Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

The Effects Of Di Flashcards And Math Racetrack On Multiplication Facts For Two Elementary Students With Learning Disabilities, Kaitlyn Lund, T.F. Mclaughlin, Jen Neyman, Mary Everson

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a Direct Instruction (DI) flashcard system paired with a math racetrack to teach basic multiplication facts to two elementary students diagnosed with learning disabilities. The study was conducted in a resource room which served intermediate aged elementary students. The school was located in an urban school district in the Pacific Northwest. Targeted math facts were chosen based on the students’ pretest scores. The effects of the DI flashcard procedure were evaluated using a multiple baseline design across sets of problems. Both participants improved their mastery of multiplication facts. The …

Postsecondary Students With Learning Disabilities: Can We Do More?, Kim Floyd

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

Despite the large increase of students with learning disabilities entering postsecondary institutions and the legislative emphasis on providing students with disabilities equal access to education, we have yet to develop a more cohesive and comprehensive planning of accommodations for postsecondary students with learning disabilities. The purpose of this review is to synthesize information and research on postsecondary accommodations to examine if more can be done to meet the unique needs of this population. Following the background discussion, relevant themes will be presented. Discussion focuses on the lack of empirical research in efficacy of postsecondary accommodations; promising practices for the use …

Ecological Factors In Social Skill Acquisition: High School Students With Emotional And/Or Behavioral Disorders, Sarah K. Anderson, Kari Chiasson

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

The purpose of the study was to develop a grounded theory of the underlying social processes and/or other ecological factors that impact the effectiveness of skill acquisition for students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders in a Midwestern city in the United States. Theory development was based on in-depth investigation of five students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders (EBD), who were taught assertive communication skills. This study examined ecological factors impacting the learning of a new social skill and the socialization skills of students with EBD. Based on the findings of this study, three broad conclusions are offered: (a) students identified …

Mirror Mirror On The Wall, Is Blended Instruction The Best Of All? Students’ Perceptions Of Blending Face-To-Face And Online Instruction, Katherine Terras, Kari Chiasson, Adam Sansale

The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship

According to Ayala (2009), blended learning is “the purposeful integration of traditional (i.e., face-to-face) and online learning in order to provide educational opportunities that maximize the benefits of each platform and thus more effectively facilitate student learning. The purpose of this study was to explore students’ perceptions of taking courses that utilized a blended instruction approach. Study participants consisted of 36 undergraduate students enrolled in teacher education programs. There were 18 seniors, 12 juniors, and 6 sophomores. For all 36 participants, this was their first blended course. Their perceptions were attained through a survey that compared instruction delivered online to …

Early Literacy Matters, Lisa Van Thiel, Institute For Community Inclusion, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Early Literacy Matters (ELM) is a partnership between the University of Massachusetts Boston, Lynn Public Schools, and the Gregg Neighborhood House. Our goal is to create 8 preschool centers of excellence impacting 300 children per year identified as “at risk for academic failure.” ELM has transformed 17 classrooms that serve children speaking over 41 languages. 75% of ELM children speak a first language other than English or have limited English proficiency, and 16% receive special education services. ELM offers research-based curricula, professional development, and community/family involvement with intentional instruction proven to enrich children’s learning experiences. We offer professional development combined …

Mutual Accountability, Mutual Respect: Combatting Social Exclusion With Academic Inclusion For Differently-Abled People At The Kiran Centre In Madhopur, Up, India., Audrey M. Wilson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Inclusive education, or school systems that cater to both differently abled students and their “normal” counterparts, has been heralded by the international community as a beacon of hope for improving the social mobility of disabled people. Educational institutions in India, though devoted to a fundamental human right, have excluded most people with disabilities at an astonishingly high rate. Rich qualitative research compiled about the experiences of this group of systemically disenfranchised people reveals the urgency of inclusive education as a means to change the social opinion and status quo. To illuminate the efficacy of this type of school, as well …

Communicating Effective Teaching Strategies To Adhd Students, Patricia A. Gaines

All Capstone Projects

ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a neurological disorder that is presently sweeping the country. School age children are heavily affected by this condition. The disorder has a number of side effects that are known to alter one’s quality of life. Some of the known effects are as follows: lack of attention span, nervousness, emotionally unbalanced, and a host of many others. Due to the many drawbacks associated with the disorder, many educators are finding it to be extremely difficult to meet the needs of this population. However, the key to meeting the needs of ADHD students lie within the …

Impact Of Noise And Working Memory On Speech Processing In Adults With And Without Adhd, Anne M. P. Michalek

Communication Disorders & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

Auditory processing of speech is influenced by internal (i.e., attention, working memory) and external factors (i.e., background noise, visual information). This study examined the interplay among these factors in individuals with and without ADHD. All participants completed a listening in noise task, two working memory capacity tasks, and two short-term memory tasks. The listening in noise task had both an auditory and an audiovisual condition. Participants included 38 young adults between the ages of 18-35 without ADHD and 25 young adults between the ages of 18-35 with ADHD. Results indicated that diagnosis, modality, and signal-to-noise ratio all have a main …

Accommodations In Homeschool Settings For Children With Special Education Needs, Patricia Koelsch Stoudt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study was designed to examine how homeschooling parents in Pennsylvania make the determination to engage with public school districts to accommodate the special education needs (SEN) of their children. This phenomenological study used direct interviews with 30 Pennsylvania families who are homeschooling children with SEN. Data were analyzed by using the constant comparative method. The study found that even though Pennsylvania's law allows families and school districts to work together to provide services to address the children's SEN, this does not happen often. Most families in this study utilized services from private resources. These private services were paid …

The Relationship Between Religious Orientation, Age, And Eating Disorder Symptoms, Sara L. Susov

Theses and Dissertations

Eating disorders are public health problems that are becoming increasingly prevalent in the United States. Research has shown that the etiology of eating disorders is multifaceted, and includes physical, socioemotional, and generic risk factors. One area that predicts eating disorder behaviors is religious orientation; however, the literature on the relationship between eating disorder symptomology and religious orientation has been mixed. Religious orientation is defined as reason for engaging in religious practice. People who have an intrinsic religious orientation live their religion instead of using their religion, and people with an extrinsic religious orientation use their religion to help them achieve …

Diverse Teacher Candidates' Perceptions Of A University's Special Education Preparation Program, Ashleigh Jay Cramer

Theses and Dissertations

As part of a four year professional development program centered on increasing cultural responsiveness at Brigham Young University, special education faculty members conducted interviews with teacher candidates who had completed the special education program. The interviews primarily focused on the candidates' experiences during their time in the program. The interviews were audio and/or videotaped and transcribed verbatim. The transcriptions were then analyzed using the inductive analysis design for qualitative research (Hatch, 2002). The candidates expressed what types of learning activities as well as what professors did or did not do that helped them to be successful. Also emerging from the …

Do Paraeducators Use Best Practices With Students Who Exhibit Aggressive Behaviors?, Michelle Weiss

Theses and Dissertations

Researchers question the growing use of paraeducators in public school special education classrooms, complaining that the professionals with the least education are being asked to assist the students requiring the most intervention (Blalock, 1991; Giangreco, Broer, & Edelman, 1999). How well are paraprofessional educators prepared to use best practices for behavior management in special education settings? The eight special education paraprofessionals surveyed in this study demonstrated varying levels of knowledge regarding how to respond to the aggressive behaviors often displayed by students with emotional disturbance (ED). Paraeducators who reported receiving the most district- or teacher-led training (4 to 16+ hours) …

Preparation Of Career And Technical Education Teachers For Working With Students Who Have Special Needs, Mary Sunisloe

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This research study looks at the preparation of Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers working with students who have special needs. If the CTE teachers have been prepared through formal education and updated training, participate in the IEP process, and have access to and use goals and objectives of students who have IEPs, then CTE teachers will feel prepared to work with students who have special needs. Specifically this study looked at three areas: how much formal education CTE teachers had as well as up-dated training for working with students who have special needs within the last twelve months; if …

Respite Care And Marital Quality: Families With A Child Diagnosed With An Autism Spectrum Disorder, Amber Rachelle Harper

Theses and Dissertations

Parents of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at greater risk than other couples for having higher stress levels and lower marital quality. Respite care has been suggested as a way to help alleviate stress. This study investigated the relationship between respite care and marital quality; and the potential of mother stress and father stress as mediating variables. One hundred and one couples, each consisting of a mother and a father who lived with their child with an ASD, were given questionnaires including a respite questionnaire, Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale, Experience in Close Relationships Questionnaire, and …

Sentence Recognition From Articulatory Movements For Silent Speech Interfaces, Jun Wang, Ashok Samal, Jordan R. Green, Frank Rudzicz

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Recent research has demonstrated the potential of using an articulation-based silent speech interface for command-and-control systems. Such an interface converts articulation to words that can then drive a text-to-speech synthesizer. In this paper, we have proposed a novel near-time algorithm to recognize whole-sentences from continuous tongue and lip movements. Our goal is to assist persons who are aphonic or have a severe motor speech impairment to produce functional speech using their tongue and lips. Our algorithm was tested using a functional sentence data set collected from ten speakers (3012 utterances). The average accuracy was 94.89% with an average latency of …

A New Script For Working With Parents, Michael Wischnowski, Marie Cianca

Education Faculty/Staff Publications

The article discusses the relationship that school administrators and teachers have with parents of students with disabilities, in response to the portrayal of these relationships in the films "The Miracle Worker" starring Anne Bancroft, "Mask" starring Cher, and "Forrest Gump" starring Sally Field. The authors look at individualized education plans (IEPs), MetLife's 2005 Survey of the American Teacher that indicates teachers' attitudes toward working with parents, a teacher training program for teacher-parent cooperation developed by St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York, and the nonprofit disability advocacy organization called The Advocacy Center.

Effect Of Parallel Talk On The Language And Interactional Skills Of Preschoolers With Cochlear Implants And Hearing Aids, Sharon A. Raver, Jonna Bobzien, Corrin Richels, Peggy Hester, Anne Michalek, Nicole Anthony

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

Children with profound congenital hearing loss often do not have the same prelinguistic opportunities for social and verbal interaction as their peers with typical hearing [14]. Consequently, language and social skills may be challenging for this group, even after they are provided with amplification or a cochlear implant. This pilot study examined the effectiveness of using a parallel talk intervention to increase the language and interactional skills of three preschoolers with deafnesss. Results revealed that all participants increased verbal turn-taking and that two of the three increased initiated and responded vocal/verbal comments, and initiated and responded nonverbal responses during a …

"You Have To Care': Perceptions Of Supporting Autonomy In Support Settings For Adults With Intellectual Disability., Jami Petner-Arrey

Special Education ETDs

This study investigated the perceptions of persons with intellectual disability (ID) receiving support and the persons providing support regarding the autonomy of people with ID and how they perceive that it is either supported or denied within daily interactions between direct support professionals (DSPs) and people with disabilities. The participants included 10 people with ID receiving various support services and 10 DSPs. This qualitative investigation used interviews to examine issues related to the support role, the support relationship, the decision-making process of DSPs and the lives of people with ID. Analysis of participant interviews revealed that although participants with ID …

English Language Learner Disproportionality In Special Education: Implications For The Scholar-Practitioner, Diana Linn, Lynn Hemmer

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

This study examined the representational patterns of English language learners (ELLs) receiving special education services in school districts in a southeastern Texas region over a 7-year period. Results indicated that although relative risk ratios have decreased over time, the region as a whole continued to show overrepresentation of ELLs in special education. Additionally, the percentage of districts demonstrating overrepresentation decreased by almost half over the 7 years. Finally, the relative risk ratios for some districts in the study indicated variability over time. Awareness of the representational patterns of ELLs at the
national, state, regional, district, and campus levels continues to …

Using Social Networking To Increase Independent Social Functioning In A Student With Autism, Daniel Kilgallon

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine if engaging a student on a social networking site with his peers would increase social functioning in other settings. In this study social interactions were measured by reciprocating greetings, initiating greetings, and total numbers of social interactions during lunch and more social classes like gym. Both independent and prompted interactions were recorded. The student was required to log into Facebook and make a minimum of three interactions per day. Interactions that were recorded did not include interactions on Facebook. The subject showed marked improvement in reciprocating greetings and minimal increase in initiating …

Inclusion, Signing, Socialization, And Language Skills, Virginia Heslinga Ed. D., Erica Nevenglosky

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

21st-century education finds schools challenged to increase the inclusion of students with widely varying learning abilities, language backgrounds, social diversity, and skills. Educators and administrators acknowledge a need for interactive learning that engages visual, auditory, linear, spatial, tactile, and kinetic learning styles. Students’ styles for learning vary in combinations and intensity and teachers need to combine flexibility and creativity to present material and practices that will build enthusiasm for learning. Adding sign language to a classroom of heterogeneous learners that includes English language learners (ELL) will aid in generating a positive learning environment, inclusive and interactive for varied learning needs …

Effectiveness Of C-In-Ed Course For Inclusive Education: Viewpoint Of In-Service Primary Teachers In Southern Bangladesh, Asim Das, Toshiro Ochiai

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

The study was conducted to examine primary school teachers’ views on effectiveness of Certificate in Education (C-in-Ed) course in terms of teaching in inclusive classroom in Bangladesh. A number of one hundred forty two in-service teachers from fifty six mainstream primary schools in four southern districts participated in this study. Semi-structured interview and focus group discussion were carried out for data collection. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and general inductive analysis to synthesize into some key themes that are associated with present teacher education program. The major findings of the study revealed that lack of content on special …

Interstate Distance Education Partnerships: Case Study Of Challenges And Accomplishment, Michael P. Munro, Janet L. Kamps

Faculty Publications

Abstract

This paper chronicles the challenges in development of a partnership to deliver specialized teacher training across state lines. The authors present a framework of needed steps and use information from their experiences in a case study format to support and explain the progression of a proposed partnership to train teachers of the visually impaired between the Training Program for Professional in Visual Impairment at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, TX, and the Arkansas School for the Blind in Little Rock, AR. The authors discuss the initial concept and need, the development commitment between the two parties, the …

Best Instructional Practices In Developmental Education: Faculty Perspectives, Calisa A. Pierce

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This descriptive study employed a survey to examine the perspectives of developmental education faculty members at public community colleges regarding instructional practices that have been identified in the literature as effective for developmental education. The study focused on two major areas related to the instructional practices surveyed: the degree to which faculty members perceive the practices to be effective and the degree to which they report they employ the practices. The entire population of West Virginia full-time faculty members teaching developmental education regularly in public community and technical colleges was surveyed with an 89.6% response rate. In addition, demographic information …

Evaluating The Learning Objectives Of A Construction-Focused Study Abroad Course In Ireland, James Jenkins, Robert Cox, Sonya Meekel, James O'Connor, Jaime Goggins

Conference papers

Recent trends show that the number of U.S. college students participating in study-abroad courses offered by their university is increasing. Apart from the exposure to different cultures, many study-abroad courses do not provide a focused subject area related to a discipline of study chosen by the individual student. This paper describes an overall view of an international construction management study‑abroad course conducted in Ireland by both American and Irish faculty members. Results of student surveys, which were used to assess the course learning objectives and provide suggestions for improvement, are also presented. These suggestions can be used by faculty members …

Augmented Input: The Effect Of Visuographic Supports On The Auditory Comprehension Of People With Chronic Aphasia, Sarah E. Wallace, Aimee R. Dietz, Karen Hux, Kristy S.E. Weissling

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Background: Augmented input (AI), or the use of visuographic images and linguistic supports, is a strategy for facilitating the auditory comprehension of people with chronic aphasia. To date, researchers have not systematically evaluated the effects of various types of AI strategies on auditory comprehension.

Aims: The purpose of the study was to perform an initial evaluation of the changes in auditory comprehension accuracy experienced by people with aphasia when they received one type of AI. Specifically, the authors examined the effect four types of non-personalized visuographic image conditions on the comprehension of people with aphasia when listening to narratives.

Methods …

A Study Of West Virginia Elementary Special Education Teachers' Roles, Responsibilities, And Practices Within A Multitiered Instructional Support System: Implications For Policy And Practice, Linda M. Palenchar

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of the study was to provide a data-based description of West Virginia special education teachers’ roles, responsibilities, and practices relevant to their participation in selected components of the Response to Intervention (RTI) process. Special educators’ practices related to assessment, tiered instruction, decision making, and collaboration comprise the main components of study and were based on a conceptual framework developed by Hoover and Patton (2008). A researcher-developed survey, the Special Educator Response to Intervention Inventory (SERTII), was used to explore the extent and characteristics of special educators’ participation in RTI. The study population included all elementary special education teachers …

The Influence Of Adhd And Bipolar Disorder Symptoms And Labels On Private High School Teachers’ Accommodations And Attitudes, Sara Kerney

Psychology Honors Papers

The present study examined the effects of symptoms and diagnostic labeling on teachers’ accommodations for and opinions of a student presented in a vignette containing a behavioral description of ADHD or Bipolar Disorder in an adolescent girl. Participants were 85 teachers from five New England private high schools who read a vignette and then answered subsequent questions in an online survey to measure opinions of that student and hypothetical accommodations. Additionally, questions measured participants’ familiarity with mental illness, opinions on mental illness, and beliefs in the causes of the disorders so that the relationship of these variables to accommodations and …

Quality Of Life Of Families With Children Who Have Severe Developmental Disabilities: A Comparison Based On Child Residence, Joni Taylor Mcfelea, Sharon Raver

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

This study measured the quality of life of two groups of families with children who had severe developmental disabilities-families whose child lived at home and families whose child lived in a residential facility. Participants were 54 primary caregivers of children who had severe intellectual disabilities and who lacked the ability to both ambulate without assistance and communicate conversationally. Participants completed the "Family Quality of Life Scale" (Hoffman, Marquis, Poston, Summers, & Turnbull, 2006). Analyses revealed that both groups rated their family quality of life (FQOL) as exemplary. FQOL was higher in the family home group than in the residential facility …

Bully Versus Bullied: A Qualitative Study Of Students With Disabilities In Inclusive Settings, Ida M. Malian Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

This qualitative study observed bullying patterns and trends of students with and without disabilities in inclusive settings. The participants were fourth grade students eligible for receiving special education services in inclusive , resource and self-contained settings. Qualitative data were collected while students were in class and during specials and non-academic times. The data suggests that students with disabilities are bullied and are themselves bullies at times. There appeared to be a relationship between personal characteristics and the incidence of bullying. Further, adult intervention was reported to be lax during incidences f bullying. Educational implications for schools, teachers and teacher educators …