Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

Increasing Play Opportunities To Improve Development And Health For Children, Kallie S. Ellis, Wendy Tremaine, Emily Bush

Fall 2025 OTD Capstone Symposium

Children with disabilities often experience reduced opportunities for meaningful peer play, which can negatively influence their physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development. Early childhood environments play a critical role in supporting inclusive participation, yet many barriers—physical, social, and environmental—limit access to developmentally rich play throughout the school day. The purpose of this capstone project was to develop, implement, and evaluate a Tier-1, school-based program designed to increase meaningful play opportunities for preschool children ages 3–6, with and without disabilities.

A needs assessment was conducted with teachers and parents to identify developmental concerns and participation barriers related to fine motor, gross motor, …

Assessing The Attitudes Of General Education Kindergarten Teachers Making Classroom And Teaching Adaptations For Students With Disabilities, Joseph Graul

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The transition from preschool to kindergarten can be particularly challenging for children with disabilities in inclusive classrooms (general education classrooms where typically developing children and children with disabilities are taught together) as children face new academic, social, and behavioral expectations. Classroom and teaching adaptations can help these students succeed, making the transition to kindergarten and elementary education smooth and effective. This study looks at how general education kindergarten teachers feel about making various classroom adaptations for children with disabilities and compares current teachers’ views to those of a similar 1999 study conducted by Vaughn et al. which this study replicates. …

Exploring Blind And Low-Vision Youth’S Digital Access Needs In School: Toward Accessible Instructional Technologies, Natalie L. Shaheen

Faculty Publications - College of Education

Blind and low-vision (BLV) youth have been excluded from technology-mediated learning in school for two decades due to the systemic inaccessibility of K-12 instructional technologies. Accessibility guidelines that address BLV youth’s needs would help schools address this systemic inequity. But such guidelines do not yet exist nor does the robust knowledgebase required to write them. Herein, I report three key findings from a mixed methods user study of BLV youth’s lived experiences learning with access technologies (AT) and instructional technologies in US schools. First, these youth participants are using a broader range of AT than youth in previous studies. Second, …

Educator Motivation For Acquiring Expertise To Support Students With Dyslexia: A Phenomenological Study, Maria T. Casale

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe the invested motivation for acquiring expertise to support students with dyslexia for elementary school teachers at a charter school in a northeastern state. Teachers employed at Oakdale-Mission Charter School are uniquely positioned to receive in-service teacher training support regarding teaching those with dyslexia. The lack of Orton Gillingham-certified teachers to provide for those with dyslexia prevents these students from adequately receiving access and equity in a school district in a large metropolitan city in a northeastern state. Therefore, Oakdale-Mission Charter School was explored as a unique and innovative solution for those …

Reducing Emergency Department Visits For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Nurse-Led Home Interventions, Teri Nguyen

Nursing | Senior Theses

In the realm of pediatric healthcare, children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) face unique challenges alongside their caregivers. Caregivers face challenges in accessing appropriate support and resources to effectively address the needs of children with ASD. Children with ASD struggle with sensory sensitivities, impaired safety awareness, and difficulties perceiving potential dangers which put them at greater risk for injuries. As a result, children with autism have higher rates of emergency department visits compared to their neurotypical peers. This research aims to assess the effectiveness of nurse-led home injury prevention and education in reducing emergency department visits for children with …

Reducing Emergency Department Visits Among Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Teri Nguyen

Nursing | Student Research Posters

In the realm of pediatric healthcare, children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) face unique challenges alongside their caregivers. Caregivers face challenges in accessing appropriate support and resources to effectively address the needs of children with ASD. Children with ASD struggle with sensory sensitivities, impaired safety awareness, and difficulties perceiving potential dangers which put them at greater risk for injuries. As a result, children with autism have higher rates of emergency department visits compared to their neurotypical peers. This research aims to assess the effectiveness of nurse-led home injury prevention and education in reducing emergency department visits for children with …

Parent Satisfaction Of Daily Organized Physical Education For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cody Mills

Master's Theses

Daily structured physical education programming should be protected to support the achievement of goals set within an individual education plan (IEP) for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To ensure this is a priority, parent satisfaction is necessary to prioritize a healthy partnership between home and school. The objective of this research study is to identify the level of parent/guardian satisfaction in school-based and community-based daily organized physical education provided for children with autism. The research will determine if parents/guardians are wholly satisfied with the programming provided by their child’s school, or if greater satisfaction is attained when parents outsource …

The Efficacy Of A Key Word Signing Workshop, Krista Mcmorran-Maus

Education (PhD) Dissertations

This study examined the effect of a 1-day, 6-hour key word signing (KWS) workshop on in-service special education teachers’ and speech-language pathologists’ (SLPs) (a) skill identifying American Sign Language (ASL) signs; (b) skill producing ASL signs; (c) use of KWS in the classroom or therapy room; and (d) perceived changes from taking part in a KWS workshop. Participants included five special education teachers, three SLPs, and four students with complex communication needs (aged 3 to 14 years) participated in the study. All eight adult participants participated in a pretest-posttest design with repeated posttest measures over time, survey design, and phenomenological …

Covid-19 Pandemic And Special Education Teacher Voices, Rama Cousik

The Qualitative Report

The pandemic caused by COVID-19 created havoc in schools across the world as it necessitated school closures and lockdowns, and/or a sudden switch to an online mode of learning. Although all children and teachers were adversely affected, children with disabilities faced additional problems. Special education teachers bore the burden of having to continue providing high quality special education in the face of these challenges. In this paper, I present findings from a survey of special education teachers through use of qualitative and arts-based research technics.

Attitudes Of Turkish Parents Toward Sex Education Of Their Intellectual Disability Children, Hakan Sarı, Tuğba Pürsün

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: Legal regulations in Turkey state that it is a fundamental right for children with intellectual disability to receive sex education. However, such education is highly limited due to the negative attitudes of these children’s parents. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to evaluate the attitudes of Turkish parents toward the sexual education of their intellectually disabled children.

Methods: This quantitative study used the survey method on 311 parents who have children with intellectual disabilities. Data collection was carried out using a Likert-type scale questionnaire developed by the author. Socio-demographic variables were attained, and the data …

Sensory Preference And Learning Preference In Children With Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder And Dyslexia, Jennifer Gomez, Hope Mccarroll, Lisa Griggs-Stapleton

Spring 2022 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Is there a connection between a child’s sensory preferences and their learning preference? Sensory processing disorders are a heavily researched topic in current literature and many children with sensory differences present with learning disabilities, but research is lacking concerning any connection between sensory processing and learning. This research study examines children’s sensory preferences and learning preferences and denotes trends between these two variables. 15 participants were recruited from the Accommodated Learning Academy in Grapevine, Texas, a private school for students 1st-12th grade with learning delays. The sample of 15 participants consisted of 12 females and 3 males, aged 11-15 years …

Collaborating With Parents With Disabilities To Create Accountability In The Special Education System, Brooke Crosby, Julia Lutz-Lawlor, Kelsy Farley, Khadra Geelle

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

Minnesota is a state that prides itself on prioritizing education. As such, all school personnel must fulfill their obligation to ensure meaningful access for parents with a disability. As part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA), the development of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) is required under both federal and state special education law. In the special education IEP process, parental involvement is mandated to ensure the child's best interest. Research shows parents’ involvement in their children’s education can lead to an improvement in grades, performance, literacy, attendance, and homework completion. Disabled parents must be engaged as …

Validation Of A Brief Prosody Rating Scale For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Sarai S. Holbrook

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Differences in the speech prosody, or "melody" of speech, of persons with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have long been noted by researchers. Yet, despite many studies, researchers have not identified a universal description of speech prosody in ASD. It may be flat or monotonous, not different from typical, or overly variable. However, atypical speech prosody can immediately set someone apart from their peers. This distinction could negatively social, academic, and vocational interactions. For those persons with ASD whose speech prosody is different from typical and interferes with daily functioning, valid, reliable, and efficient assessments of speech prosody are needed. Currently, …

Use Of Video Modeling In Developing Social Skills Among Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, En Ying Irene Tan

Student Works (2020-2029)

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are poor in social interaction and following instruction. Most researchers of today focus on having the children to interact with toys to enhance their social skills, but not with other peers. This study was carried out to investigate the use of video modeling in developing social skills among children with ASD. The study uses single-subject design with multiple baseline graphs to examine the development of children’s social skills. This study consists of three sequential phases: 1) Baseline, 2) Intervention, and 3) Maintenance. Results show that children with ASD have social interaction with peers after …

Working Memory And Syntactic Processing In Bilingual And Monolingual Children, Carla I. Orellana

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between complex auditory working memory, syntactic knowledge, and complex sentence comprehension in bilingual and monolingual children using both offline (behavioral) and online (eye-tracking) measures. There were 19 children in the monolingual group and 19 children in the bilingual group with an average age of 11 years. The children listened to sentences, while looking at a screen with three images of the three nouns in the sentence. They were instructed to select the doer of the action (agent). Their eye movements were recorded as they completed this task. The four sentence …

3d Printing: The Effect Of Adapted Mallets On The Participation Of Children With Severe And Multiple Disabilities, Vienna Sa

Pacific Journal of Health

The purpose of this study was to determine the changes in two measures of participation for a small sample of children with severe and multiple disabilities when using adapted mallets for instruments. The two measures of participation were: decibel level (dB) and frequency of sound produced. Three children between the ages of 5 and 11 years old participated in a single music therapy session testing four different popular adapted mallets, and a control mallet. A 3D-printed mallet grip was among the adapted mallets and was customized to the individual’s hand contour. The sessions tested all five mallets in random order …

Dysphagia Management In The Public-School Setting: The Education And Training Needs Of Public-School Speech-Language Pathologists, Natalie P. Neubauer

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Over the past two decades, the number of children who have dysphagia attending public schools has increased significantly. Because more students with special needs are requiring these services, providing dysphagia management exclusively in the medical setting has become a thing of the past. With this transition, public-school SLPs need to be prepared and confident to provide this service should they encounter a child on their caseload with feeding and swallowing issues. The few studies that have been done up to this point have revealed concerns regarding gaps in training and overall confidence of SLPs to perform this function in the …

Auditory, Cognitive, And Linguistic Factors Predict Speech Recognition In Adverse Listening Conditions For Children With Hearing Loss, Ryan W. Mccreery, Elizabeth A. Walker, Meredith Spratford, Dawna Lewis, Marc A. Brennan

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Objectives: Children with hearing loss listen and learn in environments with noise and reverberation, but perform more poorly in noise and reverberation than children with normal hearing. Even with amplification, individual differences in speech recognition are observed among children with hearing loss. Few studies have examined the factors that support speech understanding in noise and reverberation for this population. This study applied the theoretical framework of the Ease of Language Understanding (ELU) model to examine the influence of auditory, cognitive, and linguistic factors on speech recognition in noise and reverberation for children with hearing loss.

Design: Fifty-six children with hearing …

Involvement Of Adults Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing In Ehdi Programs, Elizabeth Shuler-Krause, Karl R. White

Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention

Consistent with a position statement of the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing (JCIH, 2007), several key organizations and groups have supported involving deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) adults in Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) systems, including providing families of children who are DHH with opportunities to interact with adults who are DHH. This article reviews the available data on the involvement of adults who are DHH in EHDI systems to determine the availability of opportunities for families who have children who are DHH to interact with adults who are DHH, how families feel about these experiences, and to …

Mental Health Intervention Within The Education System And The Importance Of Developing A Quality Model Of Services, Jaclyn Mumaugh

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to determine what schools are currently doing with the rise of mental health issues in youth. As schools continue to enroll more and more children suffering from possible mental health issues, districts must be equipped to provide appropriate care. Many factors need to be taken into account before support can be provided within the school, such as training, programming, staffing, and much more. Without proper services, adolescents can encounter many issues that will affect them the rest of their lives. This thesis will provide further information on how schools are currently providing care and …

Parent-Implemented Language Intervention With Young Children From Low-Ses Environments Who Have Language Impairment, Courtney Allison Hatcher

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

In this study, the author examined the effects of training four parents from low-socioeconomic environments to use Enhanced Milieu Teaching (EMT) with their young children with language impairment. The investigator used a modified Teach-Model-Coach-Review method to teach parents to use the following EMT strategies during 8-10 individualized, home-based sessions: matched turns, expansions, time delays and milieu teaching prompts. A single-case multiple-baseline design across-behaviors replicated across four parent/child dyads was used to evaluate the parents' use of the EMT strategies. Child language outcomes were also assessed using pre- and post-intervention language samples. All parents learned and demonstrated use of each language …

The Transformation Process Of Fathers Of Children With Disabilities: An Exploratory Case Study, Holly F. Pedersen Ed.D., Dionne Spooner Ph.D

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

While the vital role that fathers play in the development of their children is emphasized in recent literature, the majority of research relative to child development focuses on mothers. This imbalance is even more evident relative to research with parents of children with disabilities, leaving human service providers with few evidence based practices for appropriately addressing the needs of fathers raising children with disabilities. Research suggests that having a child with a disability, while challenging, can also have a significant positive impact on the family system and potentially offer a transformational experience for the parent. Guided by a theoretical model …

A Dynamic Measure Of Morphological Awareness In Young Children, Frances Elizabeth Gibson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Although sound awareness has been proven critical for skilled literacy development, further investigation is needed to examine additional factors that could also be critical. Awareness of meaning or morphological awareness is an additional factor that could impact literacy development. Although morphological awareness is mastered early in spoken language, little is known in regard to this skill in other language and literacy contexts. This study investigated the validity of a dynamic measure of morphological awareness (DMMA) in young children. Seventy-eight first-grade children completed a language and literacy battery. Morphological awareness was assessed using both a standardized and an experimental measure comprised …

A Panoramic View Of How Physical Activity Impacts Students With Disabilities, With An Emphasis Focused On Students On The Autism Spectrum, Alyssa K. Lane

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Today a majority of adolescents do not participate in the recommended daily level of physical activity. Students with disabilities, including students on the Autism Spectrum scale, especially lack participation in physical activity. The benefits of regular physical activity include better physical health, improved cognition, and increased social skills. However, a significant number of barriers prevent students from participating in physical activity. Lack of physical activity has severe consequences for adolescents. Students may be more susceptible to illness, develop poorer motor skills, have reduced focus ability, focus resulting in emotional hardships and fewer opportunities to socialize with peers. Educators, family, friends, …

Universal Design Across The Curriculum: Training For Students And Teachers, Trish Mackeogh, James Hubbard, Kieran O'Callaghan

Research and Innovation - Articles

Providing an inclusive educational setting for children with disabilities is essential if they are to truly benefit from mainstream education. Universal design (UD) provides a framework to develop our classrooms, materials and methods to accommodate diverse learners and students with special educational needs without the need to retrofit or remove the student from the classroom. This paper outlines the theory and the approach of two training courses on Universal Design developed for teachers and students.

A Study Exploring Parents’ And Occupational Therapists Views On Facilitating Social And Emotional Development, Salena C. Neuwar

Honors College Theses

This study examined how parents of a child with a disability and the child's occupational therapist each facilitate social and emotional development among children who have or are currently receiving occupational therapy services. This study first served to identify, through interviews, what social and emotional skills are important individually to the parent and the occupational therapist that the child gains. Through interviews, the researcher investigated the perceptions of how parents and occupational therapists facilitate social and emotional skills. The location of the therapy session was found to be a vital component among parent and occupational therapist interaction. Finally, this research …

Self-Perceived Competence And Social Acceptance Of Young Children Who Stutter: Initial Findings, Naomi H. Rodgers, Patricia Zebrowski Ph.D

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Purpose: The goals of this study were to determine whether young children who stutter (CWS) perceive their own competence and social acceptance differently than young children who do not stutter (CWNS), and to identify the predictors of perceived competence and social acceptance in young speakers.

Method: We administered the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children (PSPCSA; Harter & Pike, 1984) to 13 CWS and 14 CWNS and examined group differences. We also collected information on the children’s genders, temperaments, stuttering frequencies, language abilities, and phonological skills to identify which of these factors predicted PSPCSA scores. …

Demo: Wearable Application To Manage Problem Behavior In Children With Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Camellia Zakaria, Richard C. Davis

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Managing problem behaviors in children with neurodevelopmental disorders can be challenging. Such behaviors may discourage social participation and learning. Many of these behaviors warrant intervention, however, are challenging for caregivers to constantly supervise. Previous work focused on developing recognition systems for stereotypical and aggressive behaviors. Researchers also developed visualization interface for caregivers to better understand their child’s needs. Our goal however, is to design an independent behavior management application to help children manage problem behaviors with minimal supervision.We conducted a field study at a school for children with special needs in Singapore, and interviewed ten teachers. This study helped us …

Seeking Independent Management Of Problem Behavior: A Proof-Of-Concept Study With Children And Their Teachers, Camellia Zakaria, Richard C. Davis, Zachary Walker

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Problem behaviors are particularly common in children with neurodevelopmental disorders like Autism and Down syndrome. These behaviors sometimes discourage social inclusion, inhibit learning development, and cause severe injuries, but caregivers are often unable to attend to their children immediately when the behaviors occur. Recent research shows that problem behavior can be automatically detected with wearable devices, but it is still not clear how to reduce caregivers' burdens and facilitate academic, social, and functional development of children with problem behaviors. We conducted a field study at a school with 21 children who exhibit problem behaviors and found that they needed frequent …

An Analysis Of Variability Of Play Behavior With Preschool Children With Autism, Mary Katherine Endicott Harris

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Children with autism often display repetitive, stereotypical movements with toys in lieu of appropriate play skills. Unlike typically developing children, they do not vary their play with toys. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine whether three preschoolers with autism would vary their play actions when exposed to a lag schedule of reinforcement and physical prompting procedure. All three participants demonstrated varied play actions with the lag schedule and prompting procedure in place. These behaviors maintained when a probe was conducted two weeks later in the absence of the lag schedule. Although responding was high in the 2-week …