Research in Special Education: Implications for Practice

Identifying How to Better Support Parents of Children with Autism by Sarah Rushworth Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is collection of neurological disorders affecting communication, social, and behavioral development (Nealy, 2012). More and more children are being diagnosed as having ASD each year in America. Today, 1 in every 110 children in the United States has autism (Nealy, 2012). The families of these children with autism must learn how to cope with the challenges that come along with the disorder. These challenges include lacking social and communication skills, which can lead to difficult behaviors. Raising a child with autism is associated with increased family stress and depression. This impacts family functioning and can lead to families being isolated from friends and family, as well as leave families with a feeling of stress and helplessness; parents need more support with how to cope with having a family member with autism in order to help improve these families overall quality of life (Russa, 2015). The purpose of this research was to examine how parents of children with autism could be better supported, using interview data. Families of children with autism need to have a variety of supports in place and overall feel as though they are not receiving enough (Nealy, 2012). The intention of this study is to obtain more knowledge of what parents of children with autism need in order to feel better supported, more confident, and less stressed. The Use of Project Based Learning to Empower Latino Students by Shannon Ward Today, the high school graduation rate for Latino males is 50% (Huerta, 2015). Additionally, Latino males often compose a disproportionate amount of suspensions, and the Latino population makes up a disproportionate amount of the students in special education. There has been much research done on the history of the Latino experience in the American school system, and how it has affected their current performance (Conchas, 2015), cultural factors that have impeded Latino student performance, as well as ways in which school counselors, and more developed college access programs can help mitigate this issue (Huerta, 2015). However, there has been little or no research done as to what teachers, in the classroom, can do to support Latino students to help them feel more part of the school community and graduate from high school. Therefore, the goal for this research is to identify learning strategies that can be successful in empowering Latino students in their education. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) aim to provide young men and women with the skills necessary to be successful in their future college and career endeavors. The incorporation of Project Based Learning (PBL) is one method educators use to achieve this purpose. PBL may be very beneficial to the Latino community as its focus on group work will ensure that they interact with their peers, and become more involved in their own learning. Currently, there is significant research on PBL project ideas, group dynamics, and cooperative learning strategies. However, there is very limited empirical research on the effect PBL has on the education of struggling learners. Therefore, the goal of this study is to determine how to use PBL to empower students of the Latino community. Behavior Interventions for the Classroom by Anna Veelman Behavior challenges and Urban Education are two terms that unfortunately go hand and hand. Students from urban communities are more likely to experience trauma due to violence, death, neglect, and abuse. Children may respond to these traumatic experiences in the form of behaviors in the classroom. Students with trauma or behavior disorders are likely exhibit severe behaviors such as violence, disruption, self-harm, and defiance with in the classroom (Gregory, Skiba, & Noguera, 2010). Students who exhibit these types of behaviors may be put on a behavior plan or be referred for an Individualized Education Program for Emotional Disturbance or miss academics due to being sent out of the classroom. With a high amount of these students being boys of color, this increases the over-representation of this demographic within special education but also aids in the continuation of systems like the school to prison pipeline and achievement gap (Wilson, 2014). This project will be looking deeper into trauma-based behaviors and strategies for teachers to use within the classroom to best support students who exhibit these severe behaviors. The Role of Trauma in Special Education and Early Interventions for Educators by Kristen Wimpee Children\u27s brains develop within the context of their earliest environments and experiences. Their neural and social development can be affected as consequences of complex trauma, disorganized attachment, maltreatment, and abuse. During early childhood, children\u27s nervous systems are in their most vulnerable period of maturation and organizational development. Early life traumas and stresses can lead to structural and physiological differences, which can have long-term consequences on emotional, behavioral, cognitive, and social development. These students often have trouble interacting with others, communicating, playing, and learning. Research shows that students with trauma have difficulty with self-regulation and self-soothing; they tend to struggle with aggressive tendencies, attention, disassociation, and physical and motor delays (Bath, 2008). Children with adverse childhood experiences, including complex trauma, are more likely to be suspended, expelled, and have lower academic achievement. They are at a higher risk of failing, dropping out, and are usually assigned to special education. This puts students with early trauma histories at greater risk of behavioral challenges, suspension, expulsion, low academic achievement, drop out, and difficulty in peer relationships. Many of these children are assigned to special education. Early interventions and creating trauma- sensitive classrooms through multi-modal methods can significantly impact brain development for students who have experienced complex trauma by helping students to self-soothe and self-regulate. Therefore, this presentation will report on the complex link between trauma, diagnosed behavioral disabilities, and behavioral difficulties in the classroom that affect student learning. Trauma-informed teaching methods can help build strong relationships with trauma-affected children, who often have disrupted attachments. These methods can help students develop a resiliency mindset and develop the skills and motivation to successfully engage with the world around them

Cardiovascular Pharmacogenomics and Cognitive Function in Patients with Schizophrenia

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138379/1/phar1968_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138379/2/phar1968.pd

Sexual Assault Campus Climate Surveys: Insights from the First Wave

One tool to help institutions of higher education (IHEs) to address campus sexual assault is the campus climate survey (CCS); yet little is known about the CCS implementation process. This study used a mixed methods approach to examine the implementation process of CCSs deployed during the 2015/16 academic year at 244 IHEs throughout the United States. Quantitative results indicate CCSs were designed primarily by the Title IX officer and campus administration; assessed victimization rates and knowledge about campus resources; and were voluntary. Qualitative findings generate concerns surrounding generalizability, participation rates, validity of data, and suggestions for improvement for future CCSs

Modeling the spatial distribution of African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) in the Kruger National Park, South Africa

The population density of wildlife reservoirs contributes to disease transmission risk for domestic animals. The objective of this study was to model the African buffalo distribution of the Kruger National Park. A secondary objective was to collect field data to evaluate models and determine environmental predictors of buffalo detection. Spatial distribution models were created using buffalo census information and archived data from previous research. Field data were collected during the dry (August 2012) and wet (January 2013) seasons using a random walk design. The fit of the prediction models were assessed descriptively and formally by calculating the root mean square error (rMSE) of deviations from field observations. Logistic regression was used to estimate the effects of environmental variables on the detection of buffalo herds and linear regression was used to identify predictors of larger herd sizes. A zero-inflated Poisson model produced distributions that were most consistent with expected buffalo behavior. Field data confirmed that environmental factors including season (P = 0.008), vegetation type (P = 0.002), and vegetation density (P = 0.010) were significant predictors of buffalo detection. Bachelor herds were more likely to be detected in dense vegetation (P = 0.005) and during the wet season (P = 0.022) compared to the larger mixed-sex herds. Static distribution models for African buffalo can produce biologically reasonable results but environmental factors have significant effects and therefore could be used to improve model performance. Accurate distribution models are critical for the evaluation of disease risk and to model disease transmission

Illinois Waterfowl Surveys and Investigations W-43-R-62 Annual Progress Report Period: 1 July 2014 – 30 June 2015

This study addresses the following objectives: 1)Inventory abundance and distribution of waterfowl and other waterbirds (a minimum of 10 species and guilds) during autumn migration at a minimum of 40 sites along the Illinois and central Mississippi rivers; 2) Investigate the ecology of canvasback and lesser scaup during spring migration in the central Illinois River valley (IRV) and Pool 19 of the Mississippi River; 3) Estimate waterfowl and other waterbird population sizes (a minimum of 10 species and guilds) during autumn migration using an aerial quadrat survey in the IRV for comparison with aerial inventories (Objective 1); 4) Determine breeding bird use of a minimum of 10 moist-soil wetlands managed for waterfowl during summer in central Illinois; 5) Investigate the breeding ecology of sandhill cranes during spring and summer in northeastern Illinois; 6) Distribute our findings to site managers and biologists, make recommendations for future management, and draw conclusions relevant to regional conservation planning during the project period as appropriate and requested.Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife & U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Contract Number: RC09-13FWUIUCunpublishednot peer reviewedOpe

Illinois Waterfowl Surveys and Investigations W-43-R-63 Annual Progress Report FY2016 Period: 1 July 2015 – 30 June 2016

Objectives 1) Inventory abundance and distribution of waterfowl and other waterbirds (a minimum of 10 species and guilds) during autumn migration at a minimum of 30 sites along the Illinois and central Mississippi rivers of Illinois, 2) Estimate waterfowl and other waterbird population sizes (a minimum of 10 species and guilds) during autumn migration using an aerial quadrat survey along the central Illinois River for comparison with aerial inventories (Objective 1), 3) Investigate the ecology of up to 50 gadwall and 50 American green-winged teal during spring migration in and near the central Illinois River valley of Illinois, 4) Determine breeding bird use of and nest density in a minimum of 10 moist-soil wetlands managed for waterfowl during summer in central Illinois, 5) Investigate the breeding ecology of a minimum of 50 sandhill cranes during spring and summer in northeastern Illinois consistent with an ongoing research project, 6) Investigate movements and home range size of a minimum of 10 Canada geese during winter in and near the Greater Chicago Metropolitan Area of Illinois, and 7) Determine habitat quality of a minimum of 100 wetlands and deepwater habitats during spring, summer, and early autumn for migrating dabbling ducks, breeding wetland birds, and migrating shorebirds in Illinois.Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife & U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Contract Number: RC09-13FWUIUCunpublishednot peer reviewedOpe

In silico approaches to study mass and energy flows in microbial consortia: a syntrophic case study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Three methods were developed for the application of stoichiometry-based network analysis approaches including elementary mode analysis to the study of mass and energy flows in microbial communities. Each has distinct advantages and disadvantages suitable for analyzing systems with different degrees of complexity and <it>a priori </it>knowledge. These approaches were tested and compared using data from the thermophilic, phototrophic mat communities from Octopus and Mushroom Springs in Yellowstone National Park (USA). The models were based on three distinct microbial guilds: oxygenic phototrophs, filamentous anoxygenic phototrophs, and sulfate-reducing bacteria. Two phases, day and night, were modeled to account for differences in the sources of mass and energy and the routes available for their exchange.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The <it>in silico </it>models were used to explore fundamental questions in ecology including the prediction of and explanation for measured relative abundances of primary producers in the mat, theoretical tradeoffs between overall productivity and the generation of toxic by-products, and the relative robustness of various guild interactions.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The three modeling approaches represent a flexible toolbox for creating cellular metabolic networks to study microbial communities on scales ranging from cells to ecosystems. A comparison of the three methods highlights considerations for selecting the one most appropriate for a given microbial system. For instance, communities represented only by metagenomic data can be modeled using the pooled method which analyzes a community's total metabolic potential without attempting to partition enzymes to different organisms. Systems with extensive <it>a priori </it>information on microbial guilds can be represented using the compartmentalized technique, employing distinct control volumes to separate guild-appropriate enzymes and metabolites. If the complexity of a compartmentalized network creates an unacceptable computational burden, the nested analysis approach permits greater scalability at the cost of more user intervention through multiple rounds of pathway analysis.</p

Teaching Matters: Essays by UMF Faculty

Essays by faculty at the University of Maine at Farmington.https://scholarworks.umf.maine.edu/publications/1086/thumbnail.jp

Reimagining large river management using the Resist–Accept–Direct (RAD) framework in the Upper Mississippi River

Background: Large-river decision-makers are charged with maintaining diverse ecosystem services through unprecedented social-ecological transformations as climate change and other global stressors intensify. The interconnected, dendritic habitats of rivers, which often demarcate jurisdictional boundaries, generate complex management challenges. Here, we explore how the Resist–Accept–Direct (RAD) framework may enhance large-river management by promoting coordinated and deliberate responses to social-ecological trajectories of change. The RAD framework identifies the full decision space of potential management approaches, wherein managers may resist change to maintain historical conditions, accept change toward different conditions, or direct change to a specified future with novel conditions. In the Upper Mississippi River System, managers are facing social-ecological transformations from more frequent and extreme high-water events. We illustrate how RAD-informed basin-, reach-, and site-scale decisions could: (1) provide cross-spatial scale framing; (2) open the entire decision space of potential management approaches; and (3) enhance coordinated inter-jurisdictional management in response to the trajectory of the Upper Mississippi River hydrograph. Results: The RAD framework helps identify plausible long-term trajectories in different reaches (or subbasins) of the river and how the associated social-ecological transformations could be managed by altering site-scale conditions. Strategic reach-scale objectives may reprioritize how, where, and when site conditions could be altered to contribute to the basin goal, given the basin’s plausible trajectories of change (e.g., by coordinating action across sites to alter habitat connectivity, diversity, and redundancy in the river mosaic). Conclusions: When faced with long-term systemic transformations (e.g., \u3e 50 years), the RAD framework helps explicitly consider whether or when the basin vision or goals may no longer be achievable, and direct options may open yet unconsidered potential for the basin. Embedding the RAD framework in hierarchical decision-making clarifies that the selection of actions in space and time should be derived from basin-wide goals and reach-scale objectives to ensure that site-scale actions contribute effectively to the larger river habitat mosaic. Embedding the RAD framework in large-river decisions can provide the necessary conduit to link flexibility and innovation at the site scale with stability at larger scales for adaptive governance of changing social-ecological systems

To what degree does cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease predict dependence of patients on caregivers?

BACKGROUND: Patients with Alzheimer's disease experience a progressive loss of cognitive function, and the ability to independently perform activities of daily life. Sometimes a dependent stage is reached quite early in the disease, when caregivers decide that the patients can no longer be left alone safely. This is an important aspect of Alzheimer's for patients, their families, and also health care providers. Understanding the relationship between a patient's current cognitive status and their need for care may assist clinicians when recommending an appropriate management plan. In this study, we investigated the relationship of cognitive function to dependence on caregivers before the patients reach a severe stage of the disease. METHODS: Data were obtained on 1,289 patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease studied in two randomised clinical trials of galantamine (Reminyl(®)). Cognition was assessed using the cognitive part of the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS-cog) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Patients were considered dependent if they required >12 hours of supervision each day or had high care needs. The Disability Assessment for Dementia (DAD) scale was also used as a measure of dependence. Disability was predicted directly using MMSE and ADAS-cog and compared to predictions from converted scores. RESULTS: The odds ratio of dependence was significantly higher amongst the patients with worse cognitive impairment, adjusting for age, gender and antipsychotic medication use. For example, a 4-point difference in ADAS-cog score was associated with an increase of 17% (95% CI 11–23) in the adjusted odds for >12 hours of supervision, and of 35% (95% CI 28–43) for dependence. Disability predicted directly using actual ADAS-cog and scores converted from MMSE values had close agreement using the models developed. CONCLUSION: In patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease, even relatively small degrees of poorer cognitive function increased the risk of losing the ability to live independently