Education
and Training in Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities
VOLUME
41 NUMBER 3 Fall
2006
Curriculum Augmentation and Adaptation Strategies to Promote
Access to the General Curriculum for Students with Intellectual
and Developmental Disabilities
Functional Communication Training: A Review of the Literature
Related to Children with Autism
Effectiveness of Simultaneous Prompting in Small Group: The Opportunity
of Acquiring Non-target Skills through Observational Learning and
Instructive Feedback
Increasing Opportunities for Requesting in Children with Developmental
Disabilities Residing in Group Homes through Pyramidal Training
Computer-Based Instruction for Purchasing Skills
Increasing the Skills of Children with Developmental Disabilities
through Staff Training in Behavioral Teaching Techniques
High School Teacher s’ Perceptions of
School-to-Work Transition Practice s i n Taiwan
Music Therapy and the Education of Students with Severe Disabilities
Reliability
and Validity of the Pervasive Developmental Disorders
Rating Scale and the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale
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Abstracts
Curriculum
Augmentation and Adaptation Strategies to Promote Access to the
General Curriculum for Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Suk-Hyang
Lee, Betty A. Amos, Stelios Gragoudas, Youngsun Lee, Karrie A.
Shogren, Raschelle Theoharis, and Michael L. Wehmeyer
Abstract: Curriculum modification strategies, particularly curriculum
adaptations and augmentations, have been identified as important
to enable learners with disabilities to achieve access to and
progress in the general curriculum. There is, however, relatively
little research on the effect of these strategies with students
with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The purpose
of this paper is to examine curriculum adaptation and augmentation
strategies that might promote student involvement and progress
in the general curriculum for students with intellectual and
developmental disabilities, and to provide recommendations with
regard to how such augmentations might be modified to be more
appropriate for use with this population.
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Functional
Communication Training: A Review of the Literature Related to Children
with Autism
G. Richmond Mancil
Abstract: Numerous researchers have employed functional communication
training (FCT) to address both the communication and behavioral needs
of children with autism. Thus, the purpose of this review is to examine
FCT, particularly, the environments and individuals involved in the
training and the effectiveness of FCT with children who have a diagnosis
of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and to provide suggestions for
practitioners and researchers. FCT consistently reduces challenging
behavior and increases communication; however, the majority of research
is clinically based and focuses on one communication mand. Future
research teams should address maintenance and generalization by training
teachers in classrooms and parents in homes while collecting data
across time.
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Effectiveness
of Simultaneous Prompting in Small Group: The Opportunity of Acquiring
Non-target Skills through Observational Learning and Instructive
Feedback
Oguz Gursel, Elif Tekin-Iftar and Funda Bozkurt
Abstract:
A multiple probe study across behaviors,
replicated across students, assessed the effectiveness of simultaneous
prompting (SP) in a small group teaching arrangement on teaching
(a) to show the provinces, rivers, and border countries of Turkey
on a map and (b) to expressively identify the names of the symbols
which are usually used in math. Subjects of the study were five
middle school age students with developmental disabilities. Maintenance
and generalization effects of SP were investigated in the study
as well. Moreover, acquisition of non-target skills was also
assessed through instructive feedback and observational learning.
Results show that SP was effective. Students generalized and
maintained the acquired behaviors. Assessment of observational
learning and instructive feedback data showed that students acquired
non-target skillsto certain extents. Implications
and future research needs are discussed.
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Increasing
Opportunities for Requesting in Children with Developmental Disabilities
Residing in Group Homes through Pyramidal Training
Ralf W. Schlosser, Elizabeth
Walker, and Jeff Sigafoos
Abstract:
This study evaluated the effectiveness of pyramidal training
with direct care staff in group homes. Training focused on teaching
staff how to provide opportunities for communication to non-speaking
children with developmental disabilities to communicate. Staff
were taught through a combination of a workshop, and nondirective
consultation following an adult education model. A multiple-probe
design across three cohorts of direct care staff was used to evaluate
the effectiveness of the training in terms of the number of opportunities
provided by staff and the percentage of requests emitted by participating
children. Results showed that pyramidal training resulted in more
opportunities provided to the children and concurrent increases
in children’s requesting. Results are discussed in terms
of the suitability of pyramidal training for group home settings,
and implications for future research.
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Computer-Based
Instruction for Purchasing Skills
Kevin M Ayres, John Langone, Richard
T. Boon and Audrey Norman
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to investigate use of computers
and video technologies to teach students to correctly make purchases
in a community grocery store using the dollar plus purchasing
strategy. Four middle school students diagnosed with intellectual
disabilities participated in this study. A multiple probe across
participants research design was used to evaluate the effectiveness
of the treatment. Results indicated the program was effective
at teaching the dollar plus purchasing strategy to three out
of four participants and promoted generalization to the natural
environment. Finally, limitations of the study, implications
for practice, and future research questions are discussed.
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Increasing
the Skills of Children with Developmental Disabilities through
Staff Training in Behavioral Teaching Techniques
Anna-Lind Pétursdóttir and Zuilma Gabriela Sigurdardóttir
Abstract: Two staff members working in different preschools received
training in the form of instructions, modeling, immediate feedback,
and social reinforcement of good performance. Effects of training
were assessed with a multiple baseline ABCDCDCD design. Correct
use of basic behavioral teaching techniques increased from
16-31% to 92-95% and the rate of learn units increased from
0-0.03 to 2.3-2.4 per minute. A multiple baseline design revealed
skill improvements in two 2-year-old boys with developmental
disabilities. Skills of instructors and children generalized
across teaching settings. Follow-up measures showed maintenance
and additional generalization of skills. The results confirm
the positive effects of increased rate of learn units on teaching
effectiveness and students’ skills, and the importance
of high achievement criteria for generalization.
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High
School Teacher s’ Perceptions of School-to-Work Transition
Practices in Taiwan
Meng-chi Chan and Janis G. Chadsey
Abstract:
The purpose of the study was to investigate practices that high
school teachers in Taiwan use to facilitat e school-to-work transition,
and to determine the importance ratings of each of these transition
practice s . A questionnaire with 28 transition practices was developed
and sent out to the 125 participants in 24 special high school s
in Taiwan ; 106 completed surveys were used for data analysis. Results
from this study identified several key transition practices that
were important and also revealed several transition practices that
were less valued or less implemented by Taiwanese teachers. Limitations
and implications a re discussed to improve future research , practice,
and cultural diversity in teacher education and transition practices
.
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Music
Therapy and the Education of Students with Severe Disabilities
Jennifer
Stephenson
Abstract:
Music therapists regard music therapy as a valuable intervention
for students with moderate to severe intellectual disability
or multiple disabilities, but many special educators would
regard it as a controversial practice, unsupported by empirical
research. This paper reviews the goals and strategies used
by music therapists working with students with severe disabilities
and the purported outcomes of music therapy. The recent research
base that could validate music therapy as an effective educational
intervention is reviewed. There is little evidence to support
the use of music therapy as an educational intervention, but
what evidence there is suggests that music therapy sessions,
when planned in collaboration with educators, may provide a
context for eliciting and practicing communication skills.
Such music therapy interventions should be individually planned
and monitored to ensure educational outcomes are achieved.
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Reliability and Validity of the Pervasive Developmental
Disorders Rating Scale and the Gilliam Autism Rating
Scale
Ronald C. Eaves, Suzanne Woods-Groves, Thomas O. Williams,
Jr. and Anna-Maria Fall
Abstract: The psychometric properties of the Pervasive
Developmental Disorders Rating scale (Eaves, 2003) and the
Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (Gilliam, 1995) were investigated
in this study. One hundred thirty-four individuals with autism,
other pervasive developmental disorders, or conditions frequently
confused with autism participated in the study. The results
indicated that, with one exception, the reliability of the
scores from both instruments met or exceeded standards for
use in screening decisions. The reliability of the total scores
from both instruments exceeded .90. Validity coefficients computed
between the two sets of scores indicated that the instruments
measured similar constructs (e.g., r pddrs total x gars total
= .84). The scores from both instruments discriminated between
children with autism and children who were not autistic to
a statistically significant degree.
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