Efficacy of Paraeducators Facilitating Peer Support Arrangements for Elementary Students With Multiple Disabilities

2021 ◽  
pp. 074193252110636
Author(s):  
Kelsey J. Trausch ◽  
Matthew E. Brock ◽  
Eric J. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Elementary Students ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Peer Interactions ◽  
Multiple Disabilities ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Functional Relations ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities ◽  
Student Independence ◽  
The Impact

Previous findings demonstrate peer support arrangements improve academic and social outcomes for secondary students with severe disabilities, but further research is needed to determine (a) the degree to which this practice would benefit younger students, (b) the impact on student independence, and (c) how teachers can best support paraeducator implementation. In this multiple-probe-across-participants design study, a teacher trained five paraeducators to facilitate peer support arrangements with four elementary students with multiple disabilities who were eligible for alternate assessment. We identified functional relations between teacher training and paraeducator implementation and between peer support arrangements and peer interactions. Interactions increased to levels similar to those of peers without disabilities. Students decreased their reliance on paraeducators for classroom routines when peers provided support. These findings show that the effectiveness of peer support arrangements extends to elementary students with multiple disabilities and replicate initial evidence for a promising model of teacher-implemented training for paraeducators.

Are Peer Support Arrangements an Evidence-Based Practice? A Systematic Review

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 150-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew E. Brock ◽  
Heartley B. Huber
Keyword(s):  
General Education ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Academic Engagement ◽  
Evidence Based Practice ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Alternate Assessment ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Exceptional Children ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities

Peer support arrangements involve peers without disabilities providing academic and social support to students with severe disabilities (i.e., students eligible for their state’s alternate assessment) in general education classrooms. We conducted a systematic literature review of studies published through 2016 to determine whether peer support arrangements meet Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) criteria as an evidence-based practice. From our review of 11 studies, we found that peer support arrangements are an evidence-based practice for promoting social interactions for secondary students with severe disabilities in both core academic and elective classes. Evidence for increased academic engagement of students with severe disabilities is mixed, and evidence for other outcomes is promising—including increased academic engagement for peers who provide support. We provide recommendations for teachers.

“I Never Truly Thought About Them Having Friends”

2017 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelly Leigers ◽  
Harold L. Kleinert ◽  
Erik W. Carter
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Social Participation ◽  
School Community ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Peer Networks ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities ◽  
The Impact

Students with severe disabilities often experience limited social participation and few friendships at school. We describe a project to equip school teams to implement peer support arrangements and peer networks focused on friendships, inclusion, and learning. We adopted a phenomenological qualitative approach to learn how participants viewed these interventions within their schools, issues emerging during implementation, and the impact of these interventions. We discuss themes surrounding (a) the impact of the context and structure of the school on implementation, (b) participants’ views on professional development related to these interventions, and (c) impact on students, peers, and the broader school community.

Supporting the Social Lives of Secondary Students With Severe Disabilities: Considerations for Effective Intervention

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik W. Carter
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Students ◽  
Peer Interactions ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Social Lives ◽  
The Social ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities ◽  
Long Term Impact ◽  
Multicomponent Interventions

For adolescents with severe disabilities, efforts to enhance the social dimensions of schooling are widely advocated, yet rarely implemented. The peer interactions and relationships so critical to school success and individual well-being can be elusive for many students with intellectual disability, autism, and multiple disabilities. This article highlights promising approaches for enhancing the social lives of secondary students with severe disabilities. The author presents five areas of intervention for secondary schools: student-related factors, peer-related factors, support-related factors, opportunity-related factors, and context-related factors. Attention then turns to how various peer-mediated approaches—peer support arrangements, peer network interventions, and peer partner programs—can be drawn upon to address one or more of these important factors. Recommendations are offered for (a) implementing multicomponent interventions, (b) addressing fidelity in the context of individualized interventions, (c) measuring the social-related impact, (d) promoting changes in social outcomes that have widespread and long-term impact, and (e) encouraging schoolwide and sustained adoption of these approaches.

Peer Support Interventions in Inclusive Classrooms

2021 ◽  
pp. 137-148
Author(s):  
Erik W. Carter
Keyword(s):  
Peer Support ◽  
Academic Engagement ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Inclusive Classrooms ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
The Core ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities ◽  
Implementation Steps ◽  
Core Features

Supporting students with severe disabilities to access the myriad social and learning opportunities that exist within inclusive classrooms can be a challenge. Peer support arrangements are an evidence-based intervention for increasing social interactions and academic engagement while decreasing heavy reliance on individually assigned paraprofessionals. This chapter addresses the core features of this intervention and its anticipated outcomes. It also includes implementation steps and recommendations for intervention, as well as applications to diverse students and settings.

Studying the Impact of Video Modeling for Algebra Instruction for Students With Learning Disabilities

2020 ◽  
pp. 002246692093746
Author(s):  
Rajiv Satsangi ◽  
Rachel H. Billman ◽  
Alexandra R. Raines ◽  
Anna M. Macedonia
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disability ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Video Modeling ◽  
Mathematics Learning ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Appropriate Technology ◽  
Probe Design ◽  
Single Subject ◽  
The Impact

Video modeling possesses an established research base for teaching students with severe disabilities. However, the application of this strategy for teaching academic skills to students with a learning disability is less known, particularly in secondary mathematics. Video modeling provides a resource for supplementary instruction using age appropriate technology to support student learning. To explore the use of this strategy in Algebra, this study assessed video modeling paired with a system of prompting to teach three secondary students with a mathematics learning disability how to graph linear equations. Using a single subject multiple probe design, student performance across multiple measures including problem-solving accuracy and independence improved for all three students during treatment phases. These results and their implications for the broader field of mathematics education are discussed.

Randomized Evaluation of Peer Support Arrangements to Support the Inclusion of High School Students With Severe Disabilities

2015 ◽  
Vol 82 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik W. Carter ◽  
Jennifer Asmus ◽  
Colleen K. Moss ◽  
Elizabeth E. Biggs ◽  
Dan M. Bolt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
School Students ◽  
Randomized Evaluation ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities

Implementation and Generalization of Peer Support Arrangements for Students With Severe Disabilities in Inclusive Classrooms

2015 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 221-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew E. Brock ◽  
Elizabeth E. Biggs ◽  
Erik W. Carter ◽  
Gillian N. Cattey ◽  
Kevin S. Raley
Keyword(s):  
Peer Support ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Classrooms ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities

Using Structural Analysis to Inform Peer Support Arrangements for High School Students With Severe Disabilities

2018 ◽  
Vol 123 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heartley B. Huber ◽  
Erik W. Carter ◽  
Sarah E. Lopano ◽  
Kristen C. Stankiewicz
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Structural Analysis ◽  
General Education ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Academic Engagement ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
School Students ◽  
Social Responses ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities

Abstract We examined the effects of peer support arrangements as an alternative to exclusive direct support from paraprofessionals for three high school students with severe disabilities in general education classrooms. We also explored the use of structural analysis as a data-based approach for further refining the interventions to enhance their impact in particular classrooms. Peer support arrangements were associated with substantial increases in social outcomes; academic engagement maintained or improved modestly for all participants. Moreover, structural analyses yielded findings used to adapt peer support arrangements to address students' individual needs. Although the effects of structural analysis-based adaptations resulted in increases in social responses for only one participant, levels of social interactions maintained, and improvements in academic engagement occurred for two participants.

Maximizing Social Contact for Secondary Students with Severe Handicaps

1986 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 118-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregg Chin-Perez ◽  
Dan Hartman ◽  
Hyun Sook Park ◽  
Sharon Sacks ◽  
Alice Wershing ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Skills ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Training Project ◽  
The Social ◽  
Severe Handicaps ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities ◽  
Research Assistants

This article describes a secondary program for students with severe handicaps which attempts to maximize the social contact between handicapped and nonhandicapped persons. The program selectively integrates students into academic and other regular education courses. Nonhandicapped peers are used for tutoring purposes as well as research assistants in a social skills training project. A survey completed by a variety of important others indicated substantial improvements in the behavioral repertoires of the students with severe disabilities, particularly in the area of social skills.

The Participation of Secondary Students With Severe Disabilities in School Clubs

2021 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 335-351
Author(s):  
Alicia R. Pence ◽  
Stacy K. Dymond
Keyword(s):  
High School Students ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
School Students ◽  
Severe Intellectual Disability ◽  
Open Coding ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities ◽  
Case Design

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine how secondary students with severe disabilities (i.e., severe intellectual disability or autism, multiple disabilities) participate in extracurricular school clubs. Using a qualitative multiple case design, the experiences of three high school students were examined. Data were collected through interviews, observations, and document reviews. A single-case inductive open-coding strategy was utilized across all data sources in which codes and categories emerged, and a final cross-case thematic evaluation was conducted. The cross-case thematic analysis resulted in the following four overarching themes: (a) going with the flow; (b) social obstacles: on the outside looking in; (c) supports provided: too much, too little, just right; and (d) safety in numbers.

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