Overview of Research
to Practice in the 21st Century
SHARON CRAMER
HOWARD P. PARETTE
THOMAS WOOD
STANLEY H. ZUCKER
Imagine a beach that is surrounded by rocks, trees, and flowers. Imagine
a conference at which everyone is smiling. Imagine time and a beautiful
setting in which to think leisurely about stimulating ideas. If you can
picture all these things, you begin to understand why the Board of Directors
of the Division on Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities of the
Council for Exceptional Children wanted to share some of the highlights of the
Sixth Biennial Conference in a special issue of ETMRDD. This issue reflects
the diversity of the program presented in Maui, with two keynote addresses and
eleven papers selected from twenty-three submitted by the more than
seventy-five conference presenters. The conference, which took place in Wailea,
Maui, in February, 1999, 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 the previous week,
sessions were offered on a wide range of topics. This special issue can enable
those who attended the conference to see expanded papers, prepared by
presenters, and also give those who were unable to attend an opportunity to
benefit from the thoughtful work done by conference participants. Mahalo
(thank you) to all whom made the conference possible and to all the presenters
that made the extra effort to submit papers.
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A Narrative for
Special Education: A Personal Perspective
EUGENE EDGAR
Abstract: This article presents a proposed narrative for thinking about
special education. This narrative stresses the interconnectedness of special
education with the overall public education system. The narrative posits that
the purpose of public schools in a democracy should be to: 1) to enculturate
youth into social and political democracy, 2) ensure excellent and equitable
educational outcomes for all youth, 3) use a caring pedagogy to achieve these
ends, and 4) all educators should be stewards of the public schools. Special
education must be part of this overall narrative and special educators need to
take seriously their role of steward of the public schools. Part of this role
is for special educators to view themselves as public scholars, with an ethic
that emphasizes the entire community.
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Comprehensive
Lifestyle Support for Adults with Challenging Behavior: From Rhetoric to Reality
ANN TURNBULL
RUD TURNBULL
Abstract: As a family we have made a sustained effort, expanded on a
daily basis over the last 11 years, to support our son, JT, to "get a
life". Nothing that we have done in our professional work has been as
challenging or as rewarding as discovering the authentic meaning of
"comprehensive lifestyle support" that is present on a day-to-day
basis. Our journey toward attaining this goal has been both harder and easier
than we ever imagined. In this article, we describe JT's life as it is today
and review the lessons we have learned, hopeful that our successes and
failures, and our process, will be useful to others.
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Transforming
Partnerships: Parent Life Management Issues when a Child has Mental Retardation
KATE SCORGIE
LORRAINE WILGOSH
LINDA MCDONALD
Abstract: This study was designed to examine three aspects of life
management in families of children with a variety of disability
characteristics and age ranges: (a) effective life management strategies, (b)
characteristics /attributions of parents who manage life effectively, and (c)
parents' experiences of positive transformational outcomes, or ways in which
they have been permanently, positively changed. The research followed a
qualitative (interview)/quantitative (survey) methodology, involving
open-ended interviews with 15 parents and analysis of 80 surveys. Effective
life management strategies included positive personal reframing, balancing
roles and responsibilities, and utilizing resources. Parent characteristics
incorporated important parent attributes, decision-making ability, and
personal philosophy of life. Transformations were documented in personal,
relational and perspectival domains and involved image-making, meaning-making,
and choice-making.
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Daily Stressors,
Coping Responses, and Uplifts of Adolescents with Disabilities
GLENNA C. BOYCE
ELAINE SORENSEN MARSHALL
MARY PETERS
Abstract: Because children with disabilities now live longer and grow up
to be increasingly integrated into all aspects of school, work, and social
cultures, there is reason to believe that they may experience daily stressors
and responses that are similar to other young people. However, because of the
challenges of living with disabilities, adolescents may also experience unique
stress?coping experiences. In order to assist such young people and their
families, there is a need for information from the direct perspective of
adolescents with disabilities. Using a qualitative descriptive design and a
diary method, this study describes daily hassles, coping responses, and
uplifts (positive outcomes) directly as reported by teenagers with
disabilities. Six adolescents with physical and cognitive disabilities
produced 97 diary entries over a period of one month. Content analysis
uncovered domains and themes in areas of daily stress?coping phenomena.
Results revealed similarities among this population with teenagers who do not
have disabilities, as well as unique responses. Particularly significant were
unique stressors of time and task management, awareness of limitations caused
by disability, and intense, yet naive, concerns about boy?girl relationships.
Implications for families, educators and service providers are offered.
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Characterization
of Mental Retardation in Children's and Adolescent Literature
MARY ANNE PRATER
Abstract: To determine how mental retardation and related issues are
portrayed in juvenile literature, sixty-eight children's and adolescent books
that included characters with mental retardation were analyzed. The majority
of the characters were considered supportive (n = 47, 61%), rather than the
main character of the book. In addition, most of the characters were static (n
= 42, 54%), meaning the character was believable, but did not change
throughout the course of the story. Few of the books were written from the
perspective of the character with mental retardation (n = 9, 13%). In addition
to analysis of the character with mental retardation, themes relating to the
relationship among characters with and without mental retardation and
character changes within the individuals with mental retardation were
examined. The books were also evaluated in terms of topics in the field of
mental retardation (e.g., schooling, employment, residence) included as part
of the story.
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An Exploration
of Consultation Approaches and Implementation in Heterogeneous Classrooms
PAULA J. BURDETTE
JEAN B. CROCKETT
Abstract: The dimension of consultation within the range of services
that schools should make available to students with disabilities remains a
timely topic. Over the past decade, the number of students with disabilities
served in the regular class has increased 47 % from more than 1 million to
more than 2 million students. Several sections of the 1997 Amendments of the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act expressly advise the support of
students with disabilities in addressing the regular education curriculum.
Educators armed with a range of options for service delivery will tend to
serve these students in a more precise, intense manner than those lacking
alternatives. The field of education has drawn on other domains to form
consultative services that match the organizational setting of schools and the
individual needs of students. This review of literature consists of an
overview of consultation, a description of school-based consultation, a
research synthesis of exemplary studies of school-based consultation, and
concludes with possibilities for future research and implications for
practice.
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Empowering Students
with Mental Retardation Through Portfolio Assessment: A Tool for Fostering
Self-determination Skills
DAN EZELL
COLLEEN E. KLEIN
SHERLYN EZELL-POWELL
Abstract: A study was conducted to learn about using portfolio
assessment with individuals with mental retardation. Data was collected from
eight school sites. The participants were teachers, parents, and students with
mental retardation who were involved with the portfolio assessment process.
Data collection consisted of surveys, interviews, and observations. Results
indicated that portfolio assessment may help foster self-determination in
individuals with mental retardation.
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Complying with
IDEA: Using Functional Assessment of Behavior to Plan Programs for Students
with Mental Retardation
NIKKI L. MURDICK
BARBARA C. GARTIN
Abstract: This article describes how functional assessment of behavior
can be used with students in the development of behavioral intervention plans
to meet the requirements of the 1997 IDEA amendments. A simulation using a
case study of a student with mental retardation is provided as an example of
the process.
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Prediction of
Student Participation in Transition-Related Actions
KAREN C. SPENCER
DEANNA J. SANDS
Abstract: Active participation of students with disabilities in their
transition services has been mandated through federal education legislation.
This exploratory study identified the relative contributions of student,
family, and school variables as predictors of transition-related action-taking
among 237 students with disabilities between the ages of 14 and 21. The
results of stepwise multiple regression analyses revealed that five variables
explained 40% of the variance in the criterion measure. These predictor
variables included: (a) delivering special education services in the general
education classroom; (b) teacher perception that the student had job-related
competencies (c) student enrollment in general education classes; (d) students
living in a non-controlling family environment; and, (e) student ability to
monitor and self-regulate performance. The practical and theoretical
implications of these findings are discussed.
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The Qualifying
Game: A Search for Services by Individuals with Disabilities
MARY G. MCCARTHY
LAURA M. STOUGH
Abstract: Increasing attention has been paid over the last decade to
enhancing the quality of the everyday lives of individuals with disabilities.
Quality of life is maximized when an individual is integrated into society,
can participate in decisions that impact their life, and has access to
adequate services. Self-determination is a central element in the multifaceted
construct of quality of life (Schalock, 1996; Wehmeyer & Schwartz, 1998).
The purpose of this study was to illustrate the dynamics among the constructs
of quality of life, self-determination, service provision, and what
participants in this study labeled the qualifying game. This study was part of
a larger Project of National Significance conducted by the Texas Planning
Council on Developmental Disabilities (1996) that used a focus group technique
in order to obtain in-depth interview information about the experiences,
needs, and life issues of persons with severe, chronic disabilities, and their
families. Sixty-seven individuals who represented a variety of ethnic and
cultural groups, as well as a wide array of disabilities, were participants in
these focus groups. A grounded theory methodology (Strauss & Corbin, 1990)
was used to analyze the qualitative data and to derive central categories.
Results found were that self-determination, along with other components of
quality of life, was highly dependent on the acquisition and maintenance of
necessary support services. What is suggested is that quality of life is only
possible when individuals with severe, chronic disabilities have access to
essential services.
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Comparison of
the Effects of MAPS and ChoiceMaker on Student Self-Determination Skills
TERESA CROSS
NANCY L. COOKE
WENDY M. WOOD
DAVID W. TEST
Abstract: This study compared the effects of two procedures for
increasing self-determination skills with high school students with mental
retardation. The McGill Action Planning System (MAPS) and the Choosing
Employment Goals strand of the ChoiceMaker curriculum (ChoiceMaker) were
presented to two groups of five students to determine their effects on (a) The
Arc's Self-Determination Scale (a student self-rating instrument); (b)
ChoiceMaker Self-Determination Assessment (a teacher rating instrument); (c)
students' ability to articulate transition goals and needs in the areas of
employment, education, residential choice, and recreation/leisure; and (d)
student input into the transition component of their Individualized Education
Program. Students in the MAPS condition answered questions and drew
representational pictures related to their own goals and needs. Students also
provided input and feedback to responses made by peers. In the ChoiceMaker
condition, students were given instructions in completing worksheets, which
required them to consider their interests, skills, limits, and concerns
regarding each of the four areas. Results favored the ChoiceMaker curriculum
on student and teacher self-determination ratings and in terms of efficiency
of instruction. Limitations of the study and suggestions for teaching
self-determination skills are discussed.
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An Overview of
Characteristics of Asperger Syndrome
STACEY JONES BOCK
BRENDA SMITH MYLES
Abstract: Asperger Syndrome (AS), although not a new disability, is
receiving increased attention in the United States and throughout the world.
Researchers and practitioners are just beginning to understand this
exceptionality that may impact more individuals does autism. This article
overviews the behavior, socialization, language, cognition, motor, and sensory
characteristics of individuals with Asperger Syndrome. In addition, it
highlights some of the controversies associated with the identifying
characteristics of AS.
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Forensic Interviewing:
Special Considerations for Children and Adolescents with Mental Retardation
and Developmental Disabilities
MARY B. BALLARD
SUE AUSTIN
Abstract: Children and adolescents who are mentally retarded and
developmentally disabled (MRDD) are sexually abused at a rate that is much
higher than those children with no reported disability. Delayed cognitive,
social, and emotional skills often make it difficult for these children to
communicate sexually abusive events. To compound this problem, forensic
interviewers often do not understand the limitations that developmental delays
can have on the interview process and the child's ability to recall important
information. This article discusses the phases of the forensic interview in
light of the special considerations that must be given to those children and
adolescents who are mentally retarded and developmentally disabled.
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