scholarly journals Evaluating Teacher Language Within General and Special Education Classrooms Serving Elementary Students with Autism

Author(s):  
Nicole Sparapani ◽  
Vanessa P. Reinhardt ◽  
Jessica L. Hooker ◽  
Lindee Morgan ◽  
Christopher Schatschneider ◽  
...  

AbstractThis study examined how teachers and paraprofessionals in 126 kindergarten-second grade general and special education classrooms talked with their 194 students with autism, and further, how individual student characteristics in language, autism symptoms, and social abilities influenced this talk. Using systematic observational methods and factor analysis, we identified a unidimensional model of teacher language for general and special education classrooms yet observed differences between the settings, with more language observed in special education classrooms—much of which included directives and close-ended questions. Students’ receptive vocabulary explained a significant amount of variance in teacher language beyond its shared covariance with social impairment and problem behavior in general education classrooms but was non-significant within special education classrooms. Research implications are discussed.

Author(s):  
April Camping ◽  
Steve Graham

Writing is especially challenging for students with disabilities, as 19 out of every 20 of these students experience difficulty learning to write. In order to maximize writing growth, effective instructional practices need to be applied in the general education classroom where many students with special needs are educated. This should minimize special education referrals and maximize the progress of these students as writers. Evidence-based writing practices for the general education classroom include ensuring that students write frequently for varying purposes; creating a pleasant and motivating writing environment; supporting students as they compose; teaching critical skills, processes, and knowledge; and using 21st-century writing tools. It is also important to be sure that practices specifically effective for enhancing the writing growth of students with special needs are applied in both general and special education settings (where some students with disabilities may receive part or all of their writing instruction). This includes methods for preventing writing disabilities, tailoring instruction to meet individual student needs, addressing roadblocks that can impede writing growth, and using specialized writing technology that allows these students to circumvent one or more of their writing challenges.


1995 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beverly R. Guterman

Using qualitative methodology, this study investigated the effects of special education placement from the perspectives of nine high school students receiving learning disabilities services in separate classrooms. Three topics were investigated: peer acceptance, perceptions of self, and perceived efficacy of learning disabilities programs. Results indicated that students did not view their special education experiences as either socially or academically efficacious. Nevertheless, they valued the services because separate settings had provided means to avoid an unresponsive general education system. Students viewed the movement for integration of general and special education services as unrealistic. They perceived existent general education as unable and unwilling to adapt to individual student needs.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neha Keshav ◽  
Arshya Vahabzadeh ◽  
Rafiq Abdus-Sabur ◽  
Krystal Huey ◽  
Joseph Salisbury ◽  
...  

There is considerable demand for special education services for the over half a million students with autism in the United States. While assistive technology may augment educational services, its implementation is often prevented by a number of practical and attitudinal barriers. These barriers are especially pertinent for the newest and thus least familiar digital systems, such as computerized smartglasses loaded with specialized software modules. Computerized smartglasses are a technology that has already been shown to have an ability to deliver educational interventions through augmented reality. With this in mind, we sought to understand how school educators received and assessed the practicality of a smartglasses-based educational intervention in a single-subject study. The intervention was designed to aid with attention and social educational learning in autism. The intervention was delivered twice a day during a two-week study on a 13-year-old student with autism who was attending a mainstream middle school in Massachusetts. Three different school educators delivered the intervention: the student’s general education teacher, special education teacher, and paraprofessional. Educators recorded their attitudes, the practicality of the technology, and its impact on the student and their classroom through the use of a digital log and a series of in-person interviews. Overall, the school educators experienced a positive view of the smartglasses. The smartglasses intervention was found to be logistically practical to implement, easily usable by both the educator and student, and not time-consuming to learn or implement. Educators also identified the experience as being fun for the student, and felt that the student demonstrated improvement in his verbal and non-verbal skills. There were no adverse effects on the other students or the classroom, and the technology did not result in a distraction. These findings suggest that social skills interventions delivered by smartglasses may be practical, useful, and may lead to improvements in social communication skills. Further research on smartglasses may help to clarify the future role for augmenting special education in students with autism.


2009 ◽  
Vol 111 (8) ◽  
pp. 1971-1996
Author(s):  
Rachel Zindler

Background/Context This study is based on prior research regarding the need for explicit social instruction for children with special needs, cooperative educational models, and the goals and relative successes of inclusive educational practices. The author refers to several studies on these subjects, including those by Kavale and Forness; Salend; and Sapon-Shevin, Dobbelaere, and Corrigan. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study This teacher analyzes how truly “inclusive” her class was during 1 year of collaborative team teaching in a second-grade inclusion classroom. Employing research-based methods of cooperative education, she considered how successful she was in facilitating meaningful relationships between special education students from all backgrounds, and their peers. She also examined whether it was possible, despite differences in academic and social skills, to fully incorporate those children with special needs into a classroom so that their general education peers would value and include them in their activities and social life. Population/Participants/Subjects/Setting In this study, a second-grade teacher took on a new position as the general education teacher in a New York City school's inclusion team. Seven of the 24 students in the new class were special education students. These children struggled with a variety of developmental delays, such as expressive and/or receptive language processing disorders, physical disabilities, and social/emotional issues. Five of these children were bused from less affluent neighborhoods near the school to attend the program. Whereas the general population at the school consisted of upper-middle-class White and Asian families, these 5 children were from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and were either African American or of Latin American descent. Research Design This action research was conducted by a practicing teacher who collected data through interviews, sociograms, observations, and other anecdotal means.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neha U. Keshav ◽  
Arshya Vahabzadeh ◽  
Rafiq Abdus-Sabur ◽  
Runpeng Liu ◽  
Krystal Huey ◽  
...  

There is considerable demand for special education services for the over half a million students with autism in the United States. While assistive technology may help to augment educational services, their implementation is prevented by a number of practical and attitudinal barriers. These barriers are especially pertinent for the newest and least familiar digital systems, such as computerized smartglasses loaded with specialized software modules, a technology that has already been shown to have an ability to deliver educational interventions through augmented reality. With this in mind, we sought to understand how school educators received and assessed the practicality of a smartglasses-based educational intervention in a single-subject study. The intervention is designed to aid with attention and social educational learning in autism. The intervention was delivered twice a day during a two-week study on a 13-year-old student with autism who attends a mainstream middle school in Massachusetts. Three different school educators delivered the intervention: the student’s general education teacher, special education teacher, and paraprofessional. Educators recorded their attitudes, practicality of the technology, and impact on the student and their classroom through the use of a digital log and a series of in-person interviews. Overall, the school educators experienced a positive view of the smartglasses. The smartglasses intervention was found to be logistically practical to implement, easily usable by educator and student, and was not time consuming to learn or to implement. Educators also identified the experience as being fun for the student, and felt the student demonstrated improvement to verbal and non-verbal skills. There were no adverse effects on the other students or the classroom, and the technology did not result in a distraction. These findings suggest that social skills interventions delivered by smartglasses may be practical, useful, and may lead to improvements in social communication skills. Further research on smartglasses may help to clarify the future role for augmenting special education in students with autism.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document