An Intervention Targeting Academic and Behavioral Skill Deficits in Early Childhood: A Case-Study

Early literacy skills are considered prerequisites for early learners to eventually become effective readers (Storch & Whitehurst, 2002). Increasing early literacy skills is often the goal of teachers and schools, but skill acquisition can be hindered due to the bidirectional relationship between behavior difficulties and academic skill deficits. To compound this struggle, there is limited research available on the use of behavioral interventions that exist in conjunction with early academic interventions (Volpe et al., 2012). The goal of the current study was to pilot three emerging early literacy interventions: Fluency Letter Wheel; Letter Flash; and I Do, We Do, You Do. All three interventions were pulled from the Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR), and target letter sound fluency (LSF). The second objective of this study was to examine an early academic intervention in conjunction with behavior management techniques (i.e., reinforcement and differential attention). One 7-year-old student with a history of academic and behavioral difficulties was examined across 13 individual academic sessions. A brief experimental analysis (BEA) was utilized within an alternating treatments design to identify the most effective academic intervention. A changing criterion design was then used after the I do, We do, You do intervention emerged as the most effective academic intervention. Results indicated that this intervention had moderate effects for increasing skill acquisition. In addition, skill acquisition of LSF was noted to increase from a frustrational range to a grade level instructional range during intervention implementation. Limitations, implications, and future directions of this research are discussed

An Alternating Treatment Design Comparing Small Group Reading Interventions Across Early Elementary Readers

Learning how to read accurately and fluently is a critical component for a student’s future academic success. Reading fluency is a skill that many students struggle to master. In addition, many students missed out on key skill development due to the loss of instruction from COVID-19. As schools begin to recover from these educational losses, small group reading interventions offer an efficient solution to service multiple students at once. Small group reading interventions such as Repeated Readings (RR), Listening Passage Preview (LPP) and LPP with RR (LPP+RR) have all been demonstrated to be effective methods for increasing reading fluency. Yet few studies have specifically examined the effectiveness of these interventions in comparison to each other in a group setting. The current study compared reading RR, LPP, and LPP+RR in a small group setting to determine which intervention yielded the largest gains in reading fluency

The Northern Ireland political process: a viable approach to conflict resolution?

This article explores the possibility of achieving a stable settlement as the result of the current negotiations in Northern Ireland. It looks at the decisions behind the 1994 ceasefires, the perceptions of the parties to the 'talks', and the obstacles in the political process. The main focus is on the applicability and limits of conflict resolution 'theories' in explaining the shift from conflict to negotiation and the possibility of concluding a lasting negotiated settlement. It suggests that while conflict resolution is unlikely, conflict regulation is within the realms of the current negotiations, if combined with a different approach to nationalism and 'Alternative Dispute Resolution'