Effects of peer mediated pivotal response training on social skills for children with autism

A multiple baseline design was utilized to determine the effectiveness of peer mediated Pivotal Response Training strategies on the social behaviors of students with a diagnosis of autism. Peer participants, who did not have an autism diagnosis, were selected from a Special Day Class setting and exhibited pro-social behaviors. These peers were trained in providing PRT by the researcher and then asked to implement these strategies in one-on-one play sessions with a peer with autism. The social behaviors targeted for increase among the students with autism consisted of appropriate verbal initiations and appropriate verbal responding. Results demonstrated an increase in appropriate verbal responding but not initiations. Further conclusions suggest peer mediated PRT as a possible effective strategy for increasing pro-social repertoires in students with autism. This study revealed considerations for conducting further investigations on the use of peer mediated PRT for students with social skill deficits with and without autism

Early Childhood Teachers’ Perspectives of Differentiating Social and Emotional Learning

Teachers face challenges in differentiating social emotional learning (SEL) to meet the diverse needs of their students. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore early childhood teachers’ perspectives of strategies and challenges to differentiating SEL curricula to meet students’ diverse needs using the theory of social constructivism. The research questions focused on teachers’ perspectives of strategies they use and challenges they face when differentiating SEL curriculum. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 11 participants with 3 or more years of teaching experience in kindergarten through third grade in the United States. Interview transcripts were thematically analyzed, resulting in five themes: (a) teachers use a variety of strategies to differentiate SEL, (b) teachers are challenged by a lack of support, (c) teachers are challenged by a lack of knowledge, (d) teachers are challenged by a lack of flexibility, and (e) students’ challenging behaviors make differentiating SEL more difficult. The results of this study may contribute to positive social change by providing information that administrators, teacher preparatory programs, and professional development programs can use to support early childhood teachers in differentiating SEL curricula to improve outcomes for students

Early Childhood Teachers’ Perspectives of Differentiating Social and Emotional Learning

Teachers face challenges in differentiating social emotional learning (SEL) to meet the diverse needs of their students. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore early childhood teachers’ perspectives of strategies and challenges to differentiating SEL curricula to meet students’ diverse needs using the theory of social constructivism. The research questions focused on teachers’ perspectives of strategies they use and challenges they face when differentiating SEL curriculum. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 11 participants with 3 or more years of teaching experience in kindergarten through third grade in the United States. Interview transcripts were thematically analyzed, resulting in five themes: (a) teachers use a variety of strategies to differentiate SEL, (b) teachers are challenged by a lack of support, (c) teachers are challenged by a lack of knowledge, (d) teachers are challenged by a lack of flexibility, and (e) students’ challenging behaviors make differentiating SEL more difficult. The results of this study may contribute to positive social change by providing information that administrators, teacher preparatory programs, and professional development programs can use to support early childhood teachers in differentiating SEL curricula to improve outcomes for students

A Conversation Between Mother and Son

Short story by Sheryl Kayne, an adjunct instructor at Sacred Heart University

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Modeling of Mixed Convection Flows in Building Enclosures

In recent years Computational Fluid Dynamics: CFD) simulations are increasingly used to model the air circulation and temperature environment inside the rooms of residential and office buildings to gain insight into the relative energy consumptions of various HVAC systems for cooling/heating for climate control and thermal comfort. This requires accurate simulation of turbulent flow and heat transfer for various types of ventilation systems using the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes: RANS) equations of fluid dynamics. Large Eddy Simulation: LES) or Direct Numerical Simulation: DNS) of Navier-Stokes equations is computationally intensive and expensive for simulations of this kind. As a result, vast majority of CFD simulations employ RANS equations in conjunction with a turbulence model. In order to assess the modeling requirements: mesh, numerical algorithm, turbulence model etc.) for accurate simulations, it is critical to validate the calculations against the experimental data. For this purpose, we use three well known benchmark validation cases, one for natural convection in 2-D closed vertical cavity, second for forced convection in a 2-D rectangular cavity and the third for mixed convection in a 2-D square cavity. The simulations are performed on a number of meshes of different density using a number of turbulence models. It is found that k-ε two-equation turbulence model with a second-order algorithm on a reasonable mesh gives the best results. This information is then used to determine the modeling requirements: mesh, numerical algorithm, turbulence model etc.) for flows in 3D enclosures with different ventilation systems. In particular two cases are considered for which the experimental data is available. These cases are: 1) air flow and heat transfer in a naturally ventilated room and: 2) airflow and temperature distribution in an atrium. Good agreement with the experimental data and computations of other investigators is obtained

Quantifying commuter exposures to volatile organic compounds

2014 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.Motor-vehicles can be a predominant source of air pollution in cities. Traffic-related air pollution is often unavoidable for people who live in populous areas. Commuters may have high exposures to traffic-related air pollution as they are close to vehicle tailpipes. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are one class of air pollutants of concern because exposure to VOCs carries risk for adverse health effects. Specific VOCs of interest for this work include benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX), which are often found in gasoline and combustion products. Although methods exist to measure time-integrated personal exposures to BTEX, there are few practical methods to measure a commuter's time-resolved BTEX exposure which could identify peak exposures that could be concealed with a time-integrated measurement. This study evaluated the ability of a photoionization detector (PID) to measure commuters' exposure to BTEX using Tenax TA samples as a reference and quantified the difference in BTEX exposure between cyclists and drivers with windows open and closed. To determine the suitability of two measurement methods (PID and Tenax TA) for use in this study, the precision, linearity, and limits of detection (LODs) for both the PID and Tenax TA measurement methods were determined in the laboratory with standard BTEX calibration gases. Volunteers commuted from their homes to their work places by cycling or driving while wearing a personal exposure backpack containing a collocated PID and Tenax TA sampler. Volunteers completed a survey and indicated if the windows in their vehicle were open or closed. Comparing pairs of exposure data from the Tenax TA and PID sampling methods determined the suitability of the PID to measure the BTEX exposures of commuters. The difference between BTEX exposures of cyclists and drivers with windows open and closed in Fort Collins was determined. Both the PID and Tenax TA measurement methods were precise and linear when evaluated in the laboratory using standard BTEX gases. The LODs for the Tenax TA sampling tubes (determined with a sample volume of 1,000 standard cubic centimeters which is close to the approximate commuter sample volumes collected) were orders of magnitude lower (0.04 to 0.7 parts per billion (ppb) for individual compounds of BTEX) compared to the PIDs' LODs (9.3 to 15 ppb of a BTEX mixture), which makes the Tenax TA sampling method more suitable to measure BTEX concentrations in the sub-parts per billion (ppb) range. PID and Tenax TA data for commuter exposures were inversely related. The concentrations of VOCs measured by the PID were substantially higher than BTEX concentrations measured by collocated Tenax TA samplers. The inverse trend and the large difference in magnitude between PID responses and Tenax TA BTEX measurements indicates the two methods may have been measuring different air pollutants that are negatively correlated. Drivers in Fort Collins, Colorado with closed windows experienced greater time-weighted average BTEX exposures than cyclists (p: 0.04). Commuter BTEX exposures measured in Fort Collins were lower than commuter exposures measured in prior studies that occurred in larger cities (Boston and Copenhagen). Although route and intake may affect a commuter's BTEX dose, these variables are outside of the scope of this study. Within the limitations of this study (including: small sample size, small representative area of Fort Collins, and respiration rates not taken into account), it appears health risks associated with traffic-induced BTEX exposures may be reduced by commuting via cycling instead of driving with windows closed and living in a less populous area that has less vehicle traffic. Although the PID did not reliably measure low-level commuter BTEX exposures, the Tenax TA sampling method did. The PID measured BTEX concentrations reliably in a controlled environment, at high concentrations (300-800 ppb), and in the absence of other air pollutants. In environments where there could be multiple chemicals present that may produce a PID signal (such as nitrogen dioxide), Tenax TA samplers may be a better choice for measuring BTEX. Tenax TA measurements were the only suitable method within this study to measure commuter's BTEX exposure in Fort Collins, Colorado

The Logician Versus the Linguist- an Empirical Tale of Functional Discrimination in the Legal Academy

This paper, focusing exclusively on gender, asks whether male and female law students express different preferences for logic-based learning models. A wide variety of educational theories and other theories have been used to conceptualize different learning preferences among law students but until now, none has focused on logical intelligence compared with the other intelligences. Using Harvard educational psychologist Howard Gardner\u27s theory of Multiple Intelligences, this paper describes an empirical study establishing that male and female law students express differences in preferring logical intelligence over the other intelligences. This paper introduces the concept of functional discrimination, addressing the ways in which law school functionally discriminates against women by significantly favoring logical intelligence. Law School functionally discriminates against women (1) by not providing women access to the prime benefits of the institution an

Is Race in Public Schools Still Compelling?Parents Involved in Community Schools v.Seattle School District No. 1Justice Breyer\u27s Theory of Active Liberty, andPractical Considerations of Democracy

This article explores why the promise of ending our dual society, as first articulated in Brown v. Board of Education, has not been fulfilled. Specifically this article examines a more recent case, Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1, addressing the lost promise of Brown and the implications for our dual society

You\u27re Fired! Donald Trump, No Child Left Behind, and The Limits of Dissonant Leadership in Education

In Part I of this article, I explain the theory of Primal Leadership and Dissonant Leadership (Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee, 2002). In Part II, I enunciate the ways in which key No Child Left Behind Act provisions encourage and, in some cases, mandate that schools utilize Dissonant Leadership strategies. In Part III, I explain why the Dissonant Leadership strategies espoused by the No Child Left Behind Act undermine the purported purposes of the statute. In Part IV, I consider the ability of an education statute to mandate or encourage Primal Leadership strategies