scholarly journals Organizational Context in General and Special Education: An Exploratory Investigation to Describe the Perspective of School Leaders

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie A. Moore ◽  
Rebecca Landa ◽  
Gazi Azad
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
School Leaders ◽  
The United States ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
School Enrollment ◽  
School Type ◽  
Implementation Climate ◽  
Implementation Leadership

AbstractOrganizational context (e.g., climate, culture, resources) can impede or enhance implementation of evidence-based practices in general education settings or special education settings serving students with autism spectrum disorder. We examined the relations between organizational context and individual (i.e., implementation leadership, administrator- or service provider-role) or school (i.e., enrollment size, public/nonpublic school type) characteristics. Participants were administrative or service providing leaders (n = 34) from 11 schools in one state on the East Coast of the United States. School leaders’ average ratings of the organizational context were generally more positive for special education than general education; however, greater culture stress was reported for special education. Correlation analyses indicated being an administrator and implementation leadership were positively associated with implementation climate in both education settings. Being an administrator was also positively associated with cultural effort (i.e., how hard people work towards achieving goals) in special education, but negatively associated with culture stress in general education. In special education, nonpublic schools had better climates (both learning and implementation), but more culture stress. Additionally, school enrollment size was negatively related to available resources and implementation climate in special education. Investigating the similarities and differences in organizational context across educational settings is needed in future research.

Response to Intervention

Education ◽  
2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Eppolito ◽  
Kathryn White ◽  
Janette Klingner
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Special Education ◽  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Response To Intervention ◽  
General Education ◽  
Progress Monitoring ◽  
The United States ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Data Driven Decision Making ◽  
Rti Model

Response to intervention (RTI) is a comprehensive, systematic approach to teaching and learning designed to monitor academic and behavioral progress for all students, provide early interventions of increasing intensity to struggling learners, and potentially identify learners with more significant learning disabilities. The model is implemented with multitiered instruction, intervention, and assessment. The key components of the RTI model include (1) high-quality instruction matched to the needs of students, (2) evidence-based interventions of increasing intensity, (3) ongoing progress monitoring, and (4) data-driven decision making. Components of the model, such as data-driven decision making and multitiered instruction, have been studied for the past few decades, but the model as an integrated whole has been developed more recently. One catalyst for increased research and interest in RTI has been a change in federal legislation in the United States. The most recent reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) in 2004 permits the RTI model to be implemented as an alternative means to identify students with learning disabilities (LDs). These amendments to IDEA stipulate that the RTI process may be used to determine if a child is responding to research-based instruction and intervention as part of the special education evaluation process. Although driven by special education policy, RTI has been lauded as an instructional model that can improve general education overall and for special populations. However, critiques of the model argue that it has been implemented with limited research, resources, and funding and may not be valid for identifying LDs. Some experts question the psychometric validity of the model and promote using multiple forms of assessment, including more traditional standardized psycho-educational tests, in combination with RTI when evaluating students for possible LDs.

Effective Practices for Teaching Writing to Students with Disabilities in the United States

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
April Camping ◽  
Steve Graham
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
Special Needs ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
The United States ◽  
Individual Student ◽  
Students With Special Needs ◽  
Writing Practices ◽  
General Education Classroom ◽  
Critical Skills

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.

Comparing Autism Symptom Severity Between Children With a Medical Autism Diagnosis and an Autism Special Education Eligibility

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 186-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Safer-Lichtenstein ◽  
Laura Lee McIntyre
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Symptom Severity ◽  
Challenging Behavior ◽  
Adaptive Functioning ◽  
Challenging Behaviors ◽  
The United States ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Special Education Eligibility

Rates of children identified as having autism spectrum disorder (ASD) continue to increase in both medical and school settings. While procedures for providing a medical diagnosis are relatively consistent throughout the United States, the process for determining special education eligibility under an ASD classification varies by state, with many states adopting looser identification criteria than medical taxonomies. This study included a sample of 73 school-age children with ASD and sought to examine differences in ASD symptom severity, adaptive functioning, and challenging behaviors between those identified in the medical system versus those identified in schools. Results indicate that children identified as having ASD only by their school had less severe clinician-rated ASD symptomatology than children with a medical ASD diagnosis but that caregiver reports of adaptive functioning and challenging behavior did not differ between the two groups. These findings do not appear to have been influenced by demographic factors including caregiver education, household income, or health insurance status. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Bullying Involvement and the School Adjustment of Rural Students With and Without Disabilities

2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas W. Farmer ◽  
Robert Petrin ◽  
Debbie Sprott Brooks ◽  
Jill V. Hamm ◽  
Kerrylin Lambert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
Externalizing Behavior ◽  
School Adjustment ◽  
The United States ◽  
Special Education Students ◽  
Rural Students ◽  
Adjustment Difficulties ◽  
Bully Victims ◽  
Interpersonal Characteristics

Bullying involvement status (i.e., bully, victim, bully–victim) and school adjustment were examined in a sample of 1,389 fifth graders (745 female, 644 male) including 145 special education students who were served in general education classrooms for at least 50% of the day. The sample was drawn from 35 rural schools in seven states across all geographic areas of the United States. School adjustment difficulties including internalizing and externalizing behavior problems were most pronounced in students who were identified as bully–victims (students who were identified as both victims and perpetrators of bullying). In contrast, bullies tended to have more positive interpersonal characteristics and fewer negative ones than youth who were identified as victims or bully–victims. Furthermore, compared to their nondisabled peers, students who received special education services had elevated rates of involvement as victims and bully–victims, but not as bullies. Implications for intervention are discussed.

Implementing Video Modeling to Improve Transitions Within Activities in Inclusive Classrooms

2017 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 235-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carrie Hall ◽  
Aleksandra Hollingshead ◽  
Jennifer Christman
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
General Education ◽  
Video Modeling ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
General Education Teachers ◽  
Inclusive Classrooms ◽  
Inclusive Classroom ◽  
One Step ◽  
Spectrum Disorders

With an increase in the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and the importance of providing inclusive educational settings, it is important for all teachers to utilize strategies that support learners’ needs. Due to the complexity of their needs, some students with ASD struggle with transitions within and across activities in schools. Transitions are defined as a change in activities or settings such as moving from one activity to another or moving from one step of an activity to the next. There are many strategies to support transitions in an inclusive classroom, however many of these strategies are traditionally associated with special education, and general education teachers may not feel prepared to implement them. This article focuses on possible applications of video modeling to support daily transitions in inclusive classrooms.

An Overview of Inclusive Education in the United States

2012 ◽  
pp. 1-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mokter Hossain
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Special Education ◽  
Public Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
The United States ◽  
Significant Disabilities ◽  
Free Appropriate Public Education ◽  
Child Centered ◽  
Education Act

Being a country of diversity, the United States has had a long tradition of research and practices in special education in the form of inclusion. Since passage of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) of 1975, now referred to as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004, a free appropriate public education has been available to all children with disabilities. However, inclusion of students with disabilities into general education classrooms has taken decades to be considered appropriate practice. Controversies, research, and legislation have shaped a collaborative relationship between general and special education. A wide range of political, epistemological, and institutional factors have facilitated a more child-centered public education. This chapter presents an overview of current issues and practices in the inclusion of students with disabilities in the U.S. The topics include: historical background; public laws that led to successful inclusion; categories and prevalence, and identification strategies; and inclusion practices for students with mild-to-moderate and selective significant disabilities for providing them equal and appropriate educational experiences in the mainstream classrooms.

scholarly journals Longitudinal Socio-Emotional Learning Intervention for Autism via Smartglasses: Qualitative School Teacher Descriptions of Practicality, Usability, and Efficacy in General and Special Education Classroom Settings

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neha Keshav ◽  
Arshya Vahabzadeh ◽  
Rafiq Abdus-Sabur ◽  
Krystal Huey ◽  
Joseph Salisbury ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
School Teacher ◽  
Educational Interventions ◽  
The United States ◽  
Single Subject ◽  
Education Teacher ◽  
General Education Teacher ◽  
Software Modules ◽  
Students With Autism

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.

scholarly journals Leadership profiles associated with the implementation of behavioral health evidence-based practices for autism spectrum disorder in schools

Autism ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (8) ◽  
pp. 1957-1968
Author(s):  
Nicole A Stadnick ◽  
Rosemary D Meza ◽  
Jessica Suhrheinrich ◽  
Gregory A Aarons ◽  
Lauren Brookman-Frazee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Latent Profile Analysis ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
Leadership Behaviors ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Implementation Climate ◽  
Strategic Implementation ◽  
Ebp Implementation

Implementation of evidence-based practice (EBP) for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the education system is a public health priority. Leadership is a critical driver of EBP implementation but little is known about the types of leadership behaviors exhibited by school leaders and how this influences the context of EBP implementation, particularly for students with ASD. The objectives of this study were to determine (1) the leadership profiles of principals involved in EBP implementation for students with ASD and (2) how these leadership profiles related to school characteristics and implementation climate. The Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) framework was used to guide the design and analysis of this study. Participants (n = 296) included principals, teachers, and classroom support staff. They provided demographic information and completed the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire and Implementation Climate Scale. Using latent profile analysis, a three-pattern solution was identified: Disengaged (6% of sample), Undifferentiated (23% of sample), and Optimal (71% of sample). Principals in schools with higher proportions of students with an individualized education program were more likely to be classified as Undifferentiated than Optimal. The Optimal group was associated with more positive implementation climate than the Undifferentiated or Disengaged groups. Findings suggest that leadership behaviors rated by principals and their staff involved in implementation of common autism EBPs can be meaningfully clustered into three discernible profiles that are shaped by organizational context and linked to strategic implementation climate. Our study findings have implications for leadership training and service delivery in schools by underscoring the critical nature of school leadership during implementation of EBPs for children with autism and the interplay between specific leadership behaviors and strategic implementation climate.

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