Education
and Training in Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities
VOLUME
38 NUMBER 4 DECEMBER 2003
Research
to Practice in Cognitive Disabilities/Mental Retardation, Autism,
and Related Disabilities
Abandoning
the Myth of Mental Retardation
Written
Language Profile of Children and Youth with Asperger Syndrome: From
Research to Practice
Family
Perceptions of Transitions in Early Intervention
Age
of Majority, Transfer of Rights and Guardianship: Considerations
for Families and Educators
Accountability
in Collaboration: A Framework for Evaluation
Education
for all in the North and the South: Teachers’ Attitudes Towards
Inclusive Education in Finland and Zambia
M.A.G.I.C.
W.O.R.K.S (Motivating Activities Geared-to Instilling Confidence---
Wonderful Opportunities to Raise Kid’s Self-Esteem)
Using
Assistive Technology Focus Groups with Families Across Cultures
Enhancing
Appropriate Social Behaviors for Children with Autism in General
Education Classrooms: An Analysis of Six Cases
Application
of Computer Simulation to Teach ATM Access to Individuals with Intellectual
Disabilities
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Abstracts
Research
to Practice in Cognitive Disabilities/Mental Retardation, Autism,
and Related Disabilities
Cindy Perras, Valerie Sharpe, Darlene E. Perner
Abstract:
On February 12-14, 2003, the Council for Exceptional Children Division
on Developmental Disabilities (DDD) sponsored its Eighth International
Conference: Research to Practice in Cognitive Disabilities/Mental
Retardation, Autism, and Related Disabilities. The conference was
held at the Sheraton Poipu on Kauai. The DDD Board of Directors
decided to devote this issue of Education and Training in Developmental
Disabilities to conference papers. The conference brought together
educators from school and college classrooms from all over the world.
Through a joint program process with the Pacific Rim Conference,
taking place in Honolulu, Hawaii earlier in the week, sessions were
offered on a wide range of topics. Presenters were asked to submit
papers based on their conference presentations. Papers submitted
were reviewed by the Guest Editors who selected the papers for publication.
We think the selection of papers represents an interesting assortment
of topics and formats ranging from discussion papers to databased
research to descriptions of classroom techniques.
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Abandoning
the Myth of Mental Retardation
J. David Smith
Abstract: One of the great teachers I had during
my doctoral studies at Teachers College, Columbia University was
Professor Ignacy Goldberg. As great teachers often do, Dr. Goldberg
engaged his students with stories from his own life. I remember
clearly his accounts from early in his career of working in an institution
for persons diagnosed as mentally retarded. He recalled that during
his first days there an experienced staff member explained to him
that there were actually three different populations of people in
the institution, the "retarded retarded,” the "normal
retarded,” and the "minimally gifted.” The retarded retarded
needed constant care. The normal retarded and the minimally gifted
often provided this help to them. The normal retarded were the mainstream
population of the institution. They lived relatively independent
lives within the culture of the institution. They were often given
the most basic and unpleasant work to do (cleaning and caring for
the retarded retarded). The minimally gifted made certain that things
ran smoothly in the wards of the institution. They occupied the
upper echelon of the residential society and were rewarded by the
institution's staff for doing things the employees were actually
paid to do. Their rewards included cigarettes, money, privileges
and other favors. The quality of institutional life often depended
on the abilities, sensibilities, and compassion of the minimally
gifted. Dr. Goldberg discussed the degrading nature of the terms
used to describe the institution's residents, particularly the sarcastic
designation "minimally gifted.” The concept underlying the
terms, however, he found to be valid. There were distinctly different
groups of people in the institution, yet all of them were referred
to as being the retarded. He used his story to question the monolith
that mental retardation had become in the thinking of the public
and in many professional circles.
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Written Language Profile of Children and Youth
with Asperger Syndrome: From Research to Practice
Brenda Smith Myles, Abigail Huggins, Maleia Rome-Lake, Taku Hagiwara,
Gena P. Barnhill, Deborah E. Griswold
Abstract: The current study investigated
written language skills of children and youth with Asperger Syndrome
(AS). Sixteen children and youth with AS and 16 neurotypical peers
were compared on a standardized test of written language skills
and legibility of handwriting. To investigate more detailed characteristics,
informal analyses were also made for written samples from these
standardized tests. In written language skills, significant differences
were not found between standardized scores of both groups; however,
in hand writing skills, the group of individuals with AS produced
significantly less legible letters and words than the neurotypical
group. Informal analyses of written samples further reveal that
the group of children and youth with AS appear to be able write
quantitatively similar to their neurotypical peers with using grammatical
rules but had difficulty producing qualitative writing. Implications
for translating research to practice in teaching writing skills
for children and youth with AS are discussed.
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Family Perceptions of Transitions in Early Intervention
David L. Lovett and Kathryn A. Haring
Abstract:This article explores three broad themes
about transitions that have emerged in a naturalistic study of experiences
of families with young children with disabilities. Generalizations
regarding early transitions include families going through a birth
crisis have difficulty understanding all the information they are
provided. Not only is their role unclear (“Should I stay with the
mother or follow the baby?”), familiarity with medical technology
is typically limited. In a crisis state the mind may take in nothing
more once it accepts the concept of an extremely critical or life
threatening condition. In addition, mothers who have had emergency
Cesarean sections are struggling through pain medication and their
own trauma. Secondly, parents may not feel comfortable assessing
their abilities to care for their children as they transition from
the hospital to home. Finally, the transition from home-based early
intervention to center-based preschool can cause anxiety for parents.
An IEP meeting may be the first introduction into the world of special
education. Formality of public schooling involves new learning such
as definitions, categories, and placement decisions.
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Age of Majority, Transfer of Rights and
Guardianship: Considerations for Families and Educators
Dorothy Squatrito Millar
Abstract: Under IDEA, when youths reach
the age of majority they become responsible for their educational
program, unless they are determined to be incompetent. When considering
student competence, the issue of guardianship is often raised. Guardianship
is inconsistent with the recent emphasis on self-determination.
This study examined guardianship practices as they relate to young
adults who have developmental disabilities. Review of 221 court
files found that (a) disability label, limited ability to make decisions,
and youth reaching the age of majority were main reasons why petitions
were filed; (b) evidence used to “prove” incompetence was unclear;
(c) ward's “conditions” remained constant following the guardian
appointment; and (d) guardianship did not necessarily resolve the
areas of concern. Guardianship is a complex issue in need of further
investigation.
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Accountability in Collaboration: A Framework
for Evaluation
Jack Hourcade, Phil Parette, Holly Anderson
Abstract: Accountability is perhaps
the most significant issue facing educators today. How can school
professionals document that their work results in significant positive
outcomes? This issue is especially critical to the many special
and general educators moving into collaborative partnerships, given
the dramatic shifts in their professional roles inherent in this
move. A 2 x 2 "Collaboration Evaluation Matrix" outlines
two basic types of information (objective and subjective) and two
basic dimensions of any program (processes and outcomes) that might
be considered in evaluation of collaboration. Multiple data sources
enhance validity and utility of these evaluation efforts.
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Education for all in the North and the South:
Teachers’ Attitudes Towards Inclusive Education in Finland and Zambia
Sakari Moberg
Abstract: A survey assessed attitudes
of 1636 Zambian and Finnish teachers towards inclusive education
and consequently the perceptions of appropriate educational environment
for children with different disabilities. On the whole, attitudes
varied but were quite critical. Structure of the attitudes was similar
in both countries; factor analyses extracted four attitude dimensions:
1) social justice, 2) meeting special needs of students with severe
disabilities, 3) teachers’ competence, and 4) quality of education
for non-disabled students. On inclusion in general, the Finnish
ordinary teachers were the most critical group and the Finnish special
education teachers the most optimistic. Most respondents felt that
inclusive education enhances social justice. However, pursuit of
inclusion in practice, especially the guarantee of good and effective
education for all, was seen as problematic. Compared to Finnish
respondents, the Zambian respondents preferred a more segregated
educational environment for children with different disabilities.
Type and severity of disability affected the preferred educational
setting and there were clear differences in this regard between
respondents from the two countries. Findings support the idea that
teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion are important in developing
inclusive school systems and that inclusive education is best understood
as a multi-dimensional concept, which, at the practical level, is
highly context-dependent.
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M.A.G.I.C. W.O.R.K.S (Motivating Activities Geared-to
Instilling Confidence--- Wonderful Opportunities to Raise Kid’s
Self-Esteem)
Dan Ezell and Colleen E. Klein-Ezell
Abstract: This study investigates use of magic
tricks to increase self-esteem and self-confidence of children with
disabilities. Twenty-six children with various disabilities at both
elementary and secondary levels volunteered for the study. Participants
were taught various magic tricks and were given weeks of practice
time to perfect their presentation prior to performing for others.
Pre- and post-test measures of self-esteem and self-confidence were
determined using the Self-Image domain from the Self-Confidence
dimension on the Student Self-Concept Scale. Overall results indicate
that a statistical increase in self-esteem and self-confidence was
noted for the entire group at the end of the study. Significance
of results and their implications are discussed.
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Using Assistive Technology Focus Groups
with Families Across Cultures
Phil Parette, Mary Blake Huer, Jack J. Hourcade
Abstract: While numerous approaches exist
to gather information from families having cultural and linguistically
diverse backgrounds and who have children with developmental disabilities,
the use of assistive technology (AT) focus groups holds great promise
for professionals. This article provides an overview of a process
that can be implemented in school settings by professionals who
desire to understand the unique AT needs of families with cultural
and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Specifically, a four-phase
strategy is presented for collecting information from families regarding
their perceptions of school professionals, appropriateness of their
child's interventions, and other important attitudes that families
might have toward various AT-related activities in which their child
is a participant. Emphasis is placed on the right person asking
the right questions in the right way to the right persons at the
right time and place.
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Enhancing
Appropriate Social Behaviors for Children with Autism in General
Education Classrooms: An Analysis of Six Cases
Nancy Kueifen Yang, James L. Schaller, Tzu-Ai Huang, Meei
Huey Wang and Shu-Fei Tsai
Abstract:
This study compares generalized effects of a social-emotional skills
training for girls and boys with autism in resource rooms on promoting
positive social behaviors in general education classrooms in Taiwan.
A single subject design was used to compare outcomes for 2 girls
and 2 boys with autism in the experimental group with 2 boys with
autism in the control group. Results of regression analyses revealed
that all 4 participants in the experimental group significantly
increased frequencies of positive social behaviors over time, while
the two control participants did not demonstrate trends in the data.
After adjusting for trends, the training had a medium effect size
for 2 participants and a small effect size for 2 participants in
the experimental group. This training was developed in response
to educational services in Taiwan; suggestions are provided for
development of interventions for children with autism that fit within
general education classrooms.
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Application
of Computer Simulation to Teach ATM Access to Individuals with Intellectual
Disabilities
Daniel K. Davies and Steven E. Stock, Michael L. Wehmeyer
Abstract:
This study investigates use of computer simulation for teaching
ATM use to adults with intellectual disabilities. ATM-SIM is a computer-based
trainer used for teaching individuals with intellectual disabilities
how to use an automated teller machine (ATM) to access their personal
bank accounts. In the pilot evaluation, a prototype system was developed
and used to train nine adults with intellectual disabilities how
to use a local ATM. Participants were pre-tested on their ability
to use an ATM and then were trained using the ATM-SIM prototype.
After a brief training period, participants were again tested on
their capacity to operate the actual ATM. Results demonstrate preliminary
evidence that computer simulation can be used effectively to teach
a specific independent living skill to adults with mental retardation.
Participants required significantly fewer help prompts and made
fewer errors when operating the real ATM after ATM-SIM training.
Potential for electronic and information technologies to promote
community inclusion was discussed.
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