School Psychology Commons^™

Examining The Effectiveness Of A Social Learning Curriculum For Improving Social Skills And Self-Regulation Behaviors In Middle School Boys With Autism Spectrum Disorder Or Social Skill Deficits, Jessica Beth Bolton

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Social skill deficits are hallmark characteristics noted in children with autism. The behavioral indicators of autism, including language impairments, display of preservative behaviors, and restricted interests contribute to the social difficulties experienced by children with autism. The current paper provides a review of the relevant literature on theoretical contributions to social skill deficits in autism. A review of the use of cognitive behavioral therapy and social skill training programs and curriculums that have been shown to be efficacious at targeting deficits and improving social skills is provided, with a focus on treating children with high functioning autism (HFA) and Asperger’s …

School Psychologists' Knowledge Of Tourette Syndrome Characteristics And Awareness Of Appropriate Interventions, Jesse Usher Glassman

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder consisting of multiple involuntary motor tics and one or more vocal tics. The duration of the disorder is at least one year and not more than three consecutive tic-free months (APA, 2000). The tics associated with TS are frequently more severe than other tic disorders on the spectrum. There are varying degrees of severity of TS disorder, requiring maximum to no treatment. Children and adolescents diagnosed and who are showing signs of TS are referred for school evaluations in order to identify various learning difficulties and /or emotional issues which are often associated …

Link Between Executive Functioning And Teacher Referrals For Gifted Testing, Amanda Veronica Kenney

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

It is possible that teachers are more likely to refer for gifted support students who are highly productive in class rather than students with classroom production difficulties such as those commonly exhibited by students with ADHD or other executive function-related difficulties. Some research support has been found for this hypothesis. In a study by Zentall, Moon, Hall, and Grskovic (2001), students diagnosed with ADHD, whether identified as academically gifted or not, were described as underachievers by their teachers (Zentall et al., 2001). There can be similar behavioral characteristics between ADHD and giftedness, including hyperactivity, disruptive behavior, and a tendency to …

School Psychologists' Confidence Level With Suicide Intervention And Prevention In The Schools, Jodi L. Stein-Erichsen

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Schools psychologists are often called upon to work with suicidal students regardless of previous training or the comfort levels that they possess in this area (Debski, Spadafore, Jacob, Poole, and Hixon, 2007; Oordt, Jobes, Fonseca, and Schmidt, 2009). This study evaluates the results of a survey created by this study’s investigator. It was disseminated to members of the National Association of School Psychologists’ Listserv (NASP-Listserv) and gathers general and demographic data as well as information that contribute to the assessment of suicide intervention and prevention experience and training received by the participants. Also investigated was whether or not suicide intervention …

Improving Validity Of Referrals For Comprehensive Autism Evaluation : A Tier-2 Direct Autism Observation Checklist, Mary Heim Elberson

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Early identification of autism has received national attention and can lead to positive treatment outcomes. Research has demonstrated that qualitative impairments in social and communicative behaviors can be detected within the first two years of life. Unfortunately, many children with autism will not receive an autism diagnosis until they enter preschool. Professionals within school settings have not often received extensive training on assessment of autism spectrum disorders. Expectations, however, are that school-based teams can identify students who demonstrate characteristics associated with autism and refer those students for a comprehensive autism evaluation. Currently, autism screening tools are limited to rating scales …

The Relevance Of Executive Functions In Academic Production In Middle School, Norina Bobik

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The present study investigated the role that executive function plays on academic production in middle school from a prototype perspective. It was hypothesized that middle school teachers' prototypical ratings of the executive function capacities of middle school students who are academically successful would differ significantly from these same middle school teachers' prototypical ratings of the executive function capacities of middle school students who are academically unsuccessful. The study used archival data consisting of items from the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF), a questionnaire that was completed by middle school teachers during a professional in-service workshop at four large …

An Examination Of Academic Resilience Among High-Achieving Hispanic-American Male Inner City Adolescents, Aida A. Ismael-Lennon

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Identifying risk and protective factors has been at the cornerstone in resilience research in education. Although this focus has contributed to our understanding of the personal traits inherent in academically resilient students, it fails to expound relationships existing outside of the individual. This study aims to uncover the interrelationship between individual characteristics and the environments that help create academic resilience. Twelve Hispanic-American male inner-city at-risk students, considered resilient, were interviewed about perceived factors leading to their academic success. A qualitative analysis was used to analyze the data, using Strauss & Corbin's (1998) Grounded Theory Approach. The themes that emerged were …

Hypnosis As An Effective Treatment For Hot Flashes From Naturally Occurring Menopause, Carol F. Oliver

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Hot flashes are a significant problem for many women with naturally occurring menopause and can cause physical symptoms as well as a decreased quality of life. In the past women were treated with hormonal replacement therapy. However, recent research has shown that the risks may outweigh the benefits. In addition, nontraditional nutritional treatments, such as herbal supplements, are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and often, the exact amount of the substance contained in each dose cannot be guaranteed. Many women and their doctors are looking for an alternative treatment. The use of hypnosis has been shown to …

Performance-Based Assessment Of School Psychology Interns : Analysis Of Problem-Solving Skills As Demonstrated In Comprehensive Case Examinations, Kimberly Suzanne Hansen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

School psychologists are integral partners in the facilitation of the problem solving process, especially when the process is embedded within a tiered service delivery system incorporating response to intervention philosophies. Therefore, it is important that new school psychologists entering the field be competent in the skill areas needed to produce positive student outcomes. It is important for school psychology training programs to assess these competencies to improve individual student competencies as well as to improve the training provided by the program in the future. Comprehensive case studies are performance-based assessments that can be utilized to evaluate individuals, as well as …

A Conceptual Guide To Museum Visitors’ Understanding Of Evolution, E. Margaret Evans, Amy Spiegel, Wendy Gram, Brandy N. Frazier, Sarah Cover, Medha Tare, Judy Diamond

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to profile natural history museum visitors’ reasoning about the evolution of seven organisms featured in Explore Evolution, an NSF funded exhibition. Seven current research studies on evolution were exhibited; each targeted different organisms: HIV, diatoms, ant/fungus, Hawaiian flies, Galapagos finches, humans/chimps, and fossilized whales. The exhibits illustrated a common set of evolutionary principles, variation, inheritance, selection, time, and adaptation, in diverse organisms.

Method: As part of the front-end evaluation, 32 museum visitors were interviewed and asked to explain evolutionary change in the seven organisms, though the term evolution was not mentioned. …

Whytry? A Program Evaluation, Tammie Knick

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

In Minnesota, one out of every five students fail to graduate from high school (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2009). Long before students decide to drop out of school, a host of risk factors or early predictors undoubtedly emerged in childhood. The purpose of this research pilot project was to determine the efficacy of the WhyTry? program in helping to reduce some of those risk factors such as: Truancy, Behavior problems in school, Low academic achievement, and School disengagement. The WhyTry? Program uses a strengths-based approach to help youth overcome their challenges and improve their outcomes at school. WhyTry? is based …

The Relationship Between A Teacher Check List And Standardised Tests For Visual Perception Skills: A South African Remedial Primary School Perspective, Janet Richmond, K Holland

Research outputs pre 2011

Occupational therapy in remedial education settings has been questioned by the South African Government as they see occupational therapy as a costly service and thus has challenged occupational therapy clinicians’ approach to assessment. This study was undertaken to establish whether the results of standardised tests of visual perception skills, relate to teachers’ observations in respect of primary remedial school age children (six to eleven years) attending a short term remedial school because of low scholastic achievement despite having average or above intellectual ability. The Test of Visual Perceptual Skills – Revised, the Developmental Test of Visual Perception-2, the Jordan Left-Right …

A Case Study: Use Of Applied Behavior Analysis With An Austistic Adolescent, Evan Jaffe

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Socialization between individuals is an important characteristic in human development. In individuals with autism, there is a profound deficit with social skills and with social reciprocity. Interventions and techniques are utilized to help enhance these skills. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects that Applied Behavior Analysis using discrete trials can have on the ability to elicit a spontaneous greeting in various settings by an adolescent male diagnosed with autism. This study analyzed data collected during a ten week intervention program. Behavior ratings reflected some uneven progress over the ten weeks, but significant improvements in the targeted …

Assessment Of Teachers’ Core Beliefs Related To Key Features Of Response To Intervention, Jacqlyn Tumolo Zarabba

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act require that schools are accountable for the outcomes of all students. Response to Intervention (RtI) provides a framework to assist in the actualization of this goal. This educational reform effort requires dramatically different functioning on the part of all school personnel, particularly teachers. In order for this model to be successful, researchers must acknowledge the primacy of teacher level factors, such as beliefs and attitudes related to core components of RtI. The purpose of this study was to examine the core beliefs of elementary-level teachers relative to foundational components of RtI, …

Comparison Of The Reading Subtests Of The Wechsler Individual Achievement Test - Third Edition And The Peabody Individual Achievement Test-Revised/Normative Update, Lauren M. Ott

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study compared the reading subtests of the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test Third Edition and the Peabody Individual Achievement Test-Revised/Normative Update. Scores were compared on these two tests in a group of 28 students ages 7 through 12 who were referred or reevaluated for suspected learning problems. The data were collected through a deidentified data set provided by a school building staff member or administrator and included such information as gender, age, and grade level as well as WIAT-III and PIAT-R/NU reading subtest scores. A t test of significance and the Pearson r Correlations were computed to see how the …

The Relationship Between The Wisc-Iv Gai And The Kabc-Ii, Nancy R. Oliver

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This present study compared the WISC-IV GAI and the global scores of KABC-II. The tests were administered to referred students in rural schools in Ohio and West Virginia. The study included 30 Caucasian students between the ages of 6 years, 7 months to 16 years, 11 months; 19 females and 11 males with an average age of 9 years, 10 months. Results found a strong correlation between the GAI and the FCI; and the GAI and the MPI. The results of the t-test of significance suggested that these tests given to the same student would yield similar results.

Predicting Mastery On The Westest 2 : A Comparison Of Map And Westest 2 Data, Miranda Noelle Haught

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Curriculum based measures are conducted in order to observe a student’s progress and gauge the development in the school’s curriculum. Schools are in need of gathering data to discover if students are progressing towards achieving proficiency on state standardized tests. This research determines what score or corresponding percentile needs to be reached on the MAP test in order to achieve mastery on WESTEST 2. Data was compared from students in a rural county in West Virginia who were tested in Mathematics and Reading on the MAP test and WESTEST 2. A Pearson product correlation between both the MAP test and …

Cross Informant Correlation : Validity Of The Conners Cbrs Parent And Teacher Scales, Tamara Ann-Harris Mitchell

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to determine the amount of cross informant agreement on the Conners Comprehensive Behavior Rating content scales between Parents and Teachers of students at the Marshall University Summer Enrichment Program. Data was analyzed by comparing the 11 common content scales on both forms and determining if there is a cross informant correlation that is significant. Results showed a low correlation coefficient, which suggests a weak relationship between parents and teachers.