Special Education Classrooms Research Articles

Providing Effective Transitional Programming to Individuals with Autism

Legal mandates, widely postulated professional perspective, and improved teaching techniques have strongly influenced the kind of care provided individuals with significant developmental disabilities such as autism. Children and adults who would have been separated from their families and peers two decades ago are now expected to live in natural settings identical to the settings in which other members of their families live. The conversion of services to correspond with the ever increasing lifestyle expectations for persons with developmental disabilities is described from an organizational perspective with reference to serving these individuals in special education classrooms, residential settings, or other human service settings. Systems we have found effective in moving individuals through a continuum of services are described. Specific examples of implementation strategies in a large comprehensive treatment center for individuals with developmental and neurological disabilities are provided. An example of a wide-scale conversion of an agency that resulted in more progressive transition programming is discussed.

The Social Construction of Ability and Disability

During the course of an ethnographic study of a bilingual special education classroom, three profile types of students emerged, ranging from students with severe language learning disabilities to students with normal abilities. The study points out the inadequacy of a medical model view of student abilities and disabilities--a view that underestimates the communicative and academic competence of bilingual students. Concurrently, the results support a contextual performance view--a view that acknowledges the role of instructional context in revealing the upper or lower range of students' communicative and academic competence. The study further suggests some contextual features of instruction that are associated with students from all profile types showing their best in terms of language and literacy skills.

The social construction of ability and disability: II. Optimal and at-risk lessons in a bilingual special education classroom.

Bilingual students' language and literacy skills were compared across three classroom events in a special day classroom for students with language learning disabilities. Events ranged from the teacher-structured, formal class openings to the informal, peer-structured socio-dramatic play. Results showed that certain contextual features were associated with enhanced student performance, whereas others were associated with communicative breakdowns and problems with literacy tasks. This ethnographic study, in conjunction with other naturalistic research on bilingual special education classrooms, undergirds the Optimal Learning Environment (OLE) Project by identifying effective instructional contexts for bilingual students identified as having language learning disabilities.

Critical pedagogy in a bilingual special education classroom.

This article describes the application of critical pedagogical principles in a first- and second-grade bilingual special day class for Latino children with limited English proficiency. Recommendations for translating critical pedagogy to classroom practice are given.

Effects of sequential 1-minute time trials with and without inter-trial feedback and self-correction on general and special education students' fluency with math facts

We measured the effects of two procedures for implementing 1-min time trials on the rate and accuracy with which elementary students wrote answers to single-digit math facts in two concurrent experiments in a first grade classroom and a special education classroom. On-task behavior of three students in each class was also measured. Baseline was a 10-min work period in which students were told to “answer as many problems as you can.” The two time trial conditions, each of which was also conducted within a 10-min period, consisted of: (1) a series of seven 1-min time trials with a 20-s rest period following each timing; and (2) two 1-min timings, each followed by a teacher-directed feedback and self-correction activity. Students in both classrooms answered correctly more problems per minute during both time trial conditions than they did during the 10-min work period, with the highest levels of fluency occurring during the two time trials with self-correction. The emphasis on “going fast” did not impair students' accuracy of performance. In both classrooms the percentage of attempted problems answered correctly was high during the initial baseline and increased slightly over the course of the study. On-task behavior was higher during both time trial conditions than during the 10-min work period. When asked at the study's conclusion which of the three methods for practicing math facts (1) “helped you learn the most” and (2) would you “like to do again,” the majority of the students in both classrooms chose the time trials followed by feedback and self-correction.

Multiple intelligences and underachievement: lessons from individuals with learning disabilities.

The field of learning disabilities, like education in the main, is undergoing calls for reform and restructuring, an upheaval brought on in great part by the forces of opposing paradigms--reductionism and constructivism. In reexamining our past, we must begin to address the failures of traditional deficit models and their abysmally low "cure" rate. Several new theories have arisen that challenge traditional practices in both general and special education classrooms. Particularly influential has been the work of Howard Gardner, whose theory of multiple intelligences calls for a restructuring of our schools to accommodate modes of learning and inquiry with something other than deficit approaches. At least some current research in the field of learning disabilities has begun to focus on creativity and nontraditional strengths and talents that have not been well understood or highly valued by the schools. In this article, we briefly summarize the findings in our search for the talents of students labeled learning disabled, evidence of their abilities, implications of these for the schools, and a beginning set of practical recommendations.

Referral, Assessment, and Placement Practices Used in Rural School Districts with Native American Students in Special Education

Considerable information is available regarding the cultural bias inherent in assessment instruments and the disproportionately high placement of minority students within special education classrooms. However, little research is available regarding specific practices used in areas that have high minority representation. Because of these issues, a survey was developed to investigate the referral, assessment, and placement practices used with rural Native American students in special education. Twenty-five northern Minnesota school districts serving populations of Native American students that exceeded the state average were included in the study. Special education directors, Indian education directors, and selected special education teachers from these districts were surveyed. Their satisfaction with referral, assessment, and placement practices used with Native American students was compared, and specific information about those practices was used in an effort to determine best practices. While the scope of this survey was small, the issues raised have direct implications for all rural special education teachers in districts with high minority populations.

Using Videocassette Recorder Technology in Special Education Classrooms

Using Videocassette Recorder Technology in Special Education Classrooms

TEACHER‐DIRECTED READING INSTRUCTION IN THE MAINSTREAM: A CALL FOR INSTRUCTIONAL REFORM

Recent research on teacher‐directed instruction in mainstream reading classes with students with learning disabilities was examined. Findings of descriptive investigations of teacher‐directed instruction are discussed, and two studies of the effects of teacher‐change efforts in mainstream classrooms are reported. Finally, applications of explicit teaching are used as a framework to address the lack of teacher‐directed instruction in special and general education classrooms.

Increasing opportunities for requesting in classrooms serving children with developmental disabilities.

Evaluated an intervention package for increasing requesting opportunities in special education classrooms. Five teachers, serving 26 children with moderate to severe disabilities, received in-service training, consultation, and feedback on the use of three strategies designed to create opportunities for requesting (i.e., missing item, interrupted chain, delayed assistance). Observations were conducted in a multiple-baseline across classrooms design to record the number and types of opportunities provided by each teacher. During baseline, few opportunities for requesting were observed. The number of opportunities for requesting and the number of correct student responses increased during intervention. Opportunities continued to be provided during generalization and follow-up sessions. The study demonstrated an effective strategy for helping teachers incorporate opportunities for functional communication into the natural environment.

An Analysis of the Impact of Computer Placement and Training on Special Education Teachers' Attitudes and Perceptions of The Role of Computers in Instruction

To increase the information available about the efficacy of strategies to train special education teachers to use technology, a study was conducted to describe the changes in teacher and student behavior that accompanied: (a) the placement of a computer in special education classrooms and (b) the completion of a 4-month practicum to integrate the computer into instructional programs. This research was conducted in concert with a master's degree program designed to train teachers of students with mild handicaps to effectively integrate technology into their instructional programs. This study employed a within-subjects (Intervention phase x Subjects) design to examine changes in individual classroom environments, and teacher's perceptions and beliefs across phases of intervention. This design allowed the statistical analysis of changes in classroom, student, and teacher variables across two intervention phases as measured by a computer-use attitudinal survey and a structured interview. The most striking change found across the three phases of this study was the teachers' perception of the computer's role in their instructional program. Initially, teachers viewed the computer as a motivational and reinforcement device that had some utility in providing drill on content previously presented by the teacher. After completing the computer integration practicum course, the teachers maintained their initial perception of the computer as a powerful tool for motivating and reinforcing students and providing drill and practice, but began to view the computer as a useful tool for themselves and for their students.

A Restructured Collaborative Student Teaching Experience to Prepare Teachers for Inclusion

Abstract This project was designed to provide training and experience in the processes of professional collaboration and the use of instructional support strategies for educators who serve exceptional or at-risk students in inclusive classrooms. Crossing the disciplines of special education and general education, the project training and experiences addressed the professional development of student teachers, practicing teachers, and university faculty with relation to inclusive practices for students. The project consisted of several components: cross visitations between special education and general education classrooms, written reflective journals, and a course on strategies for instructional support. One option for implementing instructional support strategies was a co-teaching experience. Another option was developing and providing instructional support for individual students in inclusive general education classrooms. All constituents reported that they benefitted from the collaboration and experienc...

Doing homework: perspectives of elementary and junior high school students.

A survey of homework experiences was administered to 1,527 elementary and junior high students in regular (n = 1,242), resource (n = 234), and self-contained special education (n = 51) classrooms. The results found significant main effects for Group, Grade, and Group by Grade interactions for items related to amount of, type of, and time spent doing homework; opportunity to do homework at school; parents' assistance; students' beliefs about homework assignments and grading; and students' feelings about homework and school. The higher incidence of negative feelings and opinions from students in resource room programs suggests that students' understanding of assignments, the nature of the assignments, and the feedback given to students are important issues requiring closer evaluation. The results also suggest that changes in homework assignments and grading may make the transition from elementary to junior high school particularly difficult for students with special needs.

Literacy Practices in Head Start and Early Childhood Special Education Classrooms

A preliminary study was conducted to investigate the literacy experiences of preschoolers in Head Start and early childhood special education (ECSE) class- rooms. Two groups of teachers (10 Head Start teachers and 20 ECSE teachers) completed surveys that gathered information relative to the literacy activities occurring in their classrooms, the priority given reading and writing goals, and their attitudes about the literacy development of their students. The results indicated similarities between the two groups of teachers regarding the relatively low priority placed on reading and writing goals at preschool, and the ways in which children were involved in reading activities. The two groups differed in their use of supportive interactions during TV viewing-and writing/drawing activities, and the expectations the teachers held for the children's future literacy abilities. The need for further research describing emerging literacy practices with at-risk and disabled groups of children is discussed.

Levels of Best Practice Implementation in Classrooms for Mildly Handicapped Students in a Rural State

This study was designed to determine levels of implementation of identified best practices for mildly handicapped students in special education classrooms in Mississippi, a predominately rural state. It also investigated the relationship between the variables of teacher certification, level of special education teacher certification, years of teaching experience, and level of implementation of best practices. The results indicated a high level of acceptance and implementation of best practices. The variables of teacher certification and level of special education certification had an effect on implementation of only one best practice. There was a significant difference in the relationship between years of teaching experience and implementation of best practices.

Children's experience of life stress: The role of family social support and social problem-solving skills as protective factors

Examined the role of family social support and social problem-solving skills in moderating the effects of children's stressful life events on behavioral adjustment. Participants were 322 fourth and fifth graders who reported on their stressful experiences during the past year. Children from both regular education (RE) or special education (SE) classrooms were included in the sample. Additional self-report data from children also included measures related to perceived level of family social support, a personality questionnaire, and a social problem-solving measure. In addition, teachers provided reports of the children's behavior and adjustment. Main effects were found for total stress, school/peer stress, family social support, and social problem solving. Significant moderator effects were found for family support on total stress for the teacher-reported internalizing problems of RE students and for family support on school/peer stress on the teacher-reported externalizing problems and self-reported anxiety problems of SE students. Specific, theory-generated hypotheses are discussed as a more effective method of examining relations between stress and various moderator variables.

The Role of Models in Secondary Science Instruction

This article reviews common curricular alternatives for addressing the needs of secondary students with learning disabilities in science. For the most part, special education strategies for modifying science materials reflect generic techniques. Support for these methods is based on the argument that they place relatively few demands on teachers. Moreover, these methods readily apply to the commercial texts used in general and special education classrooms, however, the increasing complexity of secondary materials, as well as the call for a richer understanding of science. Make techniques like direct instruction, mnemonics, and graphic organizers less tenable. A curriculum revision method that emphasizes models and context-rich problem solving is proposed as a contemporary alternative.

Using Behavioral Interventions to Decrease Coprolalia in a Student with Tourette's Syndrome and Autism: A Case Study

The purpose of this study was to investigate the behavioral techniques that would be most effective in decreasing coprolalia for a student diagnosed with autism and Tourette's syndrome. The study involved a young female who was enrolled in a public school special education classroom for children with behavior and communication disorders. Four behavior-management strategies were used: (a) time-out, (b) differential reinforcement of other behavior, (c) differential reinforcement of other behavior paired with differential reinforcement of alternative behavior, and (d) intermittent differential reinforcement of alternative behavior. All interventions showed a reduction in the number of profane words used by the subject. The least effective behavior strategy was the independent implementation of time-out. The fewest occurrences of coprolalia occurred during the use of intermittent differential reinforcement of alternative behavior.

Teachers' Schedules and Actual Time Spent in Activities in Preschool Special Education Classes

Preparing a schedule for classroom activities is an important component of most successful educational programs. However, such preparation is only as effective as its implementation in the classroom. The purpose of this study was to compare teachers' schedules of classroom activities and direct observations of children's actual participation in those activities. Schedules of classroom activities and direct observation of actual activities, using the Ecobehavioral System for the Complex Assessment of Preschool Environments (Carta, Greenwood, & Atwater, 1986) were collected in 24 early childhood special education classrooms. Although preschoolers with developmental delays generally engaged in activities that their teachers had scheduled, significant differences were found between the amount of time that teachers allotted for these activities and the amount of observed time that children engaged in the activities. More time was scheduled for play and self-care than was actually observed. However, children were obsewed engaged in transition and story for longer periods than had been scheduled by their teachers. Implications for classroom practices are discussed.

Home Literacy Experiences of Preschoolers Enrolled in Head Start and Special Education Programs

A survey was constructed to gather information concerning the home literacy experiences of preschool children enrolled in Head Start and early childhood special education classrooms. A total of 291 surveys were analyzed, representing 95 children considered at risk, 168 children with special education needs, and 28 peer models who had no developmental delays or disabilities. The results indicated a number of differences across the three groups regarding the priority placed on literacy at home, the ways in which children were involved in reading and writing activities, the amount of progress they were thought to have made in the past year, and the future expectations of the respondents in this area. Overall, the respondents for children with special education needs appeared to place the lowest priority on literacy development and have the lowest expectations in this regard. These respondents also reported providing fewer types of early literacy experiences to the children at home. Possible explanations are provided for the results. Implications for early childhood special education (ECSE) personnel are discussed.