Special education

Online shopping is a common feature of modern adult life and is made easy with targeted advertisements, a large buy now button, and pre-entered credit card information. However, these features do not support making purchasing decisions based on what is best for the individual. Decision making about buying items requires an understanding of basic mathematics, one’s current finances and circumstances, and information about the product, then choosing whether to purchase the item. Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) need explicit instruction on how to make informed decisions regarding online purchases.
The current study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention package consisting of a mnemonic and behavior skills training (BST) delivered remotely to improve the decision making of three adults with IDD when shopping online through a multiple probe across participants design. Inter-observer agreement and procedural fidelity was assessed throughout each phase of the study and social validity interviews were conducted to measure perceptions of participants, parents, and professionals on the importance of the goals, procedures, and outcomes of the study.

College students with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) are afforded many educational opportunities through Inclusive Post-Secondary Education (IPSE) programs, including employment training. Competitive employment can contribute a rich independent life, thus more employment training opportunities can be beneficial. Low employment rates for adults with ID have motivated these efforts to develop proper employment training. In the past, on-the-job (OTJ) training with a job coach was one of the only supports for adults with ID in the workplace. Now, there are a variety of evidence-based strategies that can be used in the workplace or in other community settings, such as Covert Audio Coaching (CAC), to teach adults with ID the skills they need to maintain a job.
This study used a multiple probe design to examine the effects of CAC on teaching workplace communication skills to college students with ID in a real-world setting. In this study, students interned in an office setting and spoke to a co-worker at their work setting while the interventionist used a two-way radio system to provide coaching statements to the student during their conversations. All students in this study increased their on-topic communication exchanges, and these results demonstrate that CAC is an effective intervention for this population.

Research suggests spending time outdoors and with natural materials can benefit all young children across different areas of development. However, children with developmental disabilities often have fewer opportunities to engage with nature as a result of the limited understanding and negative views about nature expressed by their caregivers and educators. This study examined the effects of a professional development training package on the knowledge, perception, and application of nature-based teaching strategies of early childhood educators who teach young children with developmental disabilities. It also explored how teachers’ implementation of nature-based activities support children’s developmental outcomes.
Results showed the professional development training was effective to some degree in increasing teachers’ knowledge, primarily in their sharing of strategies and ideas for incorporating natural materials and outdoor spaces in learning activities. Following the training, teachers demonstrated a significant shift in their views about different aspects of nature. Teachers were also able to develop action plans to implement nature-based learning opportunities into their practice. Moreover, they reported these activities supported the developmental outcomes they set forth for the children with developmental disabilities in their class. Limitations and challenges that arose are discussed as well as the implications for future research.

Historically, there have been questions concerning the areas and methods of assessment that are appropriate with individuals with profound handicaps. Recently, research efforts toward the assessment of biobehavioral states of these individuals have been advocated. The purpose of this study was to examine how biobehavioral states and orienting responses might be influenced by environmental variables. More specifically, this study involved investigation into whether increasing degrees of stimulation provided through individuals, activities, and objects in the environment appeared to influence the biobehavioral states of the subjects. Additionally, the influence of time of day, day of week, the position of the subject, and the subject's prior state were explored. Five subjects were selected from a classroom for students with profound mental handicaps in southeast Florida. Subjects were observed using a partial-interval recording procedure and a previously developed and piloted instrument. Each subject was observed for 20 observation periods with each period consisting of 15, 20 second intervals. These observation periods were evenly distributed across mornings and afternoons and across the days of the week. Subjects were randomly selected for the order of observations. One additional rater was used in addition to the investigator for reliability purposes. The overall reliability coefficients for all observed variables exceeded.90. All environmental variables and the prior state variable were crosstabulated with the state variable and the significance of each bivariate relationship was tested using the chi-square statistic. All environmental variables, with the exception of the continuous auditory stimulation variable, shared a statistically significant relationship with the state variable (p < .0277). Prior state also shared a statistically significant relationship. Additionally, those environmental variables with the strongest relationships with the state variable along with the prior state variable were used as predictors for a multiple regression procedure. State was used as the criterion variable and significant variance was predicted by the environmental and prior state variables. This study resulted in an increase in the data base concerning state assessment in students with profound handicaps, investigated environmental variables that may have affected state occurrences, and raised issues concerning previous and future research. In addition, implications concerning how instructional grouping, provision of stimulating activities, intensity of staff-student interactions, positioning of students, and time of day and day of week might have affected subjects' biobehavioral states were discussed.

This study investigated the effect of the disability labels learning disabilities (LD) and emotional handicaps (EH) on general education and special education teachers' willingness to refer students to gifted programs. Referral differences between general education and special education teachers were also examined. Two hundred forty-seven teachers (195 general education teachers and 52 special education teachers) from one south Florida school district participated in this study. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions (no label, LD, EH) and asked to read a vignette describing a gifted student. All vignettes were identical except for one statement added to the LD or EH group stating the student had a disability. After reading the vignette, teachers completed a survey instrument with six questions regarding possible referral options. One of the six questions asked if they would refer the student to their school's gifted program. Teachers indicated their responses by circling one of four choices: strongly agree, agree, disagree or strongly disagree. Responses to the gifted referral question on the survey instrument served as the dependent variable. A 2 x 3 factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to evaluate the main effects of labeled conditions (three levels), teacher certification type (two levels), and the interaction between labeled condition and teacher type. Results indicated that teachers were significantly influenced by the LD and EH label when making referrals to gifted programs. Both special education and general education teachers were much less willing to refer students with disability labels to gifted programs than identically described students with no disability label. Additionally, when compared to general education teachers, special education teachers were less likely to refer a gifted student, with or without disabilities, to a gifted program. Implications were discussed and recommendations for future research were made.

The purpose of this study was to develop a model management program which would substantially increase the efficiency of the special education teacher and administrator by using the microcomputer. An investigation utilizing a survey of South Florida schools to determine which schools had access to microcomputers, followed by a questionnaire to forty-two selected schools revealed that only fifteen of the schools surveyed were using the microcomputer in special education classes. Telephone calls to these fifteen schools revealed that only six were using the microcomputer to assist with management procedures for special education classes. A personal visit to each of the six schools which were using the microcomputer determined that the only duty the microcomputer was performing was attendance record-keeping. The information gathered from the survey, questionnaire, telephone calls, and personal visits indicated a need for the development of a program to be utilized with a microcomputer at the school level which would assist in the management of special education. The study then focused on the development of a model program in one elementary school which would assist with special education management. This was accomplished by designing a computer program that accomplished a variety of record-keeping tasks on the microcomputer such as attendance records, mailing labels, classroom rosters and other demographic data for individual classes. Programs were also utilized that assisted with the scoring of student mastery tests that were a part of a county-wide unified curriculum. The RECIPE program, which assists with the task of creating and implementing the individual education program, was incorporated into the model. Several recommendations were made at the conclusion of this study. The microcomputer should be more accessible to school administrators and teachers. In-service training in the use of the microcomputer should be provided to all interested personnel and students. A computer department should be a part of the school system to provide programmers, in-service trainers, and to program, evaluate, and disseminate software. Colleges and universities should begin classes in computer literacy and programming for all future teachers. Educators must take over the job of writing and programming appropriate software for use in our schools. Education in the microcomputer age should not be in the hands of technicians.

Learning disability teachers in Broward County, Florida, were surveyed for the purposes of identifying competencies, actual practices and training needs of paraprofessionals. The survey was conducted in two phases. Phase One yielded information from which two competency lists were derived. The first list consisted of twenty-five essential competencies that a paraprofessional must demonstrate for minimum performance in the learning disability classroom. The second list consisted of 136 "preferred competencies," i.e., skills which learning disability teachers have identified as useful in the classroom, but not necessarily essential to paraprofessional performance. Phase Two yielded information from which was formulated two additional lists; the first composed of actual current practices of paraprofessionals in learning disability classrooms, and the second composed of possible current training needs. As a result of this study, information was compiled identifying (1) essential competencies, (2) preferred competencies, (3) actual competencies and (4) current training needs of paraprofessionals serving learning disability classes in Broward County, Florida. This information can be used as a guide for evaluation, needs assessment, job interviews and training of paraprofessionals. The study provided a basis from which the scope and sequence of a pre-service and inservice paraprofessional program could be constructed. The data suggest a possible three-level educational program for paraprofessionals. Level One: training in the essential competencies; Level Two: training in the preferred competencies; and Level Three: training in specialized areas. Thus, a generic core of competencies can be taught initially to all paraprofessionals simultaneously, gradually advancing to higher level skills and finally, providing the specialized training needed in specific areas of education.