Education
and Training in Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities
VOLUME
42 NUMBER 2 June
2007
“I Never Put it Together”: The Disconnect Between Self-Determination and Guardianship - Implications for Practice
Description of the Support Needs of People with Profound Multiple Disabilities Using the 2002 AAMR System: An Overview of Literature
Self-Determination for Persons with Developmental Disabilities: Ethical Considerations for Teachers
Comparison of Engagement Patterns of Young Children with Developmental Disabilities between Structured and Free Play
Keys to Play: A Strategy to Increase the Social Interactions of Young Children with Autism and their Typically Developing Peers
Ratings of Communication Competence by Siblings of Persons with Down Syndrome
A Beginning Communication Intervention Protocol: In-Service Training of Health Workers
Using Picture Activity Schedule Books to Increase On-Schedule and On-Task Behaviors
Educator Perceptions and Ratings of Pain in School-Age Children with Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities
Usefulness of a Perceived Exertion Scale for Monitoring Exercise Intensity in Adults with Intellectual Disabilities
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Abstracts
“I
Never Put it Together”: The Disconnect
Between Self-Determination and Guardianship
- Implications for Practice
Dorothy Squatrito
Millar
Abstract: IDEA
mandates that students be responsible
for their educational programming once
they reach the age of majority, and
are considered competent. Guardianship
is often raised when student competence
is questioned. Six focus groups were
conducted to gather information regarding
the extent to which participants understood
guardianship and its alternatives,
and how these related to self-determination.
Two groups consisted of young adults
with disabilities; Group 1 had legal
guardians. Parents were also focus
group participants; the last two groups
consisted of special educators. Data
suggested that the majority of participants
(a) perceived they exhibited/promoted
self-determination; (b) did not recognize
a disconnect between self-determination
and guardianship; and (c) had limited
understanding of guardianship and its
alternatives. Implications for practice
are discussed.
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Description
of the Support Needs of People with Profound
Multiple Disabilities Using the 2002
AAMR System: An Overview of Literature
Katja
Petry and Bea Maes
Abstract: This
paper gives a description of the support
needs of people with profound multiple
disabilities (PMD), based on the five
basic dimensions of the 2002 AAMR System,
being intellectual abilities, adaptive
behavior, participation, interaction
and social roles, health and context.
It is based on a study of the literature
concerning the target group. The overview
shows that people with PMD have the
same needs as other people, with regard
to participation, relationships, choices,
resources and physical and socio-emotional
well-being. Nevertheless, it becomes
apparent that the needs of people with
PMD require specific support. In order
to meet these special needs, a relational
perspective on support as well as specific
characteristics of the support staff
and of the support context are necessary.
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Self-Determination
for Persons with Developmental Disabilities:
Ethical Considerations for Teachers
Tammy L. Smith, Edward A. Polloway, J. David Smith,
and James R. Patton
Abstract:
The
development of self-determination skills
in individuals with developmental disabilities
is a primary focus of curriculum development
in the field. Research over the
last decade has identified the components
of self-determination and provided
an analysis of individuals’ acquisition
of skills in this area. A key
concern that has been less addressed
is the ethical considerations of instruction
in self-determination. Using
a model developed by Bredberg and Davidson
(1999), four foundational elements
in ethics are explored with reference
to self-determination: justice, respect
for economy, beneficence, and non-malfeasance. After
a discussion of these four prongs,
implications for the development of
curriculum in this area are explored.
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Comparison
of Engagement Patterns of Young Children
with Developmental Disabilities between
Structured and Free Play
Cynthia J. Cress,
Kelli B. Arens, and Alicia K. Zajicek
Abstract:
Children with developmental
disabilities are slower to develop skills
at intentional and symbolic communication
than typically developing children, and
may rely on atypical patterns of preintentional
behaviors to support more complex communication
development. The present study compared
complex gaze engagement behaviors elicited
by 25 preintentional children with developmental
disabilities during two interactive contexts:
structured object-based play with an
examiner and free play with parents that
included social play. Children with developmental
disabilities demonstrated more onlooking
and complex engagement behaviors (i.e.,
coordinated joint and combined joint),
and less unengagement in structured play
than in free play. The degree of change
in engagement behaviors between play
settings was not significantly associated
with children’s receptive language,
motor, or overall developmental scores.
Clinical implications for adapting play
and partner behaviors to support more
complex engagement behaviors in this
population are discussed.
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Keys
to Play: A Strategy to Increase the Social
Interactions of Young Children with Autism
and their Typically Developing Peers
Catherine
Nelson, Andrea P. McDonnell, Susan S.
Johnston, Angie Crompton, and Andrew
R. Nelson
Abstract:
Crucial to the successful
inclusion of young children with disabilities
is the premise that benefit occurs when
children socialize with peers and are
actively involved in preschool activities
including play. Playgroups are often
primary to learning in typical preschool
classrooms since it is within playgroups
that preschool-age children learn both
preacademic and social skills. However,
this critical avenue of learning is often
closed to young children with autism
who may have difficulty initiating play
interactions with other children. This
study examined the effects of a visual
intervention strategy on the play initiations
of four young children with autism in
inclusive preschool classes. The strategy
was successful in increasing the play
initiations of the participating young
children with autism. At the same time,
the children's engagement time within
playgroups concomitantly increased, as
did the sophistication level of their
play.
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Ratings
of Communication Competence by Siblings
of Persons with Down Syndrome
Sarah E. Smith and Paul W. Cascella
Abstract: This
study surveyed 25 siblings of persons
with Down Syndrome to gain an ecological
perspective about important communication
competence indicators. Siblings favorably
described persons with Down Syndrome
as “effective” and “good” communicators
who “communicate to potential.” Siblings
regarded social communication skills
as especially important, i.e., being
able to communicate without fear, being
able to express wants, needs, opinions,
and feelings, being able to ask questions,
and alerting partners to communication
breakdowns. Siblings also regarded
language comprehension as an important
skill. Favorable descriptive
labels were often applied to adult-aged
persons with mild ID and normal hearing.
Clinical implications are discussed
focused on functional communication
planning and implementation that takes
into account the perspectives of family
members, teachers, and rehabilitation
personnel.
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A
Beginning Communication Intervention
Protocol: In-Service Training
of Health Workers
Juan Bornman, Erna Alant, and Lyle L. Lloyd
Abstract:
Primary health care nurses are
frequently overlooked when delivering services
to children with developmental disabilities,
despite the fact that they are often the
first contact many primary caregivers have
with rehabilitation professionals and usually
remain the bridge between caregivers and
professionals. A time series one group
design with withdrawal was used to evaluate
an in-service training programme for primary
health care workers aimed at facilitating
beginning communication skills between
primary caregivers and their children with
developmental disabilities. Training employed
adult learning principles and was one week
long, followed by three follow-ups that
were conducted in situ (at two weeks, six
weeks and five months post-training). Multiple
measurements were used to evaluate the
knowledge and skills acquired after training,
namely questionnaires, structured interviews,
skill demonstrations (which were video
recorded and rated by the researcher and
an independent rater) and a focus group. Results
indicated that the particular in-service
training programme was relevant in bringing
about a significant change in the targeted
domains, namely knowledge and skills.
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Using
Picture Activity Schedule Books to Increase
On-Schedule and On-Task Behaviors
Amy D. Spriggs, David L. Gast, and Kevin M. Ayres
Abstract:The
purpose of this study was to evaluate
the effectiveness of using picture
activity schedule books to increase
on-schedule and on-task behaviors of
children with moderate intellectual
disabilities. Four students enrolled
in a self-contained classroom participated
in the study. Graduated guidance, system
of least prompts, and verbal prompting
were used to teach students how to
use the picture schedules. Percentage
of on-schedule steps completed and
percentage of intervals on-task were
evaluated within the context of an
A-BC-B-A-B withdrawal design. Stimulus
generalization was assessed with novel
activities in a different location
and at different times during the academic
day. Results showed increases in on-schedule
and on-task behavior only when using
the picture activity schedules. Students’ on-schedule
and on-task behavior generalized to
novel activities, settings, and times
when using the picture activity schedule
books.
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Educator
Perceptions and Ratings of Pain in
School-Age Children with Mental Retardation
and Developmental Disabilities
Satomi K. Shinde and Frank Symons
Abstract:
Educator perceptions and ratings of
pain between school age children
with and without mental retardation
were investigated using written vignettes
of three different pain types (acute/procedural;
accidental; chronic). Diagnostic/functional
information (i.e., mental retardation)
was randomized across raters (N =
95). Raters were asked to consider
whether the child experienced any
pain (yes/no) and if so to rate its
intensity on a standardized numeric
rating scale. There were no
significant differences between groups
for the perception of pain or the
rating of pain intensity by diagnostic/functioning
information. Additional analyses
showed that participants rated pain
differently across pain types (p < .05)
suggesting that the written vignettes
had face validity (i.e., represented
different types/sources of pain). Secondary
analyses between licensed special
education teachers and prospective
pre-licensure special education teachers
found significant differences (p < .05)
between ratings for acute/procedural
pain. These results suggest
that more experienced (i.e., licensed)
teachers may be better ‘detectors’ of
pain/discomfort in children with
or without mental retardation than
less experienced teachers. Implications
of this finding are discussed. Considering
the limited research in the area
of pain, disability, and education
further work appears warranted.
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Usefulness
of a Perceived Exertion Scale for Monitoring
Exercise Intensity in Adults with Intellectual
Disabilities
Heidi I. Stanish and Michael
Aucoin
Abstract: In order to gain physical
fitness and health, exercise must
be performed at a sufficient level
of intensity. Exercise intensity
can be monitored with rated perceived
exertion (RPE) scales to promote
safety and effective programming. The
usefulness of the Children’s
OMNI Scale as a subjective measure
of intensity for adults with intellectual
disabilities (ID) was examined. Heart
rate, workload, and RPE were monitored
during a progressive walking protocol
on a motorized treadmill in 18 adults
with ID. Statistical analyses
on individual data revealed that
significant positive relationships
among RPE, heart rate, and workload
existed in most participants. However,
results were highly variable. Results
imply that some individuals with
ID are able to provide a subjective
estimate of exercise intensity while
others may not be able to report
accurately. The findings have
significant practical implications
for exercise programming in this
population.
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