Addition of Functional Content During Core Content Instruction With Students With Moderate Disabilities

The purpose of this investigation was to add functional content during core content instruction of language arts, science, and math. The investigation involved three middle school students with moderate disabilities who participated in the state\u27s alternate assessment. During instruction using a constant time delay procedure to teach required grade level core content, the special education instructor added functional content as follows: (a) language arts—information found in the news added to grade level sight word vocabulary, (b) science—cooking skills or appropriate dress for weather conditions added to the properties of elements in the periodic table, and (c) math—computation of sales tax for items appearing in advertisements added to order of operations. The results showed that students could learn, maintain, and generalize both types of content presented within the same lesso

Teaching Core Content Embedded in a Functional Activity to Students With Moderate Intellectual Disabilities Using a Simultaneous Prompting Procedure

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a simultaneous prompting procedure in teaching four secondary students with moderate intellectual disability to acquire and generalize core content embedded in a functional activity. Data gathered within the context of a multiple probe design revealed that all participants learned the following core content during a cooking activity: (a) reading - reading and defining age appropriate content, (b) math - computing percentages in an applied problem, and (c) science - applications of force. Practical implications are discussed for teaching academic core content within meaningful and functional activities for students with moderate intellectual disabilit

Using Peer-Delivered Simultaneous Prompting to Teach Health Content to Students with Moderate Intellectual Disability

We used a multiple probe across participants design to assess the effects of a peer-delivered simultaneous prompting procedure on the health content learning of three high school students with moderate intellectual disability. One student without a disability served as the peer tutor to deliver the simultaneous prompting procedure during a physical education class. The participants’ special education teacher collected daily probe data to determine the effects of the intervention on targeted (i.e., importance of aerobic exercise) and nontargeted (i.e., examples of aerobic exercise) information. Results of the study showed that all three students with moderate intellectual disability improved both targeted and nontargeted content learning

Embedding Science Facts in Leisure Skill Instruction Conducted by Peer Tutors

This investigation evaluated the effectiveness of using peer tutors to teach a chained leisure skill (i.e., UNO card game) to three middle school students with disabilities using a simultaneous prompting procedure within a multiple probe design. The investigation also assessed whether the students with disabilities would acquire four unrelated science core content facts presented as nontargeted information during instructive feedback. Results indicated that all students met or made progress toward criterion on the leisure skill. In addition, two of the three students acquired all four core content facts

Teaching Elementary Students With Cognitive Disabilities Food Preparation Skills While Embedding Instructive Feedback in the Prompt and Consequent Event

This study investigated whether students with moderate to severe cognitive disabilities would acquire related instructive feedback stimuli embedded in the prompt and consequent event, as well as unrelated instructive feedback stimuli that was delivered in the consequent event. The trainer used constant time delay to teach three food preparation skills (i.e., making cheese and crackers, waffles with syrup, and chocolate milk) to 4 elementary students, and instructive feedback stimuli were embedded within this procedure. Results indicate that constant time delay was effective in teaching 3 of the 4 students all three food preparation skills, and that 3 of the 4 students acquired some of the related instructive feedback stimuli. Three of the four students acquired 100% of the unrelated instructive feedback stimuli while the fourth student acquired 80% of this material

Multi- University Collaboration via Distance Learning To Train Rural Special Education Teachers and Related Services Personnel

A distance-learning personnel-preparation course on transdisciplinary services for students with low incidence disabilities was developed through collaboration among four Kentucky institutions of higher learning. The course, Transdisciplinary Services to Students with Deafblindness and Other Multiple Disabilities, was delivered to eight Kentucky locations using compressed video (two-way audio and two-way visual). This technology was chosen because it provided for direct student interaction, eliminated the need for specialists to travel to deliver lectures, and promoted class activities such as discussion. The course was viewed by 60 students enrolled in the University of Kentucky, Morehead State University, Breschia College, and the University of Louisville. In a postcourse evaluation, the overall rating was in the upper quartile. The advantages of the course were that Kentucky students had equal access to the same best-practice information, and the regional exchange of experience and dialogue provided all students with information needed to implement the concepts anywhere in the state. While technology and diversity were crucial contributors to the course\u27s value, they were also at the heart of the challenges encountered. Recommendations to address these challenges include development by collaborating faculty of a common philosophy of instruction that includes appropriate interactive instructional activities and an understanding of the student body; guidance for students on use of the technology and rules related to mutual respect and on-line interaction; guidelines related to student on-line time that assure equal access yet effectively manage class time; and ongoing evaluation to continually adjust content and presentation

Teaching Core Content Instruction With Students With Moderate Disabilities

Many students identified as having moderate and severe disabilities (MSD) benefit from a curriculum that includes instruction on the functional skills that they will need to successfully transition to adulthood. In particular, this includes students with cognitive disabilities who are most likely to qualify in the 1% who are eligible for the alternate assessment developed by states in compliance with the requirements of No Child Left Behind. Because of the need to teach both functional and core content, teachers of students with MSD may find themselves in a quandary when prioritizing skills and designing instruction. Although functional skills may be prioritized by the team developing the individualized education program (IEP), teachers also need to balance these skills with core content that must be addressed. Core content and functional content can be addressed in the same lesson which is especially beneficial when teaching secondary students with moderate and severe disabilities. This article provides guidelines for teaching core content with meaningful applications to facilitate successful transitions for secondary students with MSD using two approaches. The first approach consists of a teacher identifying core content that can be embedded in instruction while teaching life skills; the second approach consists of a teacher identifying functional applications that can be added as nontargeted information when teaching required core content. (Contains 3 tables and 2 figures.