Education
and Training in Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities
VOLUME
38 NUMBER 2 JUNE 2003
Adult Outcomes for Students with Cognitive Disabilities
Three-Years After High School: The Impact of Self-Determination
Personal and Employment Outcomes of Person-Centered
Career Planning
Characteristics of Friendships Between Children
with and without Mild Disabilities
Cross Validating a New Preschool Screening Test
Constant Time Delay and Interspersal of Known Items
to Teach Sight Words to Students with Mental Retardation and Learning
Disabilities
Comparison of a Word Study Phonics Technique between
Students with Moderate to Mild Mental Retardation and Struggling Readers
without Disabilities
Socio-Communicative Variables and Behavior
States in Students with Profound and Multiple Disabilities: Descriptive Data
from School Settings
Impact of Portfolio Assessment on Locus of Control of
Students with and without Disabilities
Meta-Analyses in Mental Retardation
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Abstracts
Adult Outcomes for Students with Cognitive Disabilities
Three-Years After High School: The Impact of Self-Determination
Michael L. Wehmeyer and Susan B. Palmer
Abstract: This article reports a follow-up study of school leavers with
mental retardation or learning disabilities who were surveyed 1- and 3-years
after they left school to determine what they were doing in major life areas
(employment, independent living or community integration). Students were
divided into two groups based on self-determination scores collected during
their final year at high school. Comparisons between these groups on outcomes
at 1 and 3 years post-graduation indicate that students who were more
self-determined fared better across multiple life categories, including
employment and access to health and other benefits, financial independence,
and independent living.
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Personal and Employment Outcomes of
Person-Centered Career Planning
Bruce M. Menchetti and Lori A. Garcia
Abstract: This study examined effects of person-centered planning on
career choice and employment outcomes attained by 83 supported employees.
Choice was measured by analyzing degree of match between employees' career
preferences and their current employment. High and moderate levels of
preference match were attained by 72 (83%) of employees studied. Wages and
length of employment did not differ significantly by level of match. These
employment outcomes tended to favor employees in high and moderate match
groups, however. Implementation and evaluation issues related to
person-centered planning were further examined through a focus group of
service providers. Responses identified measuring effectiveness of
person-centered planning, supporting training and commitment of service
providers, collaborative problem solving, and continuous process improvement
as issues requiring further research.
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Characteristics of Friendships Between Children
with and without Mild Disabilities
SoHyun Lee, SunYoung Yoo, and SunHi Bak
Abstract: Friendship is a very important component in human lives, but it
is difficult for children with disabilities to make friends with their typical
peers. This study investigates the quality of play behaviors in friendships
between children with and without disabilities and analyzes how normal peers
perceive friendship with children with disabilities. Fifteen pairs of children
with and without disabilities who chose each other as friends by sociometrics
were selected in elementary regular classrooms. Fifteen pairs of children
without disabilities and their normal friends were also selected. Each pair's
play behaviors were observed for 30 minutes twice. Then children without
disabilities were interviewed about their perception of friendship with their
friends with disabilities. Results show that play role and positive/neutral
affect of dyads without and with disabilities was different from dyads of
normal peers. Children without disabilities perceived children with
disabilities as playing mates, but they denoted limitations in communicating
with their friends with disabilities, as well as behavior problems made it
difficult to maintain friendship. Future research directions were discussed.
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Cross Validating a New Preschool Screening
Test
Marcia Strong Scott, Shihfen Tu, and Kathryn L. Fletcher
Abstract: A new preschool screening battery, consisting of five brief
cognitive tasks, was presented to a sample of four- and five-year-old children
with, and without mild learning problems. The sample included 177 normally
achieving children and 21 children classified as either learning disabled (n =
7) or developmentally delayed (n = 14). Cross-sample test validation was
demonstrated when 81% of both educational groups were correctly classified.
The White/nonHispanic group achieved significantly higher screening scores
than an omnibus minority group even when controlling for testing language.
However, Hispanic children tested in English had a significantly higher
screening score than Hispanic children tested in Spanish or both English and
Spanish, and this impacted the race/ethnicity comparisons. Using percentage of
exact matches, the interrater agreement was 80% or greater for all but one of
the tasks. It was greater than 90% for all five tasks when the criterion for
an agreement between raters was achieving scores within 1 point of each other.
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Constant Time Delay and Interspersal of Known
Items to Teach Sight Words to Students with Mental Retardation and
Learning Disabilities
Melissa G. Knight, Denise E. Ross, Ronald L. Taylor, and Rangasamy
Ramasamy
Abstract: This study compared efficacy and efficiency of constant time
delay and interspersal of known items to teach sight words to students with
mild mental retardation and learning disabilities. Procedures were
counterbalanced across time of day and instructional groups in a parallel
treatments design. For students with mild mental retardation, constant time
delay was more effective and efficient based on words learned, percentage of
errors, instructional time, and sessions through criterion. For students with
learning disabilities, procedures were equally effective, but constant time
delay was more efficient across most measures. Results support effectiveness
of constant time delay and suggest that interspersal of known items may be
more effective for students with learning disabilities than students with mild
mental retardation.
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Comparison of a Word Study Phonics Technique
between Students with Moderate to Mild Mental Retardation and Struggling
Readers without Disabilities
Laurice M. Joseph and Megan McCachran
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to compare effectiveness of a
word study phonics technique called word sorts on word recognition,
pseudoword recognition, phonological awareness, and spelling between
a group of children with mental retardation and a group of struggling
young readers without identified disabilities. Word sort instruction
involved categorizing words into groups based upon common sound
and spelling patterns. As sessions progressed, both groups of children
were successful at completing the sorts. A MANCOVA revealed that
there were no significant differences between the groups on posttest
measures of word recognition, pseudoword recognition, phonological
awareness, and spelling while holding pretest performance on these
variables constant. There was variability in performance within
groups, especially within the group of children with mental retardation.
Some children within the groups made more substantial gains from
pretests to posttests than others. Children without disabilities
made greater gains on a pseudoword naming task. Implications are
discussed for how the word sort technique provides an analogy-based
approach for helping children read words unknown to them.
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Socio-Communicative Variables and Behavior
States in Students with Profound and Multiple Disabilities: Descriptive
Data from School Settings
Michael Arthur
Abstract: Assessment of student behavior states and contextual variables
has emerged as a promising area for research and practice in the
education of individuals with profound and multiple disabilities.
This paper presents findings of an observational study of ten-school
aged students in this population, with particular attention being
paid to social and communicative variables operating in educational
settings. Comparisons are made with other published studies of behavior
state assessment and socio-communicative processes observed in special
education programs. Implications of these findings are discussed
in relation to extant literature and avenues for further investigation
in this field.
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Impact of Portfolio Assessment on Locus of Control
of Students with and without Disabilities
Dan Ezell and Colleen Klein
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore the effect portfolio
assessment had on locus of control of students with and without
disabilities, and to see specifically whether use of portfolio assessment
increased internal locus of control of students with disabilities.
Participants were eighth grade students chosen on the basis of classroom
use and non-use of the portfolio assessment process. Both general
education students (n = 70) and special education students (n =
20) were involved in the study. The Nowicki-Strickland Locus of
Control Scale was used to identify participants' locus of control.
Overall, results indicated that all individuals involved in the
portfolio assessment process scored more internally-oriented in
terms of locus of control than those who were not involved in the
portfolio assessment process.
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Meta-Analyses in Mental Retardation
Mark P. Mostert
Abstract: The extent of reported information can significantly
influence meta-analytic face validity and subsequent conclusions
for theory and practice. I reviewed 26 meta-analyses in mental retardation
across six domains of information necessary for securing face validity.
Results indicate a wide variation in the amount of reported data
similar to other analyses of meta-analytical literature in special
education.
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