Opportunities to Express Preferences and Make Choices among Students with Severe Disabilities in Classroom Settings

1987 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan Houghton ◽  
G. J. Buzz Bronicki ◽  
Doug Guess
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Classroom Observations ◽  
Personnel Training ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Classroom Activities ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities ◽  
Different Response ◽  
Age Range

Classroom observations were made on staff and students with severe disabilities to record opportunities to express preferences and make choices. Included in the study were 48 staff members and 37 students located in public schools, institutions, and university demonstration sites. An observational code was used to record staff- and student-initiated expressions of preference and choice in structured and nonstructured classroom activities. Results indicated that, regardless of age level or setting, classroom staff responded at very low rates to student-initiated expressions of choice or preference and that staff-initiated opportunities for student expressions of choice or preference were significantly higher in the 0 to 5 age range. Additional findings indicated that staff and students used distinctly different response modalities to communicate. Results are discussed in relation to the development of communication and social skills, with implications for current educational practices, personnel training, and further research.

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.

Assessing the Social Skills and Problem Behaviors of Adolescents With Severe Disabilities Enrolled in General Education Classes

2016 ◽  
Vol 121 (4) ◽  
pp. 327-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory L. Lyons ◽  
Heartley B. Huber ◽  
Erik W. Carter ◽  
Rui Chen ◽  
Jennifer M. Asmus
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
Social Competence ◽  
General Education ◽  
Problem Behavior ◽  
Problem Behaviors ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
The Social ◽  
Teachers And Parents ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities

Abstract Although enhancing the social competence of students with severe disabilities has long remained a prominent focus of school-based intervention efforts, relatively little attention has focused on identifying the most critical social and behavioral needs of students during high school. We examined the social skills and problem behaviors of 137 adolescents with severe disabilities from the vantage point of both special educators and parents. We sought to identify areas of potential intervention need, explore factors associated with social skill and problem behavior ratings, and examine the extent to which teachers and parents converged in their assessments of these needs. Our findings indicate teachers and parents of high school students with severe disabilities rated social skills as considerably below average and problem behaviors as above average. In addition, lower social skills ratings were evident for students with greater support needs, lower levels of overall adaptive behavior, and a special education label of autism. We found moderate consistency in the degree to which teachers and parents aligned in their assessments of both social skills and problem behavior. We offer recommendations for assessment and intervention focused on strengthening the social competence of adolescents with severe disabilities within secondary school classrooms, as well as promising avenues for future research.

Inclusion and the Challenge of Assimilation for Teachers of Students with Severe Disabilities

1998 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 238-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Peters Goessling
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
General Education ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Cultural Dissonance ◽  
Roles And Responsibilities ◽  
Inclusive Settings ◽  
Changing Roles ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities ◽  
General Education Classrooms

The perceptions of fourteen teachers from fourteen different public schools about their changing roles and responsibilities as they moved into inclusive settings with students with severe disabilities were explored in this qualitative study. It discusses their experiences of cultural dissonance as they left the segregated culture of special education and attempted to assimilate themselves into general education classrooms, grades K-8. Their dilemmas, doubts, and hopes for the future are discussed as well as the challenges that attempted cultural assimilation presents for special educators.

Collaborative Teaming to Support Students at Risk and Students with Severe Disabilities in General Education Classrooms

2003 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 315-332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pam Hunt ◽  
Gloria Soto ◽  
Julie Maier ◽  
Kathy Doering
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Special Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Students At Risk ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Classroom Activities ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities ◽  
General Education Classrooms ◽  
Special Education Personnel

This study investigated the effectiveness of a general education/special education collaborative teaming process on the academic and social participation of six students in general education classrooms. Three of the students experienced severe disabilities. The other three were considered academically at risk. Each student was supported by an educational team that included general and special education personnel and the students' parents. Each team developed and collaboratively implemented individualized Unified Plans of Support for one student at risk and a classmate with disabilities, consisting of academic adaptations and communication and social supports. The effectiveness of the support plans was evaluated through behavioral observations and team interviews. Intervention outcomes suggested that for each of the six students consistent implementation of the plans of support by team members was associated with increases in academic skills, engagement in classroom activities, interactions with peers, and student-initiated interactions.

Efficacy of Peer-Network Interventions for High School Students with Severe Disabilities and Complex Communication Needs

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 98-114
Author(s):  
Morgan E. Herbert ◽  
Matthew E. Brock ◽  
Mary A. Barczak ◽  
Eric J. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
School Students ◽  
Complex Communication Needs ◽  
Peer Network ◽  
Network Intervention ◽  
Communication Needs ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities

Peer networks are a promising intervention for increasing social interactions between students with severe disabilities and their peers. However, this approach has not been well studied with high school students who have complex communication needs and use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). In this study, we used a multiple probe across participants design to evaluate the effectiveness of a lunchtime peer-network intervention for three high school students with autism and/or multiple disabilities who had complex communication needs. The intervention involved recruiting peers, sharing practical background information and modeling how to communicate with the student, and then providing support as needed. A functional relation was established between the introduction of the peer-network intervention and both social interactions and social engagement. Interactions increased substantially across communication modalities. This study builds on the peer-network literature by demonstrating how this approach can be tailored for high school students with complex communication needs.

scholarly journals An Assessment of the Feasibility and Effectiveness of Distance Learning for Students With Severe Developmental Disabilities and High Behavioral Needs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melaura Andree Erickson Tomaino ◽  
Alissa L. Greenberg ◽  
Sarah Ann Kagawa-Purohit ◽  
Sagui A. Doering ◽  
Edward Steven Miguel
Keyword(s):  
Distance Learning ◽  
Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Technology Study ◽  
Educational Benefits ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Behavioral Needs ◽  
Severe Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Learning Programs ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities

AbstractSchools across the country closed their doors during the COVID-19 pandemic. These measures impacted all students, as schools, educators, and families grappled with the realities of transitioning to distance-learning platforms. The research on distance learning is still in its early phases. However, almost no research exists on educating students with severe disabilities and high behavioral needs using this technology. Study 1 collected survey data from students’ families and their educators on the feasibility and effectiveness of distance-learning programs when working with students with severe developmental disabilities and high behavioral needs. Results indicated that parents and educators had generally neutral attitudes toward distance learning, although educators agreed that their students were obtaining educational benefits during distance learning. Study 2 further examined the effects of a transition to distance learning on students’ Individualized Education Plan (IEP) goal progress. Analyses revealed that students maintained about half of the skills addressed in their IEPs and made progress on an additional quarter of their IEP goals. Findings contribute to a much-needed literature base on distance learning and provide additional information as to the feasibility and effectiveness of distance learning with students with severe developmental disabilities and high behavioral needs. Future work is needed to determine best practices for distance learning with this population.

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