Training Educational Assistants to Facilitate Grammatical Development of Adolescents Who Use AAC

In 2016, the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) surveyed school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and found that approximately 55% served students who used some form of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) (ASHA Schools Survey). AAC offers the potential for individuals with complex communication needs (CCN) to enhance communication, improve academic achievement, and increase societal participation. Unfortunately, many students lack access to effective AAC interventions due to lack of practicing SLPs with experience in AAC (ASHA, 2010), as well as a lack of training for key stakeholders (e.g. parents, teachers, educational assistants). Costigan and Light (2010) noted that many clinicians and special education teachers receive little to no pre-service exposure to AAC. In many schools across America, educational assistants (EAs) may spend the most amount of time supporting students who use AAC, but receive the least amount of formal training (Kent- Walsh & Light, 2003). While there is a growing body of research evidence that suggests that EAs can be trained to support the communication of young children with CCN, there is a notable gap with adolescent students (Binger, Kent-Walsh, Ewing, & Taylor, 2010; Douglas, Light, & McNaughton, 2012; Kent-Walsh, 2003). Therefore, the current investigation sought to expand the research base in the area of partner instruction to evaluate the viability with an adolescent population of AAC users. The current investigation utilized a single-subject, multiple-baseline design across three dyads to examine the effects of training EAs to modify their interaction patterns during a curriculum based reading activity with the adolescent AAC user that they support. More specifically, the EAs were taught to use the Read-Ask-Answer-Prompt (RAAP!) interaction strategy (Binger et al., 2010) in order to facilitate their students’ use of grammatical morphology. Visual Analysis and effect size analyses indicated that the intervention was highly effective at increasing the EAs’ use of the target strategy, as well as the students’ correct production of grammatical morphemes. These findings suggest that an effective communication partner training program can lead to EA instructional gains, as well as communication gains for adolescents who use aided communication. The results, clinical and educational implications, and future directions are discussed.I INTRODUCTION 1 -- II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 4 -- Communication and Language Development 4 -- Theoretical Frameworks for Language Acquisition in AAC 8 -- Aided Language Production 9 -- Demands on Learning Mechanisms/Access Barriers 10 -- Working memory and attention demands 10 -- Opportunity Barriers to Language Acquisition 12 -- Contingent responsivity 12 -- Creating an Alternate Path to Language Learning in AAC 14 -- Assessment of Children with Spoken Language Disorders 15 -- Functional Assessment of School-Age and Adolescent Populations 15 -- Functional Assessment of Students Who Require AAC 17 -- The participation model 19 -- Intervention Approaches for Children with Spoken Language Disorders 20 -- Clinician-Directed Approaches 21 -- Child-Centered Approaches 22 -- Hybrid Approaches 23 -- Language Intervention Approaches for Students with Complex Communication Needs 25 -- Explicit Instruction and Incidental Teaching 26 -- Strategy Instruction Model (SIM) 27 -- Language Modeling Techniques 27 -- School-based Functional Interventions 29 -- Agents of intervention 31 -- Intervention Strategies for Students who Require AAC 32 -- Naturalistic Instruction 32 -- Integrated Approaches 33 -- Communication Partner Instruction 34 -- Limitations and gaps 38 -- ImPAACT program 39 -- Significance of the Problem 40 -- Purpose of the Study 41 -- Conclusions 41 -- III METHODOLOGY 43 -- Research Design 43 -- Participants 44 -- Educational Assistant (EA) Participants 44 -- EA selection criteria 44 -- Student Participants 44 -- Student participation criteria 44 -- Screening of student skills 45 -- Dyad Profiles 46 -- Dyad 1 (Anita and Alex) 46 -- Dyad 2 (Brooke and Brianna) 48 -- Dyad 3 (Cassie and Cole) 49 -- Setting 51 -- Instrumentation 51 -- Procedures 53 -- Baseline 55 -- Instruction and Intervention 55 -- Instruction content 55 -- Instruction format 57 -- Intervention 58 -- Maintenance 59 -- Data Analysis/Measures 59 -- Data Collection/Coding 60 -- Visual analysis of data 60 -- Interrater/Coding reliability 61 -- Procedural Fidelity 61 -- Social Validity 62 -- IV RESULTS 63 -- Participant Analysis 63 -- EA Participant Analysis 63 -- Student Participant Analysis 64 -- Social Validation 69 -- Educational Assistant Questionnaire 69 -- Teacher Questionnaire 69 -- V CONCLUSION 71 -- Effectiveness of Instructional Program to Increase Targeted Strategy Use 71 -- Comparisons to Results of Past Communication Partner Research 72 -- Effects of Strategy Use on the Students’ Grammatical Morpheme Productions 73 -- Strategy Instruction Model 73 -- Aided AAC Modeling 75 -- Implications of Findings 77 -- Limitations 78 -- Recommendations for Future Research 79 -- Conclusions 80 -- REFERENCES 81 -- APPENDIX A: Institutional Review Board Approval Letter 102 -- APPENDIX B: Social Validity Measures and Results 104 -- APPENDIX C: News-2-You™ Articles and Communication Display 110 -- APPENDIX D: Data Collection Forms 120 -- APPENDIX E: Participant Demographic Questionnaires 123 -- APPENDIX F: Communication Partner Observation Tool 129 -- APPENDIX G: Visual Aid for Target Interaction Strategy 131 -- APPENDIX H: EA Training Program 133 -- APPENDIX I: Implementation Sequence for Target Interaction Strategy 136 -- APPENDIX J: Fidelity Checklist 138 -- APPENDIX K: Instructional Program Contract 143.Carter, MatthewRobinson, Jade H.Randolph, CrystalHeckaman, KellyCruz, Becky K. daS.L.P.D.Speech-Language Patholog

Modeling a Civil Event Case Study for Consequence Management Using the IMPRINT Forces Module

A critical challenge in the Consequence Management (CM) domain is the appropriate allocation of necessary and skilled military and civilian personnel and materiel resources in unexpected emergencies. To aid this process we used the Forces module in the Improved Performance Research Integration Tool (IMPRINT). This module enables analysts to enter personnel and equipment capabilities, prioritized schedules and numbers available, along with unexpected emergency requirements in order to assess force response requirements. Using a suspected terrorist threat on a college campus, we developed a test case model which exercised the capabilities of the module, including the scope and scale of operations. The model incorporates data from multiple sources, including daily schedules and frequency of events such as fire calls. Our preliminary results indicate that the model can predict potential decreases in civilian emergency response coverage due to an involved unplanned incident requiring significant portions of police, fire and civil responses teams

Reengineering Metaphysics: Modularity, Parthood, and Evolvability in Metabolic Engineering

The premise of biological modularity is an ontological claim that appears to come out of practice. We understand that the biological world is modular because we can manipulate different parts of organisms in ways that would only work if there were discrete parts that were interchangeable. This is the foundation of the BioBrick assembly method widely used in synthetic biology. It is one of a number of methods that allows practitioners to construct and reconstruct biological pathways and devices using DNA libraries of standardized parts with known functions. In this paper, we investigate how the practice of synthetic biology reconfigures biological understanding of the key concepts of modularity and evolvability. We illustrate how this practice approach takes engineering knowledge and uses it to try to understand biological organization by showing how the construction of functional parts and processes can be used in synthetic experimental evolution. We introduce a new approach within synthetic biology that uses the premise of a parts-based ontology together with that of organismal self-organization to optimize orthogonal metabolic pathways in E. coli. We then use this and other examples to help characterize semisynthetic categories of modularity, parthood, and evolvability within the discipline.\ud \ud Part of a special issue, Ontologies of Living Beings, guest-edited by A. M. Ferner and Thomas Prade

Microarray analysis of the in vivo sequence preferences of a minor groove binding drug

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Minor groove binding drugs (MGBDs) interact with DNA in a sequence-specific manner and can cause changes in gene expression at the level of transcription. They serve as valuable models for protein interactions with DNA and form an important class of antitumor, antiviral, antitrypanosomal and antibacterial drugs. There is a need to extend knowledge of the sequence requirements for MGBDs from <it>in vitro </it>DNA binding studies to living cells.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we describe the use of microarray analysis to discover yeast genes that are affected by treatment with the MGBD berenil, thereby allowing the investigation of its sequence requirements for binding <it>in vivo</it>. A novel approach to sequence analysis allowed us to address hypotheses about genes that were directly or indirectly affected by drug binding. The results show that the sequence features of A/T richness and heteropolymeric character discovered by <it>in vitro </it>berenil binding studies are found upstream of genes hypothesized to be directly affected by berenil but not upstream of those hypothesized to be indirectly affected or those shown to be unaffected.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The data support the conclusion that effects of berenil on gene expression in yeast cells can be explained by sequence patterns discovered by <it>in vitro </it>binding experiments. The results shed light on the sequence and structural rules by which berenil binds to DNA and affects the transcriptional regulation of genes and contribute generally to the development of MGBDs as tools for basic and applied research.</p

CUREs in Biochemistry—Where We Are and Where We Should Go

Integration of research experience into classroom is an important and vital experience for all undergraduates. These course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have grown from independent instructor lead projects to large consortium driven experiences. The impact and importance of CUREs on students at all levels in biochemistry was the focus of a National Science Foundation funded think tank. The state of biochemistry CUREs and suggestions for moving biochemistry forward as well as a practical guide (supplementary material) are reported here

Grounding knowledge and normative valuation in agent-based action and scientific commitment

Philosophical investigation in synthetic biology has focused on the knowledge-seeking questions pursued, the kind of engineering techniques used, and on the ethical impact of the products produced. However, little work has been done to investigate the processes by which these epistemological, metaphysical, and ethical forms of inquiry arise in the course of synthetic biology research. An attempt at this work relying on a particular area of synthetic biology will be the aim of this chapter. I focus on the reengineering of metabolic pathways through the manipulation and construction of small DNA-based devices and systems synthetic biology. Rather than focusing on the engineered products or ethical principles that result, I will investigate the processes by which these arise. As such, the attention will be directed to the activities of practitioners, their manipulation of tools, and the use they make of techniques to construct new metabolic devices. Using a science-in-practice approach, I investigate problems at the intersection of science, philosophy of science, and sociology of science. I consider how practitioners within this area of synthetic biology reconfigure biological understanding and ethical categories through active modelling and manipulation of known functional parts, biological pathways for use in the design of microbial machines to solve problems in medicine, technology, and the environment. We might describe this kind of problem-solving as relying on what Helen Longino referred to as “social cognition” or the type of scientific work done within what Hasok Chang calls “systems of practice”. My aim in this chapter will be to investigate the relationship that holds between systems of practice within metabolic engineering research and social cognition. I will attempt to show how knowledge and normative valuation are generated from this particular network of practitioners. In doing so, I suggest that the social nature of scientific inquiry is ineliminable to both knowledge acquisition and ethical evaluations

Engineering bacteria to solve the Burnt Pancake Problem

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We investigated the possibility of executing DNA-based computation in living cells by engineering <it>Escherichia coli </it>to address a classic mathematical puzzle called the Burnt Pancake Problem (BPP). The BPP is solved by sorting a stack of distinct objects (pancakes) into proper order and orientation using the minimum number of manipulations. Each manipulation reverses the order and orientation of one or more adjacent objects in the stack. We have designed a system that uses site-specific DNA recombination to mediate inversions of genetic elements that represent pancakes within plasmid DNA.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Inversions (or "flips") of the DNA fragment pancakes are driven by the <it>Salmonella typhimurium </it>Hin/<it>hix </it>DNA recombinase system that we reconstituted as a collection of modular genetic elements for use in <it>E. coli</it>. Our system sorts DNA segments by inversions to produce different permutations of a promoter and a tetracycline resistance coding region; <it>E. coli </it>cells become antibiotic resistant when the segments are properly sorted. Hin recombinase can mediate all possible inversion operations on adjacent flippable DNA fragments. Mathematical modeling predicts that the system reaches equilibrium after very few flips, where equal numbers of permutations are randomly sorted and unsorted. Semiquantitative PCR analysis of <it>in vivo </it>flipping suggests that inversion products accumulate on a time scale of hours or days rather than minutes.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The Hin/<it>hix </it>system is a proof-of-concept demonstration of <it>in vivo </it>computation with the potential to be scaled up to accommodate larger and more challenging problems. Hin/<it>hix </it>may provide a flexible new tool for manipulating transgenic DNA <it>in vivo</it>.</p

Atomic force microscopy of DNA in solution and DNA modelling show that structural properties specify the eukaryotic replication initiation site

The replication origins (ORIs) of Schizosaccharomyces pombe, like those in most eukaryotes, are long chromosomal regions localized within A+T-rich domains. Although there is no consensus sequence, the interacting proteins are strongly conserved, suggesting that DNA structure is important for ORI function. We used atomic force microscopy in solution and DNA modelling to study the structural properties of the Spars1 origin. We show that this segment is the least stable of the surrounding DNA (9 kb), and contains regions of intrinsically bent elements (strongly curved and inherently supercoiled DNAs). The pORC-binding site co-maps with a superhelical DNA region, where the spatial arrangement of adenine/thymine stretches may provide the binding substrate. The replication initiation site (RIP) is located within a strongly curved DNA region. On pORC unwinding, this site shifts towards the apex of the curvature, thus potentiating DNA melting there. Our model is entirely consistent with the sequence variability, large size and A+T-richness of ORIs, and also accounts for the multistep nature of the initiation process, the specificity of pORC-binding site(s), and the specific location of RIP. We show that the particular DNA features and dynamic properties identified in Spars1 are present in other eukaryotic origins

Undergraduate research. Genomics Education Partnership

The Genomics Education Partnership offers an inclusive model for undergraduate research experiences incorporated into the academic year science curriculum, with students pooling their work to contribute to international data bases