Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

The Benefits And Drawbacks Of Behavioral Management Plans In Therapeutic Day Schools, Bruce A. Korensky

All Capstone Projects

Behavioral management plans were analyzed as to their effectiveness in helping students improve their behavior. The settings where the research was conducted were in five therapeutic day schools. Therapeutic day schools are schools that are designed to help students improve in their social emotional conditions so they can return to their regular schools. The students who were interviewed had behavioral and social/emotional conditions. In add ition, the administrators of the five schools were interviewed in regards to how effective they believe their selected behavioral management plans are.

The Effects Of Function-Based Thinking On Teacher Selection Of Interventions For Disruptive Student Behavior, Kimberly Yanek

Communication Disorders & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

Traditional approaches to addressing student misbehavior often involve the imposition of reactive and punitive consequences. Certain groups of students who engage in disruptive behavior experience a disproportionate amount of these punitive disciplinary responses. African American males are one such group. A growing body of research suggests that a need exists for more proactive and positive approaches to addressing student classroom misbehavior. One promising option is function-based thinking—a critical component of functional behavioral assessment. The present study examined both the accuracy of and change in teacher selected antecedent and/or consequence interventions aligned with the function of student behavior. Additionally, changes in …

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 …

Parental Involvement And Academic Achievement, Rosie Thornton

All Capstone Projects

The parent-school relationship for families of students with disabilities is clearly prescribed by law and is one of the main systems of belief of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 2004. The purpose of the study was to focus on homework, parental involvement, parental involvement in homework, and parental involvement in homework of students with special needs. This study was designed to analyze parents and teachers beliefs on parent involvement in their child’s homework as it relates to higher student outcomes and achievement within a traditional urban elementary school setting. Participants consisted parents of primary grade level students in …

Employers Attitudes Towards Hiring Individuals With Alternative Diplomas, Leah West

All Capstone Projects

Having career aspirations is a natural part of development. Many students dream of receiving their high school diploma and going on to enter the workforce. However, one must consider what happens to students who receive degrees of completion, certificates of attendance, or occupational diplomas. In order to examine the postsecondary job opportunities for students who hold alternative diplomas the researchers conducted an action based study which used the mixed methodology approach of surveys and interviews to examine employer’s attitudes towards hiring individuals with alternative diplomas. A total of 50 participants, who were part of a convenience sample, were asked to …

Piecing The Puzzle Together With The Use Of Physical Therapy, Mikayla Pruitt

Honors Projects

For my Honors Project I decided to create a set of exercise cards for children with autism. The front of each card had a picture symbolizing the exercise/activity, and on the back included directions, supplies and tips to complete the activity. The following is a selection of a few exercise cards from each of the four exercise sections, as well as the title card, table of contents cards, information cards, and source cards.

Examining Masculine Gender-Role Conflict And Stress In Relation To Religious Orientation, Spiritual Well-Being, And Sex-Role Egalitarianism In Latter-Day Saint Men, Loren B. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated two aspects of masculine gender role strain—gender role conflict and gender role stress—and their relationship to religious orientation, spiritual well-being, and sex-role egalitarianism among Latter-day Saint (LDS or Mormon) men. To investigate these variables, a sample of 201 LDS undergraduate men who were predominantly White/Caucasian and single completed the Gender Role Conflict Scale, Masculine Gender Role Stress Scale, Intrinsic/Extrinsic Religious Orientation Scale-Revised, Spiritual Well-Being Scale, and the Sex-Role Egalitarianism Scale. As predicted, LDS men who reported higher levels of religiosity and spiritual well-being reported lower levels of gender role strain. This study also found that participants who …

Examining Experiences Of Early Intervention Providers Serving Culturally Diverse Families: A Multiple Case Study Analysis, Wendy Lea Bradshaw

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The cultural and linguistic diversity of the United States is growing rapidly and early intervention service providers are very likely to work with families whose cultures differ from their own. Service providers must consider the multiple cultural factors of families which contribute to family dynamics and the potential for miscommunication is high when the cultural frameworks of early intervention providers differ from those of the families they serve. Culturally responsive practices have been put forth in the theoretical literature as a way to increase successful communication and service provision but there is limited research investigating the beliefs, experiences, and practices …

The Effects Of Transition Planning And Postsecondary Outcomes For Students With Disabilities In An Urban School Division, Janice James-Mitchell

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

According to The National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (2004), young adults with disabilities continue to face significant difficulties in securing jobs, accessing postsecondary education, living independently, fully participating in their communities, and accessing necessary community services. Furthermore, studies have indicated that IEPs generally do not always contain transition related information. In this dissertation study, the postsecondary outcome data from Indicator 13 and Indicator 14 and student attendance at IEP meetings for students with disabilities were examined.

There were two levels of research to this study. In level one, there was an overall picture of the data by completing …

Parental Expectations And Perspectives As They Relate To Their Children With Special Education Needs (Sen) During Transition From Early Intervention/Preschool To Kindergarten, Arika Spencer-Brown

Dissertations

Parental Expectations and Perspectives as They Relate to Their Children with Special Education Needs (SEN) During Transition From Early Intervention/Preschool to Kindergarten

By Arika Spencer-Brown

The purpose of this study was to define parent perspective and expectation as it pertains to their children with special needs transition process using a descriptive method. This study was designed to assess the perception and expectation of third year and first year Head Start families and provide insight into how effective their special needs transition was from preschool into kindergarten and the individuals related to the overall development of an Individualized Family Service Plan …

Education For All, Kathleen Vantol

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"In Nicaragua, teachers do not have the option of sending their students to the special education classroom to work on a particular skill or activity. Just as there are no educational assistants, there are no special education classrooms and no special education teachers."

Posting about one teacher’s goal to bring inclusive education available to all schools in Nicaragua from In All Things - an online hub committed to the claim that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has implications for the entire world.

http://inallthings.org/education-for-all/

Capturing Success! Using Remote Observation Technology For Teacher Candidate Supervision: What Does The Research Say?, Tina M. Hudson, Cathy Galyon Keramidas, Lori J. Marks

ETSU Faculty Works

Excerpt: In response to the shortage of special education teachers in rural areas, many teacher preparation programs are providing supervision to pre-service teachers via distance education technologies.

Repeated Reading For Students With Special Needs, Julie Sara

Theses and Dissertations

This research study seeks to determine the effects of implementing variations of the repeated reading strategy with fourth and fifth graders with special needs when reading informational text. The purpose of this study was to teach students new techniques to improve word accuracy and comprehension and to better inform instruction. Four students in a multiple disabled self-contained classroom participated in this five week study. In addition to base-line data that was collected, data on timed repeated reading, paired repeated reading, listening-while-reading repeated reading, and vocabulary instruction prior to repeated reading was also analyzed. An interest inventory measured students' reading motivation …

H. O. N. E. S. T. Teaching, Jamie Vancleve, Sharon Petteys

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

It’s time to get real with HONEST Teaching.

This frank approach takes the excuses out of the classroom and places the focus back on learning. Teachers, counselors, or support staff that work with children of any socio-economics or learning abilities can benefit from HONEST Teaching.

What You Know Counts: Why We Should Elicit Prior Probabilities From Experts To Improve Quantitative Analysis With Qualitative Knowledge In Special Education Science, Tyler Aaron Hicks

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Qualitative knowledge is about types of things, and their excellences. There are many ways we humans produce qualitative knowledge about the world, and much of it is derived from non-quantitative sources (e.g., narratives, clinical experiences, intuitions). The purpose of my dissertation was to investigate the possibility of using Bayesian inferences to improve quantitative analysis in special education research with qualitative knowledge.

It is impossible, however, to fully disentangle philosophy of inquiry, methodology, and methods. My evaluation of Bayesian estimators, thus, addresses each of these areas. Chapter Two offers a philosophical argument to substantiate the thesis that Bayesian inference is usually …

Effects Of Explicit Print Referencing On The Print Awareness Of A Child With Severe Disabilities, Mallory Roberts, Blake Hansen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This great opportunity of being awarded an ORCA grant allowed me to pursue and share my research with others at an Applied Behavioral Analysis International Conference. I was able to take my research study and present it with many ABA professionals at the conference held in Chicago, IL. Participating in such a conference enlightened my understanding of my own research method and taught me many other research methods unique from what I already knew.

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 …

Special Education Due Process Hearing Requests Under Idea: A Hearing Should Not Always Be Required, Timothy E. Gilsbach

Brigham Young University Education and Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Exploring Trends In Disproportionality Of Emotional Disturbance Classification After The Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (Ideia), Ghirmay Alazar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study was to systematically investigate the trends of disproportionate representation of African American students in special education when compared to Caucasian special education students in emotional disturbance category as well as the trends in disproportionality of emotional disturbance classification after the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA). African American students in special education are disproportionately represented when compared to Caucasian special education students but uncertainty persists regarding the nature and the extent of the problem (Aud et al., 2010; Countinho & Oswald, 2002; Skiba et al., 2006, 2008). This study employed a mixed methods multiple …

Towards An Understanding Of The Use Of Digital Media To Facilitate The Inclusion Of Children With Learning Disabilities In Mainstream Primary School Classrooms, Róisín Garvey

Masters

Inclusion, or the integration into mainstream classrooms of students with learning difficulties, should strive to make the students’ education sufficiently challenging while also making considerations for their particular capabilities and needs. A key aspect of inclusion is the requirement for appropriate support services and additional aids for both students and teachers. Digital media can be effective in helping to facilitate learning and can provide opportunities for engagement, peer learning, curriculum support and assessment. It can also promote collaborative and cooperative learning when the educational content is tailored to the capabilities of individual students. Finding teaching strategies that are suitable for …

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 …

Perceptions Of Individuals With Disabilities In The Justice Systemabout Their Transition Preparation, Justine Nicole Howarth

Theses and Dissertations

This study gathered information about adults with disabilities who were served with special education services during high school and incarcerated after high school, on their job preparation plan and explored the effects of that preparation on the individual's perception of successful transition after high school. It also investigated what, if anything, could have been done in high school to prevent their entrance or continuation in the criminal justice system. Due to the difficulty in accessing this population, only three individuals were interviewed. However, the rich information provided from this study indicated that to help them live independently and successfully transition …

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 …

Parental Deportation And Cape Verdean Youth Experiences: A Case Study, Leila Rosa

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The consistent academic underperformance of students from diverse backgrounds is a national concern and the subject of study by numerous researchers. Some scholars suggest this underperformance indicates teacher lack of preparation to address the needs of a highly diverse student population (Hollins & Guzman, 2005; Ford, 2008; Darling-Hamond, 2004). Central to the overall efforts for improving achievement outcomes should be a focus on the educational experiences of the segment of population that is underperforming, namely students of color, from diverse cultural and linguistic background. Policies of immigration are particularly relevant for the students who are immigrants to the United States …

The Impact Of Autism On Families: Topography And Function Of Repetitive Behavior, David Ball, Dr. Blake Hansen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The prevalence of autism has received considerable media attention in recent years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently assessed the prevalence of autism in children and determined that one in 68 children have autism.1

Our study analyzed functional behavior in families with one child with autism (simplex families) and in families with more than one child with autism (multiplex families). It also separated functional behavior assessments results by gender, since more children with autism are males, and by occurrence in families. These analyses had not been previously done. Our goal was to find these differences and to assess …

Increasing Effective Service And Support For Students On The Autism Spectrum, Jacquelyn Urbani, Billye Brown, Colleen Arnold

Collected Faculty Scholarship

From a campus workshop focusing on how faculty can more effectively work with students with autism.

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 …

Bibliotherapy For Children Coping With A Loved One's Military Deployment: What Do Children's Books Tell Us?, Aimee Tubbs

Theses and Dissertations

This study extracted descriptive information and analyzed content in 23 children's books related to military deployment using a coding instrument entitled, “Military Bibliotherapy Coding Instrument for Children's Books,” developed for this study. Additionally, the content from the books was compared to themes found in current research literature. The books were not as racially diverse as the military population. Books for black children are underrepresented with only 8% of books having black characters compared to the 16.9% black population in active duty military service. The most prevalent response to the deployment of a loved one described is sadness with 65% of …