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Title: The effects of a self-evaluation intervention on the instructional behavior of special education interns.
Creator: Keller, Cassandra L., Florida Atlantic University, Taylor, Ronald L.
Abstract/Description: This study investigated the effects of an audiotaped self evaluation intervention on the instructional behavior of interns in classrooms for students with disabilities. Three interns teaching in elementary school settings in Southeast Florida participated in the study. The dependent variable was frequency of specific social praise statements. The independent variable was the self evaluation intervention which consisted of an individual training session that required each intern to listen to...
Show moreThis study investigated the effects of an audiotaped self evaluation intervention on the instructional behavior of interns in classrooms for students with disabilities. Three interns teaching in elementary school settings in Southeast Florida participated in the study. The dependent variable was frequency of specific social praise statements. The independent variable was the self evaluation intervention which consisted of an individual training session that required each intern to listen to five minute audiotaped samples of their instruction and then graph the frequency of specific social praise. A multiple baseline design was used to measure the effects of the intervention. Generalization probes were administered to determine the effects of the intervention in other content areas and maintenance probes were evaluated to determine the effects of the intervention over time. A qualitative design employing an open ended interview was used to enhance and amplify the quantitative portion of the study and to find out what value the interns placed on the intervention. Results indicated that the intervention had a positive effect on all three interns' use of specific social praise. Generalization probes indicated that two of the three interns increased their use of specific social praise during non-targeted content areas. The maintenance probes indicated that all three interns' average use of specific social praise was well above their baseline averages, although two of the three interns had a decreasing trend. The findings from the qualitative data supported the results from the quantitative analyses and revealed that interns valued the self evaluation intervention because it allowed them to reflect, evaluate, and then change their behavior. Recommendations for future research were made.
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Date Issued: 2003
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12044
Subject Headings: Interns (Education), Teachers--Self-rating of, Students with disabilities--Education, Teachers of children with disabilities--Training of
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Differential effects of assessment report type on special educators' recommendations regarding identification of goals and choice of intervention.
Creator: Zinkil, Susan S., Florida Atlantic University, Taylor, Ronald L.
Abstract/Description: There has been a substantial amount of research supporting the use of functional behavioral assessment (FBA) for students with severe to profound disabilities. Many of the studies with these populations have shown to greatly impact the behavior of students when FBA-generated interventions, which match the function of the targeted behavior, are used to improve behavior. This research was the basis for the 1997 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which...
Show moreThere has been a substantial amount of research supporting the use of functional behavioral assessment (FBA) for students with severe to profound disabilities. Many of the studies with these populations have shown to greatly impact the behavior of students when FBA-generated interventions, which match the function of the targeted behavior, are used to improve behavior. This research was the basis for the 1997 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which specifically requires the use of the FBA to generate educative, positively-based interventions. Since IDEA '97, research has shown the effective use of the FBA to create interventions matching the function of the problem behavior for students with milder disabilities. This is promising as research has been lacking in what assessment data teachers use to select behavioral interventions. Furthermore, school personnel have been ineffective in dealing with the problem behavior of students with disabilities as evidenced by high suspension rates for students with disabilities. There is also very limited research in the area of what assessment data is used in the development of individualized education programs (IEP) for students with emotional disabilities. The psychological evaluation is used to determine eligibility for special education, yet there is no research indicating that the information contained within a psychological evaluation is used for either goal development or intervention selection. This is problematic in that IEPs developed for students with emotional disabilities are lacking in quality and effectiveness. This study examined the effect that types of assessment report played on teachers' selection of interventions and IEP goal development for a student with an emotional disability. After reviewing an FBA or psychological evaluation, participants were to develop a behavioral goal. These goals were rated for the presence or absence of five quality indicators that should be present in a well-developed goal. No significant differences were found in the frequencies of these goal indicators. Participants were then asked to indicate preference of use of three interventions to increase appropriate behavior and three interventions to decrease inappropriate behavior and then to rank order their potential use of the interventions. No significant differences were found in the indication of use on either measure. Participants did consistently indicate preferred use of the three positively-based interventions.
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Date Issued: 2004
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12116
Subject Headings: Behavior modification, Problem children--Education, Children with disabilities--Education, Individualized instruction, Behavioral assessment of children
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: An analysis of environmental variables affecting the observed biobehavioral states of individuals with profound handicaps.
Creator: Richards, Stephen Boyd, Florida Atlantic University, Taylor, Ronald L., Sternberg, Les
Abstract/Description: Historically, there have been questions concerning the areas and methods of assessment that are appropriate with individuals with profound handicaps. Recently, research efforts toward the assessment of biobehavioral states of these individuals have been advocated. The purpose of this study was to examine how biobehavioral states and orienting responses might be influenced by environmental variables. More specifically, this study involved investigation into whether increasing degrees of...
Show moreHistorically, there have been questions concerning the areas and methods of assessment that are appropriate with individuals with profound handicaps. Recently, research efforts toward the assessment of biobehavioral states of these individuals have been advocated. The purpose of this study was to examine how biobehavioral states and orienting responses might be influenced by environmental variables. More specifically, this study involved investigation into whether increasing degrees of stimulation provided through individuals, activities, and objects in the environment appeared to influence the biobehavioral states of the subjects. Additionally, the influence of time of day, day of week, the position of the subject, and the subject's prior state were explored. Five subjects were selected from a classroom for students with profound mental handicaps in southeast Florida. Subjects were observed using a partial-interval recording procedure and a previously developed and piloted instrument. Each subject was observed for 20 observation periods with each period consisting of 15, 20 second intervals. These observation periods were evenly distributed across mornings and afternoons and across the days of the week. Subjects were randomly selected for the order of observations. One additional rater was used in addition to the investigator for reliability purposes. The overall reliability coefficients for all observed variables exceeded.90. All environmental variables and the prior state variable were crosstabulated with the state variable and the significance of each bivariate relationship was tested using the chi-square statistic. All environmental variables, with the exception of the continuous auditory stimulation variable, shared a statistically significant relationship with the state variable (p < .0277). Prior state also shared a statistically significant relationship. Additionally, those environmental variables with the strongest relationships with the state variable along with the prior state variable were used as predictors for a multiple regression procedure. State was used as the criterion variable and significant variance was predicted by the environmental and prior state variables. This study resulted in an increase in the data base concerning state assessment in students with profound handicaps, investigated environmental variables that may have affected state occurrences, and raised issues concerning previous and future research. In addition, implications concerning how instructional grouping, provision of stimulating activities, intensity of staff-student interactions, positioning of students, and time of day and day of week might have affected subjects' biobehavioral states were discussed.
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Date Issued: 1990
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12263
Subject Headings: Children with disabilities--Education, Children with mental disabilities--Education, Special education, Behavioral assessment
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: A comparison of the writing products of students with learning disabilities in inclusive and resource room settings using different writing instruction approaches.
Creator: Curry, Kimberly Ann., Florida Atlantic University, Taylor, Ronald L.
Abstract/Description: The teaching of writing has become a major research focus in the field of education. In general education classrooms, the teaching of writing is increasingly being taught as a process, in which students write for authentic purposes and develop a community of writers. This study was designed to investigate the effects of teaching students with learning disabilities (LD) writing using four different instructional approaches. These approaches included a process-writing approach called Writers'...
Show moreThe teaching of writing has become a major research focus in the field of education. In general education classrooms, the teaching of writing is increasingly being taught as a process, in which students write for authentic purposes and develop a community of writers. This study was designed to investigate the effects of teaching students with learning disabilities (LD) writing using four different instructional approaches. These approaches included a process-writing approach called Writers' Workshop, writing strategies, Writers' Workshop/strategies, and a skills-based model. This study also focused on the educational setting in which the student with LD was taught. A pull-out resource room (PO) or a self-contained classroom and an In-Class Direct (ICD) model called inclusion that provides educational services for students with disabilities in a general education classroom with their peers without disabilities. A total of 99 fourth grade students with LD from 15 different elementary schools in the Beach County, Florida School District participated in this study. Forty-three students were in the PO service delivery model and 56 were in the ICD delivery model. Twenty-seven students received strategies instruction, 24 received Writers' Workshop instruction, 21 received skills-based instruction and 27 received Writers' Workshop/strategies instruction. All subjects wrote a response to a narrative prompt from the Florida Writes! assessment for a pretest and posttest measure. The results of this study were analyzed using an ANCOVA design; the pretest score was the covariate. The instructional program was significant at the selected alpha level of.05; F\ (3)=5.022,\ p.05 and the interaction of educational setting with instructional program was non-significant, F\ (3)=2.109,\ p>.05. A Scheffe analysis was conducted and pairwise differences indicated that Writers' Workshop/strategies instructional program made a significant difference in the writing products of the students in this study. There was a significant difference in the results of the subjects who participated in the strategies model and the subjects who participated in the skills-based model.
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Date Issued: 1997
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12529
Subject Headings: Learning disabled children--Education, English language--Study and teaching (Primary), Resource programs (Education), Inclusive education
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The effects of joint book reading emphasizing print focus on print awareness in preschool children with Down syndrome: A preliminary investigation.
Creator: Fries, Barbara J., Florida Atlantic University, Taylor, Ronald L.
Abstract/Description: Most typically developing children experience a wide variety of literary experiences before they ever learn to read. Young children with intellectual impairments may not be as fortunate due to multiple developmental delays and therapeutic needs. Research has supported joint book reading as an effective intervention technique for children with language impairments and other risks for developmental delays. Two research questions were explored in this preliminary investigation. First, to what...
Show moreMost typically developing children experience a wide variety of literary experiences before they ever learn to read. Young children with intellectual impairments may not be as fortunate due to multiple developmental delays and therapeutic needs. Research has supported joint book reading as an effective intervention technique for children with language impairments and other risks for developmental delays. Two research questions were explored in this preliminary investigation. First, to what extent does a specific joint book reading training program, emphasizing a print focus, increase verbal and nonverbal print referencing behaviors in parents during joint book reading? Secondly, to what extent does the same joint book reading program, emphasizing a print focus, affect the print awareness skills in children with Down syndrome? Five mothers and their preschoolers with Down syndrome participated in this study. Two of the mother/child pairs were randomly assigned as controls. The mothers were taught to engage in joint book reading using verbal and nonverbal print references. The effects of this joint book reading technique on the development of print awareness skills in the children were then measured. Results indicated that all three mothers who received training increased their verbal and nonverbal print referencing behaviors. In addition, all three children whose mothers received training made some gains in print awareness skills, in particular in print knowledge. Two of the three children also made gains in alphabet knowledge and sound awareness. The results of this study support the benefit of literacy stimulation (luring joint book reading for young children with Down syndrome.
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Date Issued: 2004
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12068
Subject Headings: Down syndrome, Reading (Preschool), Reading--Parent participation
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: A comparison of typicality judgments of learning-disabled and nonlearning-disabled children.
Creator: Willits, Paula P., Florida Atlantic University, Smiley, Lydia R., Taylor, Ronald L.
Abstract/Description: Typicality judgments refer to the extent to which items are thought to be typical of their language categories. For example, an apple is a typical fruit, whereas a kiwi is an atypical one. Typicality judgments help reveal a person's level of word knowledge and concept development. The theory of category prototypes (Posner, 1969) gave rise to the assessment of the typicality judgments of children and adults. The two main purposes of this study were to provide typicality norms for learning...
Show moreTypicality judgments refer to the extent to which items are thought to be typical of their language categories. For example, an apple is a typical fruit, whereas a kiwi is an atypical one. Typicality judgments help reveal a person's level of word knowledge and concept development. The theory of category prototypes (Posner, 1969) gave rise to the assessment of the typicality judgments of children and adults. The two main purposes of this study were to provide typicality norms for learning disabled (LD) children, and to clarify the nature of the differences between learning disabled and nondisabled (NLD) students regarding their word knowledge and categorization skills. A total of 210 subjects participated in the study; 180 were public school children (grades 2, 4, 6) from Palm Beach County, Florida. Half of these students attended part-time classes for the learning disabled while the other half were enrolled in regular classrooms. All children had achieved IQs in the average range of intelligence. The remainder of the subjects (30) were adult college students at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. All subjects were asked to determine whether each of 125 words were category members, and if they were, how well each one exemplified the particular category in question. Categories included birds, clothing, vegetables, fruit, and four-footed animals. Results revealed that the LD children knew the meanings of fewer category items, included fewer appropriate words as category items, and were less adultlike in their rankings of words that were included as category members. Although both LD and NLD children's word rankings became more adultlike with age, the LD children's pattern of progression differed. For LD children, typicality ratings became significantly more adultlike between grades four and six, whereas the NLD subjects demonstrated significantly improved ratings between grades two and four. This different pattern illustrated a developmental lag in word knowledge for the LD children.
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Date Issued: 1991
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12279
Subject Headings: Categorization (Psychology) in children, Learning disabled children--Education--Language, Children--Language, Cognition in children
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: A comparison of the reading characteristics of college student poor readers with and without learning disabilities.
Creator: Warde, Beverly Aileen, Florida Atlantic University, Taylor, Ronald L., Smiley, Lydia R.
Abstract/Description: Fast, efficient reading skills are essential in college where the majority of learning comes from independent reading. However, reading college-level expository texts is a potential problem for college students with learning disabilities (LD) who classically have difficulty with reading. Since little is known about young adults with LD who attend college, the purpose of this study was to examine the reading abilities of this group. More specifically, reading comprehension scores, from both...
Show moreFast, efficient reading skills are essential in college where the majority of learning comes from independent reading. However, reading college-level expository texts is a potential problem for college students with learning disabilities (LD) who classically have difficulty with reading. Since little is known about young adults with LD who attend college, the purpose of this study was to examine the reading abilities of this group. More specifically, reading comprehension scores, from both oral and silent reading, as well as analyses of oral reading miscues were examined. Additionally, the influence of expository text structures on reading comprehension and oral miscues was explored. A total of forty undergraduate subjects from one state university participated in the study: twenty were upper class (junior/senior status) students with childhood diagnoses of LD in reading; twenty were upper class students without LD who were considered poor college readers. Four passages from a college textbook on social problems were selected for the reading assessment: two passages of an enumeration text structure, and two of an historical text structure. All subjects read two passages silently and two passages orally from each structure, The subjects' oral readings were analyzed for types of miscues. After reading each passage, the subjects then orally summarized the readings. A comprehension score was derived for each passage from the oral retellings. Results revealed that the college students with LD produced a greater total number of oral reading miscues and earned fewer comprehension points than their peers without LD. Text structure did not effect the comprehension scores of the students with LD; however, the type of text structure did effect the oral reading comprehension scores of the students without LD. The subjects with LD also produced a significantly higher percentage of miscues categorized as loss-of-meaning miscues. The results of this study indicated that college students with LD continue to have reading difficulties: difficulty decoding words; poor comprehension; and a lack of metacognitive awareness and use of strategies for comprehending various expository text structures.
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Date Issued: 1995
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12437
Subject Headings: Reading (Higher education)--Ability testing, Learning disabled youth--Education (Higher), Reading (Higher education), Reading comprehension, Reading disability
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The differential effects of simplified speech versus typical speech on response accuracy in discrete trial teaching formats with prekindergarten-age students with autism.
Creator: Clark, Claudia Pia, Florida Atlantic University, Taylor, Ronald L.
Abstract/Description: The examination of effective teaching strategies for young students with autism is necessary to successfully address the wide variety of skills deficits exhibited in students with this pervasive developmental disorder. The wide spectrum of cognitive functioning levels and autism severity levels found in this highly heterogeneous disorder make the development of sound instructional techniques a fundamental issue in best practices teaching with students with autism. The purpose of this study...
Show moreThe examination of effective teaching strategies for young students with autism is necessary to successfully address the wide variety of skills deficits exhibited in students with this pervasive developmental disorder. The wide spectrum of cognitive functioning levels and autism severity levels found in this highly heterogeneous disorder make the development of sound instructional techniques a fundamental issue in best practices teaching with students with autism. The purpose of this study was to determine the differential effects of simplified speech discriminative stimuli and typical speech discriminative stimuli on response accuracy on an acquisition level discrimination skill using a discrete trial teaching format with prekindergarten age students with autism. The participants were four students chosen from a pool of students enrolled at The St. Mary's Preschool for Children with Autism, a charter school located in West Palm Beach, Florida. All students were between 3 and 5 years old and met eligibility criteria for special education in the autism category. The targeted instructional skill was a visual discrimination task that was to be exhibited upon presentation of a verbal stimulus and which required discrimination of the verbal stimulus in order to be performed correctly. Each participant was presented with an array of acquisition level picture vocabulary items under one of two instructional conditions: either a simplified speech discriminative stimulus condition or a typical speech discriminative stimulus condition. Each student received both instructional conditions with different but equivalent picture vocabulary items. The results indicated that there were differences in response accuracy under the two discriminative stimulus conditions. For participants with autism severity levels under 36 as measured by the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), criterion was met under both conditions, regardless of IQ. For participants with autism severity levels equal to or above 36 as measured by the CARS, response accuracy was higher under the simplified speech condition, regardless of IQ. One implication of this study is that students with more severe levels of autism may learn most effectively under simplified speech discriminative stimulus conditions and that students with less severe levels of autism may be able to learn effectively under either condition.
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Date Issued: 2000
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12630
Subject Headings: Autistic children--Education, Autism in children, Verbal learning
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: A comparison of language screening procedures in the identification of children with language delays in prekindergarten classes.
Creator: Goldstein, Peggy Ann., Florida Atlantic University, Taylor, Ronald L., Smiley, Lydia R.
Abstract/Description: There is presently an emphasis on the early identification of children with disabilities. Mild and moderate disabilities, such as language delays, have proven difficult to detect. Language delays are of concern because of the relationship between language abilities and other learning activities. Young children from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds are especially at-risk for difficulties in language and learning. The purpose of this study was to examine the accuracy of various...
Show moreThere is presently an emphasis on the early identification of children with disabilities. Mild and moderate disabilities, such as language delays, have proven difficult to detect. Language delays are of concern because of the relationship between language abilities and other learning activities. Young children from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds are especially at-risk for difficulties in language and learning. The purpose of this study was to examine the accuracy of various language screening procedures in the identification of language delays in prekindergarten classes composed of children from low SES backgrounds. More specifically, this study compared the accuracy of formal instruments and informal procedures (i.e., teacher referral) in the identification of language delays. Additionally, the influence of teacher training on the accuracy of teacher referral was explored. Three children from 30 randomly selected prekindergarten classes participated in this study. This resulted in a total of 90 subjects. Children ranged in age from 52 to 64 months. All subjects were administered the Brigance Preschool Screen, the language subtest of the Early Screening Profile (ESP), the language subtest of the Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning-Revised (DIAL-R), and the Fluharty Preschool Speech and Language Screening Test. The Preschool Language Scale-3 (PLS-3) was administered and used as the criterion measure. In addition, the 30 teachers of these selected classes were randomly assigned to two groups. One group received specific training in the identification of language delays in young children and were designated as trained teachers. The second group was the control group and designated as untrained teachers. Fifty-six percent of the children were identified as language delayed according to the criteria of 1 standard deviation below the mean on the PLS-3. The trained teachers were the most accurate of all screening procedures in the identification of language delays. Training significantly improved the accuracy of teacher referral. The ESP was found to be the most efficient of the formal instruments. This study resulted in an increase in the data base concerning the incidence of language delays in an at-risk population, the effectiveness of various screening procedures in identification of language delays, and the impact of training on the accuracy of teacher referrals.
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Date Issued: 1994
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12381
Subject Headings: Language disorders in children, Preschool children, Learning disabilities, Children--Language--Testing
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: The effect of audiocassette presentation on the performance of students with and without learning disabilities on a group standardized math test.
Creator: Schnirman, Rebecca K., Florida Atlantic University, Taylor, Ronald L.
Abstract/Description: Many students with specific learning disabilities (LD) exhibit reading difficulties that interfere with their performance on "high-stakes" standardized tests with math word problems. Therefore, it is important to identify accommodations that will lead to valid test scores. Audio presentation for math word problems is intended to remove the effects of a disability in reading. One purpose of the study was to conduct an empirical investigation of the effects of audiocassette presentation by...
Show moreMany students with specific learning disabilities (LD) exhibit reading difficulties that interfere with their performance on "high-stakes" standardized tests with math word problems. Therefore, it is important to identify accommodations that will lead to valid test scores. Audio presentation for math word problems is intended to remove the effects of a disability in reading. One purpose of the study was to conduct an empirical investigation of the effects of audiocassette presentation by comparing the performance of students with LD and students from general education (GE). Another was to investigate the relationship, if any, between the level of knowledge of mathematics vocabulary and the benefit of audiocassette presentation for the students with LD. Finally, the study sought to extend the current research base to students in middle school. Twenty-four students with LD and 24 from GE were tested with parallel forms of the Math section of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. Half of each group tested with form K under standard administration and received audiocassette presentation for form L. The other half of each group was tested with form L under standard administration and audiocassette presentation for form K. Finally, the Vocabulary subtest from the Test of Mathematical Abilities, 2nd edition (TOMA-2) was administered. Separate paired t tests were performed for the GE group and for the group with LD. The performance of the two groups was then compared with repeated measures analyses. No statistically significant differences were found, which was attributed, in part, to small sample size. Minimal change in the mean performance of either group occurred after audiocassette presentation for Math Concepts. The group mean for LD on Problem Solving improved slightly with the accommodation. Repeated measures analyses showed no significant difference in performance between students with "high" vs. "low" levels of math vocabulary. A floor effect, along with the students' level of academic language proficiency, may have affected the results. Some students improved their scores with audio presentation, but others scored lower. This reinforces the need to base the use of any test accommodation on individual need, not disability label or other factors.
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Date Issued: 2005
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12166
Subject Headings: Educational tests and measurements, Learning disabled children--Ability testing, Academic achievement--Testing--Validity--United States, Children with disabilities--Education--Ability testing, Academic achievement
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: A preliminary investigation of a computer-assisted training program for direct service providers working with individuals with mental retardation.
Creator: Provost, Mary C., Florida Atlantic University, Taylor, Ronald L.
Abstract/Description: This preliminary investigation involved the development of a training program leading to graduated levels of certification and eventual licensure for direct service providers working in the State of Florida. Presently, certification and/or licensure are not offered to direct service providers by residential programs serving individuals with mental retardation in Florida. Current research in the field of mental retardation and developmental disabilities supports the development and...
Show moreThis preliminary investigation involved the development of a training program leading to graduated levels of certification and eventual licensure for direct service providers working in the State of Florida. Presently, certification and/or licensure are not offered to direct service providers by residential programs serving individuals with mental retardation in Florida. Current research in the field of mental retardation and developmental disabilities supports the development and implementation of standardized training as well as credentialing for direct service providers. The research described in this study compared two models of training for direct service providers, traditional-training and traditional-training paired with computer-assisted instruction. Twenty participants were recruited from two privately funded agencies providing residential services to individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities in South Florida. Incentives for participation were provided to participants by their sending agencies. The training content for both groups included characteristics of individuals with mental retardation; identification of antecedents, behaviors and consequences; identification of relevant and irrelevant information; and, identification of methods for obtaining more information for problem solving purposes. Participant knowledge of this content was measured through pre- and posttesting. The mean gain scores of the participants in the experimental and traditional training scores were compared using a t -test for change to determine statistical significance for each section of the measurement tool. The p values were .990, .941, and .558 for each respective section of the measurement tool, thereby supporting each null hypothesis tested. Finally, implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research were offered.
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Date Issued: 2003
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12062
Subject Headings: Mental retardation facilities, People with mental disabilities--Services for, Mental retardation facilities--Employees--Training of, Employees--Computer-assisted instruction
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Social-cognitive processing in 6- to 12-year-old children with Asperger's disorder.
Creator: Carothers, Douglas Edward, Florida Atlantic University, Taylor, Ronald L.
Abstract/Description: Students with Asperger's disorder manifest social, behavioral and pragmatic language impairments that result in their lower social acceptance. However, peer rejection in childhood is correlated with both current and future maladjustment, so it is important to investigate the causes of social rejection for children with Asperger's disorder. The first purpose of this study was to determine the relative effectiveness with which students with Asperger's disorder and typically developing students...
Show moreStudents with Asperger's disorder manifest social, behavioral and pragmatic language impairments that result in their lower social acceptance. However, peer rejection in childhood is correlated with both current and future maladjustment, so it is important to investigate the causes of social rejection for children with Asperger's disorder. The first purpose of this study was to determine the relative effectiveness with which students with Asperger's disorder and typically developing students were able to interpret the social intentions of their peers. The second purpose of the study was to determine whether, with a given interpretation of social intention, there were differences in the social interaction strategies chosen by these two groups of students. Twenty students with Asperger's disorder and 20 typically developing elementary school students participated in this study. They viewed videotapes depicting social conflict situations and were interviewed to determine if they perceived the cause of a conflict, how they interpreted an antagonist's actions, and how they would respond in a similar situation. An independent samples t-test indicated that the typically developing group performed significantly better on the encoding of conflicts and benign intention cues. Further, the Asperger's disorder group rejected benign intention cues that they had encoded at a higher rate than their typically developing peers. A mixed ANOVA revealed that there were significant differences between groups for the rating of a peer as "not mean" based on cue type, with the Asperger's disorder group most likely to rate a peer as "not mean" after watching ambiguous vignettes and the typically developing group most likely to give this rating after watching benign vignettes. Additionally, a mixed ANOVA demonstrated that the Asperger's disorder group was significantly more likely to cite the use of aggressive strategies both against peer entry and peer provocation conflict types and when they had attributed a peer to be "mean."
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Date Issued: 2002
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FADT12000
Subject Headings: Asperger's syndrome, Autistic children--Education--Social aspects, Autism in children
Format: Document (PDF)

Title: Teaching students with learning disabilities to solve word-problems: A comparison of a cognitive strategy and a traditional textbook method.
Creator: Lambert, Monica Ann., Florida Atlantic University, Taylor, Ronald L.
Abstract/Description: The current emphasis in mathematics curricula is placed on mathematical applications to real-life word-problem solving. Therefore, it is critical that all secondary students receive instruction in problem solving. Although many mathematics textbooks provide steps for students to follow when solving word-problems they do not meet the needs of all students, especially those with learning disabilities (LD). Students with LD lack knowledge in cognitive and metacognitive strategies, although they...
Show moreThe current emphasis in mathematics curricula is placed on mathematical applications to real-life word-problem solving. Therefore, it is critical that all secondary students receive instruction in problem solving. Although many mathematics textbooks provide steps for students to follow when solving word-problems they do not meet the needs of all students, especially those with learning disabilities (LD). Students with LD lack knowledge in cognitive and metacognitive strategies, although they are able to use these strategies when taught. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of a cognitive problem solving strategy and a traditional textbook method in solving three-step word-problems consisting of whole numbers, decimals, fractions, and percents. Four teachers who taught two Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) math classes volunteered to participate in the study. Each teacher taught one of his/her math classes the cognitive strategy and the other class the textbook method. A total of 76 students from grades 9 through 12 who attended a part-time SLD math class were used as subjects. The two groups were taught through direct instruction with scripted lessons. The cognitive strategy group was taught an eight-step strategy that included self-talking and self-questioning. The textbook method group was taught a traditional textbook method which consisted of a four-step plan. Treatment for both groups included a pretest, describing and modeling the strategy or method, verbally rehearsing the cognitive strategy or textbook method, practice solving word-problems, and a posttest of the three-step word-problems. The results indicated that there were no significant differences between the cognitive strategy and textbook method. However, the observed power was not sufficient to determine if there was or was not a treatment effect. Informal error analyses indicated subjects did perform better after direct instruction in solving word-problems. Although subjects were attempting to solve more problems, however, other types of errors were being made, such as choosing and using the wrong operation. This indicates students may need to be taught a strategy on how to choose the correct operation to solve word-problems.
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Date Issued: 1996
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12470
Subject Headings: Learning disabled--Education--Mathematics, Learning disabilities, Mathematics--Study and teaching (Secondary), Cognition in children
Format: Document (PDF)

Autism in children (2)	+ -
Children with disabilities--Education (2)	+ -
Cognition in children (2)	+ -
Learning disabilities (2)	+ -
Academic achievement (1)	+ -

Academic achievement--Testing--Validity--United States (1)	+ -
Asperger's syndrome (1)	+ -
Autistic children--Education (1)	+ -
Autistic children--Education--Social aspects (1)	+ -
Behavior modification (1)	+ -
Behavioral assessment (1)	+ -
Behavioral assessment of children (1)	+ -
Categorization (Psychology) in children (1)	+ -
Children with disabilities--Education--Ability testing (1)	+ -
Children with mental disabilities--Education (1)	+ -
Children--Language (1)	+ -
Children--Language--Testing (1)	+ -
Down syndrome (1)	+ -
Educational tests and measurements (1)	+ -
Employees--Computer-assisted instruction (1)	+ -
English language--Study and teaching (Primary) (1)	+ -
Inclusive education (1)	+ -
Individualized instruction (1)	+ -
Interns (Education) (1)	+ -
Language disorders in children (1)	+ -
Learning disabled children--Ability testing (1)	+ -
Learning disabled children--Education (1)	+ -
Learning disabled children--Education--Language (1)	+ -
Learning disabled youth--Education (Higher) (1)	+ -
Learning disabled--Education--Mathematics (1)	+ -

Florida Atlantic University (13)	+ -
Taylor, Ronald L. (13)	+ -
Smiley, Lydia R. (3)	+ -
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