Special Education Professionals Research Articles

Current status of twice-exceptional students: A look at legislation and policy in the United States

ABSTRACT Educational legislation and policy can lead to effective educational practices, especially for student populations that have had equal access to education addressing their needs, such as students with disabilities and gifted students. This study was an examination of state legislation and policy related to twice-exceptional learners in the United States. Forty-two administrators from state departments of education completed questionnaires, and 131 state policy and legislation documents were reviewed to reveal mention of twice-exceptional learners. Results indicate the (a) lack of state legislation and policy related to twice-exceptional students; (b) need for collaboration among general, gifted, and special education professionals; (c) importance of specific definitions and characteristics for twice-exceptionality; and (d) existence of models for initiatives related to twice exceptionality. The researchers intend for these results to lead educators to advocate for the inclusion of twice-exceptional learners in law and policy at state and national levels.

특수교육용 실감형 디지털 마이크로 미러 시스템 설계

The conventional simple-injection and unilateral-learning methods have the great disadvantages in special education outcomes for intellectual disabilities student. In this paper, we propose a digital micro-mirror system that learners themselves can manipulate the contents by using the various technology on user-interaction and augmented reality. Through the verification tests conducted by special education professionals, it is confirmed that the proposed commercial system can be used as a useful system in the special learning fields requiring high immersion.

THINGS THAT CAN BE CHANGED IN EARLY INTERVENTION IN CHILDHOOD.

Early intervention implies a model of support focused on a child, family and a broader community from early childhood. The aim of this study was to analyze the elements of the successful early intervention in childhood, as well as to assess the role of a special educator and rehabilitator and level of their involvement in implementing the program on the territory of Novi Sad. The study sample included 100 parents of children with disabilities (aged 3-7), who completed the questionnaire designed for the purposes of this research, based on a similar questionnaire design. Speech delay is one of the most common reasons (over 50%) why parents seek professional help. By the end of the first year of life of their child, 43% of parents responded that they had noticed the first problems, that is, a problem was identified in 25% of children of this age group, and the same number was included in the treatment. About 55% of children were involved in organized treatment from 3 years of age onwards. Special educators and rehabilitators are usually involved in treatment when the team consists of three or more professionals. It is necessary to improve early intervention services, to educate staff, and provide conditions which would make it possible to overcome the existing disadvantages in treating children from an early age. In addition, the involvement of special education and rehabilitation professionals in treatment teams since children's early age is vital.

The Predicament of Inclusive Education and the Realities of Practice in Tanzania after Two Decades of Education for All

Tanzania has been implementing several educational development plans and programmes at primary and secondary education levels. These plans and programmes aim at realizing the goal of education for all and therefore making primary education and ordinary secondary education universal. The implementation of these plans and programmes reflects a substantial need for educators and professionals in special education who can be able to handle pupils in inclusive and special classrooms and schools. The aim of the present study was to explore the participants’ motives for participating in a B.Ed. Special Education programme and the perceived outcomes of the programme in terms of professional development. The study focused on two core issues: motives and perceived outcomes. A case study approach was adopted. Questionnaires and interviews were administered in three phases between January 2007 and February 2009 to a group of 35 educators participating in a B.Ed. Special Education programme. Findings of the study revealed that participants expressed a number of motives and outcomes related to job, degree and career, student and community support, and personal growth. The findings further confirm that the participants’ motives and outcomes were closely related. The findings serve as a starting point for discussing the phenomenon of professional development in special education in Tanzania. Furthermore, the study findings underline that the motives for participating in the programme were complex, interactive and dynamic, thus emphasis on a singular explanation is naïve and insufficient.

A Multiple Case Study on the Perceived Impacts of the 15-Year Free Education Policy in Macau

Former Portuguese colony and now a Special Administrative Region of China, Macau had progressed from following its colonizer and its neighbouring cities, like Hong Kong and Taiwan, to establishing its own education system and being the first in the Greater China region to deliver 15-year free education. The objective of this study was to examine the perceived impacts of this policy on the affordability, accessibility, accountability of early childhood education in Macau. A multiple case study, using quantitative (surveys) and qualitative (interviews) measures, was conducted in four private kindergartens in Macau to understand how the 4 principals, 24 teachers and 119 parents viewed the policy impacts. The results indicated that: (1) across roles, parents were the most supportive of the policy and consistently gave the highest grading amongst the three stakeholders. Principals were the most knowledgeable of the policy, but graded the policy lowest and regarded the government’s financial subsidy as the most insufficient. Teachers were the least optimistic and positive about the impacts of the policy. They felt that teacher qualification and the quality of teaching resources should be further enhanced; (2) Across school types, kindergartens which joined the free education network graded the policy higher and perceived its impacts more positively than the one which did not join; (3) Extra subsidies were suggested by the respondents to cover children’s extra-curricular activities, support from childcare and special education professionals, and school-based curriculum development.

Adult Interpretations of Communicative Behavior in Learners with Rett Syndrome

This study examined adults’ interpretations of the communicative functions of “potential” communicative acts as defined by Sigafoos, et al. (2009) produced by individuals with Rett Syndrome (RTT). Video recordings of three learners with RTT engaged in daily routines were parsed into 5-second clips. Each clip demonstrated a potential communicative act. The primary caregivers and educational professionals who served each of the learners viewed the video clips and rated the communicative function of each behavior, if any. Analyses examined adults’ judgments as a function of their familiarity with the learner as well as their relative familiarity and experience in interpreting limited communicative repertoires (i.e., parents compared to special education professionals). The majority of special education professionals and parents interpret potential communicative behavior to represent communication with a clear intention. The three functions most commonly identified by raters were requesting object, commenting and protesting. There was modest variability in these ratings across participants and between professionals and parents. Variability in the interpretation of potential communicative acts between raters highlights the need for future studies with this population. Implications for future applied research along with educational implications are discussed.

Special Education Terminology Every Physical Education Teacher Should Know

An initial step to demonstrate commitment and professional behaviors is to be knowledgeable in the terminology used by special education colleagues, and to share with them common terminology used in physical education settings. Adapted physical education (APE) and general physical education (GPE) teachers need to know terminology used by multidisciplinary individualized education program (IEP) teams so they can be active contributing team members, and thus better assist the student with a disability in their class. The purpose of this article is to review commonly used special education terminology that APE and GPE teachers may hear during their interactions with team members. In addition, this article includes suggestions for participating in the IEP meeting and collaborating with parents and other special education professionals. IEP meetings are the perfect setting to learn and share common terminology.

Consultation in special needs education in Sweden and Finland: a comparative approach

The article compares the conditions and implementation of special education professionals’ consulting task in Sweden and Finland. The article first describes the background of the consulting teacher role and special education in Sweden and in Finland. Two different perspectives in the continuum on consultation are presented, followed by a description of how the consulting task is implemented and described in educational policy papers, and in research in the two countries. The analysis shows that while there are differences between the implementation of the consulting task in Sweden and Finland, there are also several similarities regarding the challenges faced. Differences can be understood according to traditions, education and educational policy papers. The similarities shows that the consulting task must be clearly defined in policy documents, highlighted in education and understood as a complex activity where both advice and reflection strategies are used. The consulting task can be more successful if the consultation is characterised by collaborative dialogues where the classroom teachers’ knowledge and the context are also taken into account.

Developing Individualized IEP Goals in the Age of Technology: Quality Challenges and Solutions

Many school districts have adopted commercially available software or templates for electronic Individualized Education Program (IEP) development. These programs have useful features that allow Individualized Education Programs to be electronically developed and reliably stored for each student. Although the program features are designed to enhance efficiency in the development of Individualized Education Program goals and increase compliance with state and federal regulations, there are several challenges to ensuring goals are individualized when using Individualized Education Program goal banks. In this article, the authors discuss the components of quality Individualized Education Program goals, describe challenges teachers face when using electronic goal banks, and make practical recommendations that special education professionals can feasibly implement to ensure electronic Individualized Education Program goals are well written and meet students needs.

Response to Intervention: Perspectives of General and Special Education Professionals

Federal legislation allows local education agencies to use a student's response to scientific research-based interventions as a method of identifying specific learning disabilities. As a result, educational leadership is challenged to implement response to intervention (RTI). Despite increased literature addressing RTI, no consensus on implementation has been reached. This national study was conducted to capture and report general education and special education professionals’ perceptions and implementation practices of RTI. Study participants were randomly selected to include general and special education administrative, instructional, or support personnel on elementary and high school campuses. The wide variances, misunderstandings, and lack of training reported in this nationwide study could explain the mixed results of recent research on RTI. Implications for school leadership are deduced from the data and highlight the need for pre-service and continuing professional development concerning all aspects of RTI.

발달장애 아동의 놀이 활동을 위한 N-스크린 기반의 웹앱 개발

현대 사회는 ICT 기술의 발전으로 다양한 매체를 활용한 교육방법이 등장하였고, 이러한 교육방법은 장애아동 교육에서도 효과적으로 활용될 가능성이 충분히 입증되었지만, 장애아동의 환경을 고려한 맞춤형 콘텐츠는 부족하다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 다양한 디지털 매체에서 같은 콘텐츠를 제공할 수 있는 IT 기술인 N-스크린 기술을 적용하여 발달장애 아동의 놀이 활동 교육 콘텐츠를 제작하였다. 제작된 콘텐츠는 아동의 개별적 특성에 맞는 프로그램을 설정할 수 있으며, 언제 어디서나 인터넷에 접속 가능한 디지털 기기를 통해 진행할 수 있도록 제작되었다. 또한, 개발된 콘텐츠는 시간과 공간의 제약 없이 아동이 접하게 되는 다양한 환경(가정, 학교 등)에서 PC, 스마트폰, 휴대용 기기를 활용하여 접속할 수 있을 뿐만 아니라, 같은 교육 프로그램을 가정, 학교 등에서 연계하여 진행될 수 있도록 제작되었다. 제작된 콘텐츠를 지적장애 및 자폐범주성장애 아동 3명에게 적용하여본 결과 본 콘텐츠는 놀이교육에서 교사와 학생 간의 상호작용 매개체로 사용할 수 있었다. 또한 콘텐츠를 사용하여본 특수교육 전문가와의 인터뷰 결과 아동에 따라 구성물과 강화물을 선택할 수 있는 기능은 기존 콘텐츠 보다 아동의 중재에 있어서 도움이 된다고 응답하였다. In the modern society, instructional methods using diverse media have appeared thanks to the development of Information & Communication Technology, and applicability of such instructional methods has been fully corroborated. However, customized contents allowing for disabled children's environment are still insufficient. Hence, this study produced educational contents of play activities for children with developmental disability, through applying N-screen technology, IT technology that can provide the same contents via a variety of digital media. The produced contents allow programs to be set up according to a child's individual characteristics and be carried out anywhere and anytime via an Internet-enabled digital device. Further, the developed contents were produced so that they could be accessed from a child's various environment (home, school, etc.) via a PC, a smart phone, a portable from a child's various environment (home, school, etc.) via a PC, a smart phone, a portable device, etc. and that the same educational program could be conducted in linkage at home, school, etc. Three children with Intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder were applied to the manufactured content. As a result, Content interaction between interaction between teachers and students in play training could use as a medium.In addition, the children's ability to select the appropriate components and reinforcements, special education professionals have used the content of the interviews are helpful in mediation than the existing content.

The development of a multimedia online language assessment tool for young children with autism

This study aimed to provide early childhood special education professionals with a standardized and comprehensive language assessment tool for the early identification of language learning characteristics (e.g., hyperlexia) of young children with autism. In this study, we used computer technology to develop a multi-media online language assessment tool that presents auditory or visual stimuli. This online comprehensive language assessment consists of six subtests: decoding, homographs, auditory vocabulary comprehension, visual vocabulary comprehension, auditory sentence comprehension, and visual sentence comprehension. Three hundred typically developing children and 35 children with autism from Tao-Yuan County in Taiwan aged 4-6 participated in this study. The Cronbach α values of the six subtests ranged from .64 to .97. The variance explained by the six subtests ranged from 14% to 56%, the current validity of each subtest with the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised ranged from .21 to .45, and the predictive validity of each subtest with WISC-III ranged from .47 to .75. This assessment tool was also found to be able to accurately differentiate children with autism up to 92%. These results indicate that this assessment tool has both adequate reliability and validity. Additionally, 35 children with autism have completed the entire assessment in this study without exhibiting any extremely troubling behaviors. However, future research is needed to increase the sample size of both typically developing children and young children with autism and to overcome the technical challenges associated with internet issues.

Misconceptions about traumatic brain injury among students preparing to be special education professionals

The researchers performed a survey study to determine the effectiveness of collegiate programmes in dispelling common misconceptions about traumatic brain injury (TBI) while preparing undergraduate and graduate students for special education (SpEd) careers. Respondents included 136 undergraduate and 147 graduate SpEd students in their final semesters before obtaining degrees. Each completed an 18‐item true/false survey about TBI and the associated recovery process. Results were compared with survey responses from 318 lay public respondents who participated in a previous study. Two major findings emerged: (a) no significant differences existed in misconception endorsement between SpEd students completing Bachelor's versus Master's degrees; and (b) graduating students in SpEd teacher preparation programmes endorsed similar misconceptions as lay public respondents; hence, these programmes do not appear effective in dispelling common TBI misconceptions. Improving academic preparation for special educators regarding TBI is imperative for effectively identifying, assessing and serving student survivors.

Self-Management of Social Initiations by Kindergarten Students With Disabilities in the General Education Classroom

The effectiveness of a self-management intervention on social interaction behaviors was evaluated for students with disabilities and social deficits. Four students enrolled in a general education kindergarten classroom were taught to self-monitor social initiations during nonstructured social time via a digital wrist counter. The number of social initiations and concurrent engagement in social interactions were recorded in 10-min observation sessions, within the context of a multiple baseline design across participants. Generalization was assessed in novel social situations through pre- and postintervention sessions. The number of social initiations and mean percentage of intervals participants were interacting increased for all participants. Topics for future research and implications for special education professionals are discussed.

The Understanding Words Reading Intervention: Evidence From a Case Series Design

Using a case-series design with double baseline and 10-week maintenance phase, 5 struggling readers from middle- to high-income families (age range 6.4–7.9 years) completed a 5-times-weekly intervention (96 sessions) administered by a parent. All participants completed the intervention with phonological decoding, text-reading accuracy and reading comprehension scores above the 30th percentile. Regular-word reading improved significantly, and 3 out of 5 participants achieved average levels at postintervention testing. Growth of 0.58 standard deviations (SD) was seen in one participant on a test of irregular-word reading. The other 4 participants made growth of > 0.8 SD. However, only 1 participant achieved average levels at postintervention testing on the irregular-word reading measure. Results provide preliminary support for the effectiveness of the intervention in improving word-level decoding and comprehension in struggling readers. Most important, the data provide preliminary evidence that some parents can function as paraprofessionals and provide effective reading intervention for struggling readers. Special education professionals may be able to work around limited funding for struggling readers by recruiting, training, and supervising parents.

<b> Inclusão escolar, redes de apoio e políticas sociais </b>

http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/1984686X4058A educação como direito de todos e a qualidade de ensino são metas que ainda requerem investimentos intensos do poder público e da sociedade brasileira. Quando se trata de pessoas com deficiência, transtornos globais do desenvolvimento e altas habilidades/superdotação, o seu acesso e permanência na escola, muitas vezes depende de articulação de políticas para além das de educação. Nas orientações normativas nacionais e em recomendações internacionais preconiza-se a constituição de redes de apoio. Os resultados da pesquisa aqui apresentados focalizam itinerários do município de São Paulo para implementar sua política de educação especial e destaca as ações relativamente às redes de apoio. Para sua realização foram compiladas fontes documentais; aplicadas entrevistas semiestruturadas com profissionais da educação especial; e preenchidos formulários de caracterização dos profissionais. Na análise, com procedimentos afeitos à abordagem qualitativa, o conjunto de informações foi cotejado com a legislação de onde buscou-se apreender os avanços e pontos a serem fortalecidos na referida política municipal. Os resultados mostraram que nos quatro anos foram inegáveis os avanços da educação especial no município, muito embora a profusão de demandas dirigidas aos centros de apoio municipais se sobrepusesse à necessária implementação e consolidação de parcerias e redes de apoio. Destaca-se que redes intersecretariais eram indicadas como necessárias e que estas dependiam de ações no âmbito da gestão pública, pois extrapolava o status político-administrativo dos centros a realização de intervenções dessa natureza junto a instâncias hierarquicamente superiores, sejam secretarias municipais da educação ou de outras áreas sociais.Palavras-chave: Educação especial. Política educacional. Direito à educação.

Unpacking the Standards for Intervention

AbstractThe role of the speech-language pathologist to enable the academic success of students with speech-language impairments using the standards and general curriculum is well established (Haskell, 2004; Power-deFur, 2010; Wallach, 2008). The Common Core Standards Initiative (2011a) emphasizes that “students with disabilities…must be challenged to excel within the general curriculum” (p. 1). The key for the success of students with disabilities is how special education professionals use the standards to enable the success of students with disabilities. The purpose of this article is to provide an approach for using the standards to identify appropriate targets and design intervention.

2012 National Society of Genetic Counselors Presidential Address: Maintaining Our Professional Identity in an Ever‐Expanding Genetics Universe

2012 National Society of Genetic Counselors Presidential Address: Maintaining Our Professional Identity in an Ever‐Expanding Genetics Universe

Rough Sets as a Knowledge Discovery and Classification Tool for the Diagnosis of Students with Learning Disabilities

Due to the implicit characteristics of learning disabilities (LDs), the diagnosis of students with learning disabilities has long been a difficult issue. Artificial intelligence techniques like artificial neural network (ANN) and support vector machine (SVM) have been applied to the LD diagnosis problem with satisfactory outcomes. However, special education teachers or professionals tend to be skeptical to these kinds of black-box predictors. In this study, we adopt the rough set theory (RST), which can not only perform as a classifier, but may also produce meaningful explanations or rules, to the LD diagnosis application. Our experiments indicate that the RST approach is competitive as a tool for feature selection, and it performs better in term of prediction accuracy than other rulebased algorithms such as decision tree and ripper algorithms. We also propose to mix samples collected from sources with different LD diagnosis procedure and criteria. By pre-processing these mixed samples with simple and readily available clustering algorithms, we are able to improve the quality and support of rules generated by the RST. Overall, our study shows that the rough set approach, as a classification and knowledge discovery tool, may have great potential in playing an essential role in LD diagnosis.

The Attitudes of Special Education Teachers and Mainstreaming Education Teachers Working in Cyprus and Special Education Teachers Working in the USA towards Mainstreaming Education

The Attitudes of Special Education Teachers and Mainstreaming Education Teachers Working in Cyprus and Special Education Teachers Working in the USA towards Mainstreaming Education