High School Literacy Instruction for Students with Developmental Disabilities in General Education Classrooms

This session will describe the elements of Alternate Achievement Literacy (AAL), including the use of grade-aligned, chronological age-appropriate materials, evidence-based instructional practices and supports for teachers and students. Inclusion will be discussed in depth, especially as it pertains to meaningful academic inclusion in typical Language Arts high school classrooms. Examples will be shown of group literacy instruction including both student s with significant disabilities, students with autism and their typical peers. Instruction is delivered by general education teachers, special education teachers and typical peers

Data-Based Decisions Guidelines for Teachers of Students with Severe Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Effective practices in student data collection and implementation of data-based instructional decisions are needed for all educators, but are especially important when students have severe intellectual and develop- mental disabilities. Although research in the area of data-based instructional decisions for students with severe disabilities shows benefits for using data, there is limited research to demonstrate teachers in applied settings can acquire the decision-making skills required. The purpose of this research was to demonstrate how teachers from five states acquired a set of data-based decisions implementation guidelines through online professional development. Recommendations for practice and future research are included

Effects of a Treatment Package to Facilitate English/Language Arts Learning for Middle School Students with Moderate to Severe Disabilities

This pilot study sought to develop and evaluate the use of a treatment package that included systematic and direct instruction on acquisition of literacy skills aligned with middle school English/Language Arts standards for students with moderate to severe disabilities, including autism. Participants included five teachers and 15 middle school students with moderate to severe disabilities who were primarily served in a self-contained setting. A one-group, nonrandomized, pre-posttest design was implemented to measure vocabulary, comprehen- sion of familiar text and unfamiliar text, poetry, research, and writing skills. Results indicated significant gains in vocabulary and comprehension of familiar text. Limitations, implications, and the need for future research are discussed

Analysis Of Demand Conditions Associated With Stereotypy

Possible escape/avoidance functions of stereotypic behavior were investigated in a classroom setting using functional academic tasks. A 6-year-old boy\u27s stereotypic mouthing was assessed during (a) high vs low response activities, (b) familiar vs novel activities and (c) avoidance vs partial-avoidance conditions. Results showed that stereotypy occurred at higher rates during more difficult activities (i.e. those that were novel or required a greater number of responses), and when stereotypy was allowed to effect a delay in instructional demands. Treatment procedures based on these analyses were implemented by the classroom teacher and shown to be effective

Vodne mreže međusobne povezanosti: plovni putevi kao mjesta učenja i poučavanja

Despite the ever-growing body of knowledge about human impacts on river and coastal ecosystems, and the need to work towards sustainable futures, young children’s participation in environmental action initiatives in aquatic habitats remains low. This signifies an urgency for educators to support young children’s relationship with freshwater and marine environments, so they can acquire the skills and dispositions to become “agents for change” for the environment. Guided by Deleuzian ideas of being and becoming, and ecologies of knowledges, this paper considers three exploratory case studies from England, the United States and Australia that investigated early childhood teachers’ practices of using waterways as pedagogical sites. Data were collected through ethnographic methods of observations and interviews. Findings revealed that early childhood teachers viewed such habitats as spaces where action initiatives for sustainability can be conceived and incorporated as “webs of interconnectedness” into the curriculum. We conclude this study has the potential to expand understandings of under-utilized pedagogical spaces, such as natural water and marine habitats, where adults and children have permission to learn together to cultivate a more intimate relationship with the earth.Unatoč sve većem broju informacija o utjecaju ljudi na riječne i morske ekosustave te potrebi za radom na održivoj budućnosti, sudjelovanje djece u akcijama za zaštitu vodenih staništa i dalje je skromno. Iznimno je važno da odgojitelji potiču odnos djece rane i predškolske dobi prema slatkovodnom i morskom okolišu kako bi mogli steći vještine i dispozicije da postanu „pokretači promjena“ za okoliš. Pod vodstvom Deleuzovih ideja o bivanju i postajanju, kao i ekologija znanja, u ovom se radu razmatraju tri istraživačke studije slučaja iz Engleske, Sjedinjenih Američkih Država i Australije koje su istraživale načine na koje su se odgojiteljji koristili plovnim putovima kao mjestima učenja i poučavanja djece rane i predškolske dobi. Podaci su prikupljani etnografskim metodama promatranja i intervjua. Rezultati su pokazali da su odgojitelji takva staništa promatrali kao prostore na kojima se inicijative za održivost mogu osmisliti i uvrstiti u kurikul kao “mreže međusobne povezanosti”. Zaključujemo da ovo istraživanje ima potencijal povećanja razumijevanja nedovoljno iskorištenih pedagoških prostora, kao što su vode u prirodi i morska staništa, gdje je odraslima i djeci dopušteno da zajedno uče kako bi njegovali intimniji odnos prema zemlji

Assessing Choice-Making and Preference in Adults with Profound Mental Retardation across Community and Center-Based Settings

We examined choice and preference in four adults with profound mental retardation within the context of a community-based and center-based location. Prior to the preference analysis, an independent selecting response was empirically assessed and validated for each adult. Results of the preference analysis showed that in the community site there was a higher cumulative frequency of choice-making responses towards beverages for all participants, and an indication of beverage preference for two of the four participants. Conversely, in the center-based setting, there were fewer responses made towards the beverages, and no indication of preference for any of the four adults. These results remained consistent during maintenance checks at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks post-intervention