

Homeless youth with a disability must overcome many barriers to receive the meaningful, individualized education they are legally entitled to. Over the last two decades, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the McKinney-Vento Act have begun to acknowledge the challenges that exist for this population. These laws require school districts to identify homeless youth with a disability, allow them immediate enrollment and access to special education services, and free transportation to school. This article examines the Los Angeles Unified School District as a case study for policy implementation. In analyzing the success of the policies as implemented, this article …

Kyted President's Letter, Steve Crites

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

Read a letter from the president.

Perceived Classroom Management Needs Of Pre-Service Teachers, Nielsen Pereira, Jillian Gates

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

A disconnect exists between pre-service teachers’ expectations concerning classroom management course content and the reality of teaching in an elementary school. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceived needs of pre-service teachers in a classroom management course for elementary education majors at a Midwestern university.

Behavioral Contracting For K-12 Students, Emily Blythe, Amanda Dennison

Applied Behavior Analysis (SPED 432) and Intervention Strategies for Literacy (SPED 431)

This poster provides examples to implement behavior contracting strategies in K-12 classrooms. These behavior contracting strategies will facilitate improved student behavior. Behavioral contracting refers to a written contract that describes a child’s behavioral obligations. In addition, reinforcers (teachers’ or parents’ obligations) are outlined for when the child has met the contract’s conditions. In research conducted by Cutrell (2010) middle-school students with emotional behavior disorders (EBD) were examined. The research demonstrated that behavioral contracts decreased the participants’ targeted, inappropriate behavior. The following details are outlined: For whom and why behavioral contracts are used; how to implement behavioral contracting in the classroom; …

Editor's Welcome And Introduction To Ktej, Wanda G. Chandler

Kentucky Teacher Education Journal: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children

The editor, Wanda G. Chandler, welcomes TED members and other readers to the reestablishment of KTEJ and the first issue be published at WKU's TopSCHOLAR® website. Call for papers is March 15, 2014.

Comparing Types Of Student Placement And The Effect On Achievement For Students With Disabilities, Patricia Mason

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Since implementing No Child Left Behind, schools have improved student achievement while also preparing students for the 21st century. Schools continue to strive for 100% proficiency in all subgroups by 2014, but achievement gap exists for students with disabilities. This study used a causal comparative research design to test the concept of co-teaching by comparing types of placement for students with disabilities and the effect on student achievement. For this study, placement was considered where the student received instruction in either a general education class or a co-taught class during 9th through 11th grade. Student achievement was based on the …

Spoken Production Of Novel Words With Accompanying Picture Symbols Across Language Skill Proficiencies Of Young Children, Amy Buchanan, Jennifer Morris, Shari L. Deveney

Special Education and Communication Disorders Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

This poster discusses: Background, Research Question, Methods, Results, Conclusions, Clinical Implications, and Limitations & Future Directions.

Phonological Profiles Of 2-Year-Olds With Expressive-Only And Expressive And Receptive Language Delay: A Pilot Study, Kristin Vanwyngaarden, Shari L. Deveney

Special Education and Communication Disorders Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

This poster discusses: Background, Research Question, Methods, Results, Conclusions, Clinical Implications, and Limitations & Future Directions.

Checklist For Assessing Graduate Students’ Competencies In The Area Of Voice Disorders, Amy F. Teten, Shari L. Deveney, Mary J. Friehe

Special Education and Communication Disorders Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

This poster discusses: Background, Research Question, Methods, Results, Conclusions, Clinical Implications, and Limitations & Future Directions.

Checklist For Assessing Graduate Student Competencies In Voice Disorders, Amy F. Teten, Shari L. Deveney, Mary J. Friehe

Special Education and Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

Low-incidence clinical disorders such as voice, nasal resonance, and fluency present challenging areas for graduate-level speech-language pathology training programs to help students acquire necessary knowledge and skills. A checklist of competencies for fluency disorders exists in the literature. The authors are presently collecting pretest/posttest data on the fluency disorders checklist over several cohorts of graduate students to determine student level of proficiency and confidence regarding these competencies. Preliminary data analysis suggests significant student perception of growth as a result of completing course requirements. These data have been useful to the second author, who teaches a course in fluency disorders and …

Examining The Relationships Between Secondary General Education Teachers' Attitudes Toward Inclusion, Professional Development, And Support From Special Education Personnel, Lynn Wogamon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This correlational research study examined the relationships between secondary general education teachers' attitudes toward inclusion, hours of professional development in topics related to special education and hours of support from special education personnel addressing the needs of students with disabilities received weekly. The research also investigated whether this information could be used to predict secondary general education teachers' attitudes towards inclusion. General education teachers in six South Carolina high schools completed the Scale of Teacher Attitudes Toward Inclusive Classrooms (STATIC) and a demographic survey that asked about hours of professional development in special education topics and hours of support received …

The Use Of Video Prompting Via An Ipad® And A System Of Least-To-Most Prompting To Teach Individuals With Moderate Intellectual Disabilities The Vocational Task Of Rolling Silverware, Kelly Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of video prompting delivered via an iPad® in combination with a system of least-to-most prompting to teach individuals with intellectual disabilities the vocational task of rolling silverware. A single subject, multiple probe research design was used to determine whether there was a functional relationship between the use of video prompting and a system of least-to-most prompting and video prompting alone and the percentage of steps completed correctly in the task of rolling silverware. The findings from this study support the use of video prompting delivered via an iPad® to increase the …

Language Therapy And Academic Achievement In Mathematics: Speech-Language Pathologists' Roles And Perspectives, Rachel Richter

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) play an important role in language intervention among school-age children and have the potential to target academic achievement through language therapy. This study explored whether and how SLPs capitalize on language therapy to promote students’ math achievement and discussed SLPs’ practice addressing academic problems that co-occur with language disorders. Ten elementary school SLPs were interviewed to gather their perspectives on the relationship between language disorders and academic achievement. Results indicated that the SLPs acknowledged their responsibility to address academic difficulties and reported addressing academic difficulties presented by students in their caseload. Reading and writing were identified by …

Teaching Expressive Writing To High School Students With Learning Disabilities Using Direct Instruction, Self-Regulation, And Computer-Assisted Instruction, William Lindsey

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects on a combination of Direct Instruction (DI), self-regulation strategies, and computer-assisted writing instruction for high school students with learning disabilities (LD). Five students with LD participated in the study. A multiple baseline research design across students with ABC phases was used. During the baseline, the participants were required to free write 3 to 4 stories based on a topic. During the intervention, the combined strategies were taught, and students were guided to practice in developing their own stories. After two weeks, they were required to complete 2 stories to evaluate …

Response To Intervention For English Learners: Big Ideas And Myth Busters, Julie Esparza Brown

Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

This presentation focuses on the key features of response to intervention (RTI)

Social Compass Curriculum: Three Descriptive Case Studies Of Social Skills Outcomes For Students With Autism, Louanne E. Boyd, Deborah M. Ward

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

The Social Compass Curriculum (SCC) was investigated for its effectiveness in improving core social skills in three descriptive case studies of students with autism. Treatment fidelity of the SCC was also measured in the school setting. The Social Responsiveness Scale and the Autism Social Skills Profile were completed by parents to measure pre- and postintervention social skills for three students aged 8 to 11 years who participated in the present multisite pilot study. Fidelity of implementation data were collected via a checklist during observations for three educators who implemented the intervention. Results indicate that the SCC improved core social deficits …

A Study Of The Perceptions Of Youth Violence In America By America’S Youth, John M. Collins, Dr. Macleans A. Geo-Jaja

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The 1980s saw an increase in youth violence, teenage alcohol, and drug abuse. The media is continually bombarding homes with news stories on teenage gang wars, drive by shootings, and school violence. The Department of Justice (DOJ) in its 2001 Report stated that there were 2.5 million students between the ages of twelve and eighteen that were victims of a crime committed on school property in 1999. This same year, the DOJ indicated that of these victims about 186,000 were of serious violent crimes, including rape, sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated assault. In 1999, 2.5 million juveniles were arrested. This …

The Role Of Inspiration In Scientific Scholarship And Discovery, Kari O’Grady, Dr. P. Scott Richards

Journal of Undergraduate Research

I used my ORCA scholarship to fund a research study investigating the role of inspiration in scientific scholarship and discovery among BYU natural and behavioral science professors. Dr. P. Scott Richards of the Counseling and Special Education Dept. was my faculty sponsor. I conducted all phases of the study and Dr. Richards supervised my work. In order to better understand the role of inspiration in scientific scholarship and discovery, we felt it was essential to more adequately document this phenomenon in the lives of contemporary natural and behavioral scientists. We felt that Brigham Young University provided fertile ground for such …

Lds Doctrinal Insights Into Contemporary Pedagogical Theories About Effective Praise, Leland M. Anderson, Dr. K. Richard Young

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Effective praise has many applications as a powerful means for motivating people. This research reviews literature about effective praise and shows how doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) (1) corroborates and (2) enlightens contemporary pedagogical theories about effective praise. The research culminates in an honors thesis available through the University’s Harold B. Lee Library.

Mukono District, Uganda Secondary Schools: Equity And Importance Of Resources, Allyson Flake, Steven Hite

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Ugandan government has limited knowledge of the location and situation of many of its secondary schools. This lack of knowledge inhibits proper management of the schools and appropriate distribution of funding. Secondary schools often have disproportionate resource access, which leads to variance in school quality and performance. Physical, financial and human resources are of critical importance to secondary schools yet these resources are scarce for most Ugandan schools. In order to improve school performance and raise national test scores for students, schools must gain access to these resources. The research conducted this summer in Mukono District, Uganda focused on …

Determinants Of School Success: Performance In Secondary Schools In Mukono, Uganda, Troy Smith, Dr. Julie Hite

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In recent years, test scores and school performance have become hot topics in the United States. The US federal government recently set up school standards and established ways for students and parents to leave “failing” schools for better performing ones. While the United States has just begun applying the theories of competitive economics to the education system, several countries throughout the world have been dealing with such a system for some time. Uganda, in particular, has an array of both private and public schools, with success based on standardized test scores. A school’s student test scores influence its continued existence …

An Examination Of Student Perceptions Of Regional Safe School And Public School Services, Elizabeth Degruy

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of students with Individualized Education Programs who attend regional safe schools of their educational experiences. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act mandates that students with disabilities be provided a free, appropriate, public education in the least restrictive environment; however, the students who participated in this study had been removed from their home public schools. This study employed a qualitative research methodology to investigate the students' perspectives on their experiences at public schools and a regional safe school.

Participants in this study were 8 high school students with disabilities who attended …

Tiers 2 & 3 Intervention: Bullying Intervention For Bullying Behaviors, Jenna Strawhun, Scott Fluke, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

The effectiveness of these targeted programs are all contingent upon the use of accurate data collection, efficient progress monitoring tools, competent school personnel, ongoing and embedded professional development, and formal coaching and coordination supports (Sugai, Horner, & Algozzine, 2011, p. 3). As stated previously, students who qualify for additional supports should not receive “more of the same” techniques or programs that have proved ineffective for them. Instead, targeted efforts should try to be tailored across the social ecology (e.g., school, family, community) and consider the function of the bullying behaviors (i.e., to receive peer or adult attention, to escape …

Tiers 2 & 3 Intervention: Restorative Practices, Emily Moss, Ann O'Connor, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Restorative practices include a variety of different specific practices. A substantial number of studies that have been conducted on these practices, and the research has shown positive results. This framework and these practices have been used in a variety of settings including schools. These programs are concerned with repairing the harm to the victim and helping the victim and the offender to heal so that relationships can be restored. To implement, schools must assess what their needs are, implement the philosophy , and then choose the specific practices that best fits those needs.

Note: See related Strategy Briefs on …

The World Needs All Kinds Of Minds: Ted Talk Annotated Resource List, Brooke Cooper

Undergraduate Research Award

Undergraduate research award given by WKU Libraries and University Experience, Library Skills, for best annotated resource, December 3, 2013

Tier 3 Intervention: Dropout Recovery, Paige T. Lembeck, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Given the multitude of problems associated with dropping out of school, it is surprising that only a small number of programs focus specifically on recovering dropouts. Although Steinberg and Almeida (2004) argue that college readiness must become the standard, the general consensus throughout the existing literature on dropout recovery suggests that the ultimate goal of recovery programs should be preparing these individuals for life in general, not just college. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of dropout recovery programs as a whole has not been evaluated using rigorous experimental methods (Bloom, 2010). However, some of the specific programs mentioned are supported by …

Special Educator Evaluation: Cautions, Concerns And Considerations, Carrie Semmelroth, Evelyn Johnson, Keith Allred

Early and Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

There is currently little consensus on how special education teachers should be evaluated in a way that is effective, fair and responsive to their unique teaching responsibilities. In this paper, we explain several of the current approaches to teacher evaluation under consideration, and then provide an overview of the challenges associated with the use of these models for special education teachers. We describe a model currently under development that is designed to better meet the unique characteristics of special education teacher evaluation. Our alternative approach proposes to evaluate special education teacher effectiveness through two primary components: observations of the special …