Education
and Training in Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities
VOLUME
42 NUMBER 3 September
2007
No Child Left Behind: Issues of Assessing Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities
Assistive Technology as a Self-Management Tool for Prompting Students with Intellectual Disabilities to Initiate and Complete Daily Tasks: A Literature Review
Self-Determination Interventions’ Effects on the Academic Performance of Students with Developmental Disabilities
Assessing Work Task Preferences among Persons with Intellectual Disabilities: An Integrative Review of Literature
Review of Recent Treatment Acceptability Research
Examining the Career Paths and Transition Services of Students with Disabilities Exiting High School
“Am I supposed to understand this stuff?” Youth with Special Health Care Needs Readiness for Transition
Training Paraeducators to Promote the Use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication by Students with Significant Disabilities
Attitudes of Preservice Teachers Enrolled in an Infusion Preparation Program regarding Planning and Accommodations for Included Students with Mental Retardation
Use of Adapted Bicycles on the Learning of Conventional Cycling by Children with Mental Retardation
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Abstracts
No
Child Left Behind: Issues of Assessing
Students with the Most Significant Cognitive
Disabilities
Darlene E. Perner
Abstract: Council
for Exceptional Children, Division
on Developmental Disabilities (DDD),
Position Paper approved by the DDD
Board on January 31, 2007
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Assistive
Technology as a Self-Management Tool
for Prompting Students with Intellectual
Disabilities to Initiate and Complete
Daily Tasks: A Literature Review
Linda C.
Mechling
Abstract: This
paper summarizes the results of a review
of the empirical literature (1990-2005)
focusing on use of assistive technology
as a self-management tool for persons
with intellectual disabilities. Forty
investigations were identified which
provided information on assistive technology
to assist persons with disabilities
to initiate and complete daily tasks.
Four areas of research were defined
and analyzed through the identified
studies: (a) pictorial prompts; (b)
tactile prompts; (c) auditory prompts;
and (d) computer-aided systems. Research
supports assistive technology as an
effective tool for providing antecedent
prompts that can be self-operated by
persons with intellectual disabilities.
Implications of the research and suggestions
for future research are discussed.
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Self-Determination
Interventions’ Effects on the Academic
Performance of Students with Developmental
Disabilities
Catherine H. Fowler, Moira
Konrad, Allison R. Walker, David W. Test,
and Wendy M. Wood
Abstract:
Federal
laws mandate that students with cognitive
disabilities receive instruction in
academic skills and also support the
importance of teaching self-determination.
The purpose of this literature review
was to synthesize intervention research
examining effects of self-determination
interventions on academic skills for
students with cognitive disabilities.
Findings indicated that the majority
of self-determination interventions
affected skills that directly support
academic performance (e.g., organization
of academic assignments); however,
traditional academic skills such as
math productivity and spelling accuracy
were also positively affected. The
review included analysis of the strength
of results, research design quality,
and discussion of implications for
researchers and practitioners.
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Assessing
Work Task Preferences among Persons with
Intellectual Disabilities: An Integrative
Review of Literature
Virginie Cobigo, Diane
Morin and Yves Lachapelle
Abstract:
Quality of life and self-determination
are important values in the field of
intellectual disabilities however they
may be difficult to facilitate with persons
who have limited communication skills.
In fact, many studies provide evidence
that these persons have less opportunity
to make choices and express their preferences.
To help practitioners understand what
their clients with non verbal mode of
communication prefer, direct observation
methods were developed over the last
few decades. However, these methods are
used more often to determine best reinforcers
for behavioral interventions, and not
domains of the persons’ quality
of life. Vocational activities are an
important aspect of life planning, but
assessing preferences for these complex
stimuli requires specific methods. This
integrative review of literature aims
at gathering information about work task
preference assessment, and consequently
offering recommendations to practitioners
on how to do it.
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Review
of Recent Treatment Acceptability Research
Stacy L. Carter
Abstract:
With recent increases
in the use of positive approaches to
treatment for individuals with developmental
disabilities, it seems appropriate to
review the variables that have been found
to influence the acceptability of various
treatments. Programmatic treatments for
problematic behaviors that incorporate
primarily positive (reinforcement) components
rather than negative (punishment) components
may still be susceptible to variables
found to influence the acceptability
of treatments. Although more positive
reinforcement based approaches are certainly
preferred, the need to consider the right
to effective treatment is also an important
component of any intervention for problematic
behavior. To continually assure the right
to effective treatment, the examination
of variables affecting the acceptance
of treatments continues to be an important
area of research. This paper reviews
the instruments that have been used to
evaluate the acceptability of treatments
as well as the variables that have shown
demonstrated influence on the acceptability
of treatments for problematic behavior.
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Examining
the Career Paths and Transition Services
of Students with Disabilities Exiting
High School
Robert M. Baer, Robert W. Flexer, and Lawrence Dennis
Abstract: Career
paths and transition services were
investigated for students with disabilities
who were exiting special education
for comparison with two models of transition
developed by Siegel (1998) and Greene
(2003). Teachers and parent-mentors
from 52 local education agencies (LEAs)
conducted a record review and an exit
interview of 741 students with disabilities
in their final year of high school.
An SPSS two-step cluster analysis was
used to group these students according
to twenty-four variables relating to
their postschool goals, secondary education
services, and level of performance
on proficiency tests. A Tamhane’s
post-hoc analysis was used to identify
the variables that were significantly
different for each of seven identified
clusters. These clusters resembled
the career paths identified by Greene
and had some elements in common with
the transition intensity model developed
by Siegel. The authors suggest that
both transition intensity and career
paths are key aspects of transition
systems.
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“Am
I supposed to understand
this stuff?” Youth
with Special Health Care
Needs Readiness for Transition
Tanis Bryan, Nora Stiles, Karen Burstein, Cevriye Ergul,
and Pen-Chiang Chao
Abstract:This
study investigated the
transition experiences
of youth with special
health care needs (YSHCN).
Fifty-five YSHCN completed
a phone survey, which
asked about their educational
and vocational goals,
current health care (e.g.,
access to adult care
providers, health insurance,
medications), life experiences
(exercise, doing chores,
cooking, types of assistance
needed in everyday routines),
and social life (e.g.,
activities for spare
time). Survey results
indicated that many of
the youth have plans
for continuing education
and clear goals for future
employment. However,
most youth did not have
transition plans, or
were not aware of having
made transition plans.
Many who identified goals
were unable to explicate
how they were going to
reach their goals. Although
most described themselves
as happy, about 16% evidenced
signs associated with
depression. Results indicated
that more work is needed
in both the research
and practice arenas to
help youth with special
needs make the best transition
possible in education,
vocation, and everyday
living arrangements.
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Training
Paraeducators to Promote the Use of Augmentative
and Alternative Communication by Students
with Significant Disabilities
Mary Anna Bingham, Fred Spooner, and Diane Browder
Abstract:The
purpose of this study was to determine
the impact of training paraeducators
on (a) paraeducator prompting use of
augmentative communication (AAC) systems,
(b) paraeducator responding to student
requests, (c) student use of AAC, and
(d) student problem behavior via a
series of multiple probe designs. Participants
were three paraeducators and students.
Paraeducators were trained on (a) importance
of communication, (b) relationship
between behavior and communication,
(c) use of AAC, (d) how to prompt students
to use AAC and respond to communications,
and (e) how to self evaluate their
behavior. All paraeducators increased
the number of times they prompted student
use of AAC and responded to student
requests. All students increased use
of AAC and exhibited fewer problem
behaviors.
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Attitudes
of Preservice Teachers Enrolled in
an Infusion Preparation Program regarding
Planning and Accommodations for Included
Students with Mental Retardation
David L. Cameron and Bryan G. Cook
Abstract:
The beliefs, skills, and intended practices
of general (n = 34) and special education
(n = 23) preservice teachers regarding
planning and making accommodations
for included students with mental
retardation were investigated. Participants
were drawn from teacher preparation
programs that infused content related
to inclusion into pre-existing courses.
Results of a repeated-measures ANOVA
indicated a significant main effect
of teacher type—that preservice
special educators rated their beliefs,
skills, and intended practices significantly
higher than their general education
counterparts. A significant main
effect of attitudinal category showed
that participants also rated their
beliefs and intended practices significantly
higher than their skills. A significant
interaction effect was evidenced
due to the varying discrepancies
between general and special educators’ ratings
of their beliefs, skills, and intended
practices. Specifically, general
educators’ ratings were further
below those of special educators
in skills and closest in the area
of beliefs. Findings suggest that
this infusion teacher preparation
program was more effective at generating
positive beliefs and intentions than
skills, especially among general
educators. Implications for teacher
preparation and practice are discussed.
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Use
of Adapted Bicycles on the Learning
of Conventional Cycling by Children
with Mental Retardation
Tammy L. Burt, David L. Porretta, and Richard E. Klein
Abstract: This study investigated
the use of adapted bicycles on the
acquisition, maintenance, and generalization
of conventional cycling by seven
children with mild mental retardation. Feedback
was used in addition to the adapted
bicycles and consisted of pedal rate,
head position, and steering participation.
A multiple probe design was used.
Participants were required to ride
as far as possible for each trial.
Results indicated that 100% of participants
demonstrated acquisition of conventional
cycling. Maintenance was demonstrated
by 71.4% of participants, and generalization
was demonstrated by 42.9% of participants.
Results are interpreted from an ecological
perspective.
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