Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

Tiers 1, 2 & 3 Intervention: Reinforcement, Scott Fluke, Jenna Strawhun, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

There is overwhelming evidence that the use of reinforcement can change behavior. Reinforcement is a beneficial tool for teachers and administrators and can be used to improve both academic and behavioral performance of students. It can be readily adapted to fit individual, classroom, and school-wide behavioral goals. Key implementation considerations can maximize the effectiveness of reinforcement. Reinforcement allows schools to equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to be functional members of society, and can maintain a positive school climate. It is one of the most powerful tools available, and should be one of the first strategies …

Engagement Differences For 2-Year-Olds Identified As Late Talkers, Brianna Hendrickson, 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.

Tiers 1 & 2 Intervention: Before & After School Programs, Jenna Strawhun, Natalie Hoff, Elisabeth J. Kane, Kenneth Parnell, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Millions of children and adolescents are unsupervised after school, often because their parents need to work during those hours. When these students are unsupervised, they are at risk for involvement in inappropraite inappropriate behaviors. After-school programs are a potential solution to this problem because they provide students with supervised, safe activities that may also increase academic or social skills. They also provide opportunities for academic tutoring, and social mentoring. Despite the fact that research has thus far been unable to categorically support the positive effects of afterschool programs, the general consensus is that the programs are helpful and have …

Tiers 1, 2 & 3 Intervention: Parent & Family Involvement, Jenna Strawhun, Amber Olson, Elisabeth J. Kane, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Parental involvement includes several factors related to parenting style/practices, communication, learning at home, volunteering, community collaboration, and parent decision-making using relevant data. Parental involvement has been shown to be an effective tool for increasing student engagement in the form of increased academic performance and adherence to behavior expectations. Research should extend to examining the effects of parent involvement for minority students and highlighting the specific factors that compose “parent involvement” and their influence on outcomes. Specific strategies to promote parent involvement should incorporate professional development for teachers, parent input regarding family-based needs, and multicultural considerations.

See related Strategy Briefs …

Identifying Elementary School Student Understanding Of Learning Disabilities, Michael Quinn Bair

Theses and Dissertations

This school-based study examined the knowledge level of third through fifth grade students who are not being served in special education regarding learning disabilities, personal learning styles, and their perceptions of their peers with learning disabilities. This study circumvents teachers', administrators', and parents' awareness which has been thoroughly researched and instead, directly assesses through interviews what elementary students (n=45) know about learning disabilities. The goal of this study was to gain a greater understanding of what the students' perceptions are of their learning experience in general and what their understanding of learning disabilities are more specifically through interviews to give …

Special Educators Describe The Critical Mass Of Co-Teaching, Cynthia T. Shamberger, Kendra W. Henriques

Georgia Educational Research Association Conference

Co-teaching is an instructional approach usually initiated by school administrators to help general and special education teachers who share a single classroom to ensure students with disabilities have access to the general curriculum. Although research regarding co-teaching is still in need of further development in some areas such as student achievement, co-teaching has increasingly grown in popularity as an option for addressing the multiple needs of diverse learners, including students with disabilities. Some school professionals and researchers who are proponents of this instructional delivery model believe that, "At the core of co-teaching is determining what instructional techniques will be most …

Negotiation Of Deaf Culture: Alternative Realities In The Classroom, Drew A. Hoffman

Student Publications

In a increasingly globalized world, family members of deaf individuals increasingly are faced with a dilemma between identification with Deaf culture or pursuing biomedical intervention in order help deaf children hear sounds artificially. The importance of this dilemma is critical at the earliest age of deaf individuals' lives, not only in early childhood, but in their school career as well. This poster attempts to not only inform about this issue, but argues for the expansion of programs at the school district level to offer equal resources and information about both options for families with deaf individuals. In so doing, it …

Aquinas On Inclusion: Using The Good Doctor And Catholic Social Teaching To Build A Moral Case For Inclusion In Catholic Schools For Children With Special Needs, Mary Carlson

Journal of Catholic Education

This article discusses the present status of students with disabilities in Catholic schools. It then builds the case, based upon the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas and Catholic Social Teaching, that Catholic Schools, to remain true to Church teachings, must offer special educational services. The article concludes with recommendations for research and practice related to inclusion in Catholic schools.

Résumé
St Thomas d’Aquin sur l’inclusion scolaire : Montrer le bien-fondé moral de l’inclusion des enfants handicapés dans les écoles catholiques en utilisant l’enseignement du docteur de la foi et de la doctrine sociale catholique

Cet article évoque le statut actuel …

Reflections Of Self: Images Of People With Specific Learning Disabilities And Attention Deficit / Hyperactive Disorder In Children's Literature, Elizabeth R. Hayes

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I explored the portrayals of people with a specific learning disability or with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children's literature. Eighteen books were analyzed to determine what themes and messages were being conveyed to children.

The major themes were about friendship, and overcoming issues associated with a SLD or AD/HD. In addtion, the portrayals suggest that children with SLD and AD/HD have similar problems like their peers with these conditions. However, there were portrayals of stereotypical roles and usage of negative language.

Using The Multisensory Approach Of Touch Math To Teach Basic Mathematical Operations To Students With Significant Disabilities, Rebecca Hood

Theses and Dissertations

The current study examines how the multisensory approach of the Touch Math program is used in a school that educates students with significant disabilities to improve their basic operation addition skills. The students who participated in this study struggled with traditional teaching of basic operation skills, and they were having difficulty maintaining fact knowledge, with modifications to their current instruction. The study was conducted in a school in Atco, New Jersey over an eight-week period. The current study used baseline assessments, which the two single digit addends without touch points, to determine the student participant's individual single digit addend knowledge. …

Using Computer-Based Mnemonic Illustrations To Teach Algebra Word-Problem Solving Skills To High School Students With Learning Disabilities, Lisa Graham

Theses and Dissertations

It is clear that students with Learning Disabilities (LD) struggle with complex mathematical problems, particularly in learning algebra. Technology may provide a new way for math instruction, as well as use of a concrete instructional method such as a mnemonic device. Difficulty solving word problems in algebra can be attributed to a variety of deficits, thus it becomes difficult to choose an instructional method that will provide positive results for these students. To date, research on adolescent students in this area is limited. The present study was designed to examine the impact of a combination of two different approaches by …

The Effects Of Technology-Based Graphic Organizers To Teach Reading Comprehension Skills Of Students With Learning Disabilities, Meghan Gifford

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of graphic organizers paired with technology on reading comprehension for students with learning disabilities in grade 8 (n = 8). The data was conducted for a total of 15 weeks including baseline, training, and intervention phases. Students were measured on their reading comprehension while reading an article from Scope Magazine and using the Popplet app on an iPad (Popplet only used during intervention phase). After the students completed the reading and Popplet activity, reading comprehension assessments were administrated. The results indicated that students' reading comprehension scores were increased by using …

Academic Supports And Tutoring, Strategy Brief., Scott Fluke, Ann O'Connor, Jenna Strawhun, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Students who fail eighth-grade math or English are 75% more likely to drop out of high school than peers. With increasing academic standards and accountability movements, there is a clear need to develop and provide students with extra help and support in order to succeed in school.This paper discusses the need for programs to provide supplementary supports for academics for students in school.

Alternative Schooling Strategy Brief, Emily Moss, Jenna Strawhun, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Although there is little overall research on alternative schooling due in part to the widely disparate types of alternative school programs, there is program evaluation and anecdotal support for their effectiveness for some students. These programs are commonplace, and must be considered a part of the effort to keep students, particularly students with behavioral needs in school. There is anecdotal evidence that these programs can be beneficial to students who would otherwise not participate and complete a school program.

Child Maltreatment: What Attitudinal Factors Of Commitment, Confidence, And Concern Predict Reporting Practices Of Preservice Speech-Language Pathologists?, Alan Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The pervasiveness of child maltreatment is a global issue, although its impact on the United States is markedly severe. The mortality rate for children four years of age and younger continues to rise annually, with an especially alarming increase present for children with disabilities. Although inservice and preservice educators, including speech-language pathologists, are mandated to report suspected maltreatment, several obstacles appear to hinder their actions. Understanding the factors that predict an individuals' likelihood of reporting malfeasance may help minimize maltreatment occurrence and child mortality. Preservice speech- language pathologists attending accredited programs in the United States were surveyed regarding their attitudes …

Tiers 1, 2 & 3 Intervention: Social Skills Instruction, Jenna Strawhun, Ann O'Connor, Laura Norris, Reece L. Peterson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Social skills instruction has been found to have a positive impact on students. While there has been some controversy over the long term impact of social skills instruction and its generalization to other settings, it has resulted in improved behavior at school and should be a part of efforts to improve school climate and behavior at school, particularly for those students who have not learned these skills informally. Additionally specific social skills instruction can be used as an alternative disciplinary consequence for inappropriate behavior at school although there is not currently enough research studies to say this is an …

Tier 3 Intervention: Wraparound, Jenna Strawhun, Reece L. Peterson, Amber Reeble, Scott Fluke

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

According to VanDenBerg et al. (2003), the basic tenant of wraparound is simple: “If the needs of the youth and family are met, it is likely that the youth and family will have a good (or at least an improved) life” (page 4). Therefore, wraparound appears to be a promising process for coordinating and organizing the delivery of services to children and youth with serious emotional and behavioral disorders. Preliminary findings suggest mixed results for the costeffectiveness and long term effectiveness of wraparound in addressing mental health symptoms, although its widespread use and many positive evaluations albeit without consistent …

Tiers 2 And 3: Academic Supports & Tutoring, Reece L. Peterson, Ann O'Connor, Jenna Strawhun

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Many students, including those receiving special education services, require more academic support than their peers to be successful in school. Fortunately, a wide variety of strategies to provide this support have been developed and empirically evaluated.

Tiers 2 & 3 Intervention: Grade Retention & Demotion: A Traditional Discipline Consequence, Natalie Hoff, Reece L. Peterson, Jenna Strawhun

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Conclusion

Based on the host of research regarding the use of retention and its detrimental effects, schools should look to more effective methods of improving student academic or behavioral performance. There are a variety of things that the schools can do, including summer school, peer tutoring, reading programs, and establishing individual interventions for students who need more intensive supports. The bottom line is that neither retention nor demotion are effective disciplinary policies, as neither addresses the underlying issues. There is no evidence supporting the use of retention or demotion as effective disciplinary consequences, as each has potentially strong negative impacts …

Using Video Prompting To Teach High School Students With Moderate Intellectual Disabilities A Vocational Skill With A Portable Video Delivery System Employing A Qualitative Case Study, John Newman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of portable video devices in the delivery of video content using video prompting to teach functional life skills to three high school students with moderate intellectual disabilities. The theoretical frameworks of the social learning theory, anchored instruction, and situated cognition show promise as the foundation of the development of specialized curricula to improve students' functioning in adaptive behavior skills. The study utilized a qualitative case study approach, using a multiple-probe across tasks and a single-subject design to obtain quantitative data as the first data collection strategy for a qualitative case …

Screening And Diagnostic Validity Of Affinity 2.5, Heather Lynn Stephenson

Theses and Dissertations

Affinity 2.5 is a computer-based instrument designed to assess sexual interest using viewing-time measures. Viewing-time measures of sexual interest have been developed to identify individuals with deviant sexual interest. The purpose of this study is to examine the validity of Affinity 2.5 in screening and diagnosing individuals with sexually deviant interests. This study used viewing time profiles of known sexual offenders compared to norm-referenced profiles of an exclusively heterosexual, non-pedophilic college population. Participants were 155 males and 3 females who had sexually offended against children and 63 male and 84 female non-offender college students. Results show that 43.7% of offenders …

The Effectiveness Of Student Response Systems In Testing For Students With Learning Disabilities, Carmen Porter

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a response system by using assistive technology for students with learning disabilities (LD) in 9th grade. By introducing a response method other than traditional pencil and paper, the students had another option to increase motivation and be able to achieve higher test scores. The participants (n=10) were randomly assigned into two conditions and ABAB research design was administrated. The results of the study indicated that hands on engaged response system was effective to increase assessment outcomes for students with learning disabilities.

Using Technology For Communication With Selective Mutism, Kristin Skacel

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine everyday assistive technology, such as an iPad(R) and the effect that it would have on the communication of a fifth grade student with Selective Mutism. The subject was introduced to the iPad(R) with the purpose of a verbal communication application creating success for the future. The application was used to increase nonverbal communication with peers, teachers, and school staff by way of sharing speech through the voice of the application. In the study it was also examined to see if the communication application could create a verbal opportunity for the subject to …

Social Media Use: A Critical Analysis Of Facebook's Impact On Collegiate Efl Students' English Writing In Thailand, Tharinee Kamnoetsin

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

In this technology era, a new trend of using Social Media or Social Networking Sites (SNSs) has been recently highlighted. Social media influences people’s lives in many aspects including education and English language learning. The purpose of this study is to examine whether using Facebook online impacts the type (formal or informal) of English EFL students use for in-class writing or not, as well as to understand the students’ perceptions on how the use of Facebook helps to facilitate or inhibit their English writing skills.

The study was conducted by using qualitative research methods to explore EFL college students’ writing …

Providing The Fuel (And Passing The Flame), Todd Pagano

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

At the risk of opening with a cliché statement- at the heart of the most effective mentor is a burning passion. The fuel for this passion is a desire to convince, not just try to, but actually convince your mentee that you care about their success (be it in the classroom, career, or personal life). I am guilty of believing in, and living by, this cliché. However, despite passion being my primary motivator, I am not unwilling to admit that rationale for mentoring can sometimes transcend this ethically normative line of thinking. I believe that there are also sometimes quantitative, …

Using Self-Monitoring Strategy Instruction To Improve Reading Comprehension In High School Students With Learning Disabilities, Melinda Brokenshire

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine and expand current research on the effects of teaching self-monitoring strategies for high school students with specific learning disabilities in order to improve comprehension within a variety of texts. The study was a group design consisting of two groups of high school students with five students in each group. The students ranged in ages from 17.4-19.1 years of age. All students were identified as having a significant reading disability. The dependent variable for this study was immediate recall of comprehension questions from a given passage. Students were given fictional, informational, and everyday …

In-Service Teachers' Perceptions Of Students With Emotional Behavioral Disorder, Cassandra Schreiber, Ashley Kuemper

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Teachers play an important role in the education of children with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). While parents and caretakers often are aware of their child’s difficulties, educators witness the child’s level of progress (VanGelder, Sitlington, & Morrison-Pugh, 2008). Teachers are these students’ first advocates within the academic setting. According to one study, a majority of teachers working with these students are planning on leaving their positions within the next five years (Adera & Bullock, 2010). Another study found that special education teachers are more likely to leave their position than those in general education fields such as math and …

Understanding The Writing Challenges Of College Students With Asperger's Syndrome, Sarah Dubin

Theses and Dissertations

This study involved research into the experience of college-level writing for students with Asperger's syndrome/ASD. Three research questions were addressed: what are the specific challenges students with Asperger's face with college-level writing, what has been done to help support and remediate these issues so far, and what could be done in the future to support students with Asperger's in their writing assignments? Surveys were administered to the students with Asperger's syndrome at Rowan University who have self-registered, and to the faculty who teach required college composition classes to undergraduates. Results indicate that the students find the aspects of writing related …

Helping Children With Autism Learn With Mathematics Software, Michelle Hansen

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are conditions where a person may exhibit developmental disabilities, significant social, communication and behavioral challenges, and process information differently than people without ASD. The Federal Government guidelines mandate inclusion of all students into the public school facilities. All school age children in the United States are afforded the same opportunities for public education.

The goal of this investigation was to evaluate the effectiveness of Computer-Aided Instruction (CAI) as a treatment for teaching mathematics to a group of autistic pupils in an elementary school environment. The public later elementary school is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan and had …

U. S. Mainland-Born And Non-Mainland-Born Children Referred For Special Education, Miriam Eisenstein Ebworth, Jay Gottlieb, Barbara Gottlieb, Marjorie Goldstein, Justin B. Bennett

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

In this study, we compared the referrals for special education evaluation of U.S. mainland-born children with those of mostly Latino non-mainland-born children in two school systems in the Northeastern United States. The investigation focused on whether there was a significant difference between referrals for special education from each group, based on either language or behavior. According to the literature, nonnatives are both overrepresented and underrepresented in special education, with reasons for referral including problematic use of language and inappropriate behavior. The researchers found that referrals for behavior in our sample were more frequent among natives compared with nonnatives, while referral …