Peer-Interaction Strategies: Fostering Positive Experiences for Students With Severe Disabilities in Inclusive Music Classes

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 28-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellary A. Draper ◽  
Laura S. Brown ◽  
Judith A. Jellison
Keyword(s):  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Peer Interaction ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Positive Interactions ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Regular Classrooms ◽  
Working Together ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities

Too often, students with disabilities in regular classrooms have limited access to the regular curriculum, and for students with severe disabilities, interactions are often with paraprofessionals, not typical classmates. The present study is grounded in action research methods in that an elementary teacher and the authors worked together for the purpose of designing, implementing, and evaluating interaction guidelines between her students with severe disabilities and their typically developing classmates. Overall, instruction and implementation of peer-interaction activities for working together and helping each other were efficient and resulted in high rates of positive interactions. Although the students with disabilities needed different kinds of support, they were capable of participating in a wide-range of music activities and interacting with their typical classmates. Differences in frequencies and quality of interactions are attributed primarily to task complexity, individual needs, and partner assignments.

LRE and the Placement of Students with Severe Disabilities

1992 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 145-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Haring ◽  
Felicia Farron-Davis ◽  
Lori Goetz ◽  
Patricia Karasoff ◽  
Wayne Sailor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Educational Placement ◽  
National Monitoring ◽  
Severely Handicapped ◽  
Degree Of Disability ◽  
Survey Validity ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities ◽  
Integrated Or

This study addresses the issue of state variability in the placement of students with disabilities in integrated or segregated (students with disabilities only) settings. The study examines actual placement patterns of students with severe disabilities (“severely handicapped”) in a small sample of states in order to more closely identify and analyze factors that might influence national monitoring and reporting of LRE issues. Three states representing different geographical areas and including rural, suburban, and urban population bases participated in a direct survey. The survey asked respondents to identify the number of students with severe disabilities (as defined by the U.S. Department of Education) in the state and the educational placement of these students. A survey validity check was also carried out on a sample of 139 students across the three states. Students were observed and rated using a scale that reports degree of disability (moderate to profound) across nine characteristics; in addition, the placement of these students was recorded. The results of the study suggest that the means by which states collect child count data to report to the federal government under Section 618 of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act are inadequate to meet present informational needs. The collection of data by disability category, for example, rather than by estimates of the extent of disability, may make it difficult to evaluate the effects of present educational reform efforts.

Accomplishing More Together

2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 256-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth E. Biggs ◽  
Carly B. Gilson ◽  
Erik W. Carter
Keyword(s):  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Professional Relationships ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
District Leaders ◽  
Collaborative Relationships ◽  
Working Together ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities

Fostering and maintaining strong collaborative relationships are critically important for paraprofessionals and special education teachers working together to provide a high-quality education for students with severe disabilities. Through in-depth interviews with 22 teachers and paraprofessionals comprising nine educational teams, we examined educator perspectives on what influences the quality of their professional relationships, as well as how their perspectives on these influences converged or diverged. Teachers and paraprofessionals identified five themes of influences to the quality of their relationships: teacher influences, paraprofessional influences, shared influences (i.e., related to the collective efforts of teachers and paraprofessionals), administrative influences (i.e., related to school and district leaders), and underlying influences (i.e., related to contextual or other factors). The findings highlight the complex nature of these relationships and emphasize the importance of supporting teachers and paraprofessionals as they work together to meet the needs of students with severe disabilities. We offer recommendations for future research and practice aimed at strengthening the quality and impact of special educator–paraprofessional collaborations.

Attitudes and Attributes of Physical Educators Associated with Teaching Individuals with Severe and Profound Disabilities

1995 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin E. Block ◽  
Terry L. Rizzo
Keyword(s):  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Adapted Physical Education ◽  
Physical Educators ◽  
Attitudes Toward Teaching ◽  
Profound Disabilities ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities ◽  
Education Coursework ◽  
Regular Classes

The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between attitudes and selected attributes (teaching assignment, teaching level, adapted physical education coursework, special education coursework, years teaching students with disabilities, quality of teaching experience, and perceived competence in teaching students with disabilities) of public school (K-12) physical educators toward teaching students with severe and profound disabilities in regular classes. Teacher (N = 150) from suburban school districts in a midwestern state were sent the Physical Educators' Attitude Toward Teaching Individuals with Disabilities-III (PEATID-III) and 91 (61%) responded. Data showed that physical educators were undecided about teaching students with severe disabilities and disagreed with the proposal of teaching students with profound disabilities in their regular classes. There was a significant difference between attitudes toward teaching students with severe and profound disabilities. Although only a moderate amount of the variance was accounted by attributes, results from a forward stepwise multiple regression procedure showed that as the quality of teaching experiences improved and adapted physical education coursework increased, attitudes toward teaching students with severe disabilities were more favorable. Favorable attitudes toward teaching students with profound disabilities were associated with an increase of both coursework in special education and perceived teacher competence.

Using Badges to Increase Initiations of Children with Severe Disabilities in a Play Setting

1993 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann C. Jolly ◽  
St. Marks Center ◽  
David W. Test ◽  
Fred Spooner
Keyword(s):  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Role Playing ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Free Play ◽  
Multiple Baseline ◽  
Play Skills ◽  
Training Strategy ◽  
Age Appropriate ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities ◽  
Teacher Assistant

A study was conducted to investigate a training strategy that allowed children with severe disabilities to choose and initiate activities when playing with chronologically age-appropriate peers without disabilities. Prior to intervention, each student with severe disabilities was taught to use badges with photographs to indicate play activities. Pretraining involved role-playing with the teacher, teacher assistant, and a fourth grader without disabilities and not otherwise involved in the study. The intervention involved having students with disabilities take their badges into a free-play situation. A multiple-baseline, across-subjects design indicated a functional relationship between intervention and student use of play organizers, initiations, and shares. Results are discussed in terms of including students with severe disabilities in the training process when teaching social and play skills.

Increasing Peer Interactions for Students with Severe Disabilities via Paraprofessional Training

2005 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 431-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie N. Causton-Theoharis ◽  
Kimber W. Malmgren
Keyword(s):  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Peer Interactions ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Multiple Baseline ◽  
Single Subject ◽  
Single Subject Design ◽  
Paraprofessional Training ◽  
The Social ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities

As students with severe disabilities are included in general education settings, the use of paraprofessionals has expanded to meet these students' needs. Unfortunately, paraprofessionals can have the inadvertent effect of intensifying the social isolation of students with disabilities. This study investigated the effectiveness of a training program aimed at teaching four paraprofessionals to facilitate interactions between students with severe disabilities and their peers. A multiple baseline, single-subject design across four paraprofessional/student pairs was utilized. Observational data were collected over the baseline and postintervention phases. Rates of paraprofessional facilitative behavior increased following the intervention. Additionally, rates of student interaction increased immediately and dramatically and were maintained through the maintenance probe.

Comparison of the Instructional Contexts of Students with Severe Disabilities and Their Peers in General Education Classes

2000 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
John McDonnell ◽  
Nadine Thorson ◽  
Camille McQuivey
Keyword(s):  
General Education ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Group Instruction ◽  
Instructional Interactions ◽  
One To One ◽  
Instructional Contexts ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities ◽  
Independent Work

This study examined the instructional contexts of six students with severe disabilities and six peers without disabilities enrolled in the same general education classes. The two groups of students were compared on (a) the extent to which they were the exclusive focus of instruction; (b) the amount of one-to-one, small group, and whole group instruction that they received and the amount of independent work they were asked to complete; (c) who delivered instruction; and (d) the types of instructional interactions that were directed toward them. Data were collected using The Code for Instructional Structure and Academic Response — Mainstream Version (MS-CISSAR; Carta, Greenwood, Schwartz & Miller, 1990). The results indicate that students with severe disabilities were much more likely than their typically developing peers to have instruction focused exclusively on them and to receive one-to-one instruction. The results are discussed in terms of the implications for educational programs for this group of students and future research.

Peer Interactions and Social Acceptance of Elementary-Age Children with Severe Disabilities in an Inclusive School

1992 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 205-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian M. Evans ◽  
Christine L. Salisbury ◽  
Mary M. Palombaro ◽  
Jennifer Berryman ◽  
Tia M. Hollowood
Keyword(s):  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Social Acceptance ◽  
Peer Interactions ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
School Year ◽  
The Social ◽  
Physical Affection ◽  
Inclusive School ◽  
Developmental Opportunities ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities

Although there has been much attention paid to the social relationships of students with severe disabilities in integrated environments, few studies depict the kinds of interactions that can be expected in mainstreamed classrooms. Such information is important for designing classroom ecologies and interventions that will maximize developmental opportunities for all students. Eight children with severe disabilities and eight nonhandicapped peers were observed in their regular elementary school classrooms. Students with severe disabilities received more social approaches than they made. These interactions tended to be receiving assistance, although talk, play, and physical affection were also prevalent. Over the school year the number of interactions declined; however, the pattern (proportions of different types of interaction) became more typical (like those of nonhandicapped peers). Acceptance was measured by sociometric nomination, revealing that some of the students with severe disabilities were very popular, and some were not. Acceptance seemed unrelated to social competence, which did correlate with frequency of interactions initiated by the students with disabilities; acceptance was not related to number of social approaches made or received. The results indicate that children's social acceptance and opportunity for interaction are not uniquely associated with their status as individuals with severe disabilities, and suggest that the implicit standards and values of the students may play a significant role.

The Nature of Friendship Between Students With and Without Severe Disabilities

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 195-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary Rossetti ◽  
Jennifer Keenan
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Children And Youth ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Inclusive Settings ◽  
Direct Support ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities

Friendships are developmentally important and personally beneficial relationships for all children and youth. Despite emphasis from families and educators of students with severe disabilities on the importance of promoting and supporting friendships with their typically developing (TD) peers in inclusive settings, such relationships remain infrequent. We conducted an integrative thematic literature review of research that directly examined the nature of friendship between students with and without severe disabilities to better understand how researchers define friendship, identify participants, and confirm participants’ friendships. Implications for future research are discussed. We also sought to identify themes in extant research to guide future intervention. The thematic findings point to the importance of adults providing direct support while fading their proximity to students, and of TD peers negotiating the ongoing tension between the roles of helper and friend.

Using Assistive Technologies in Millennium Teaching

2011 ◽  
pp. 2224-2225
Author(s):  
Carol Knicker
Keyword(s):  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
School Personnel ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Special Treatment ◽  
Education Community ◽  
Technology Services ◽  
Education Act ◽  
Assistive Technology Services ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities

What are assistive technologies (ATs) and how will millennium teachers use ATs to assist all learners? Assistive technologies can be defined as services or devices which allow students to meet their maximum potential. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires this provision for all students with disabilities as part of its mandate to provide learners with a free and appropriate public education (FAPE). ATs have been available and used by students with disabilities, but have been, at times, problematic for the education community. For the most part, the purpose of ATs has been misunderstood to apply only to those students with severe disabilities. School personnel often remain uninformed regarding the range of assistive technology services and products available to them. Too often the use of these technologies has set students with disabilities farther apart from the rest of the class. ATs have been perceived to provide even inappropriate or inequitable assistance to the learning process, and have made students without disabilities wonder why some of their peers get “special treatment.” Teachers of the new millennium should be sensitive to these issues as they learn the wide range of technologies available to all learners.

Promoting Access to Common Core Mathematics for Students with Severe Disabilities Through Mathematical Problem Solving

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 171-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fred Spooner ◽  
Alicia Saunders ◽  
Jenny Root ◽  
Chelsi Brosh
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Common Core ◽  
Mathematical Problem ◽  
Mathematical Practice ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Mathematical Problem Solving ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities

There is a need to teach the pivotal skill of mathematical problem solving to students with severe disabilities, moving beyond basic skills like computation to higher level thinking skills. Problem solving is emphasized as a Standard for Mathematical Practice in the Common Core State Standards across grade levels. This article describes a conceptual model for teaching mathematical problem solving to students with severe disabilities based on research from a multiyear project. The model proposed incorporates schema-based instruction combined with evidence-based practices for teaching academics to this population, and includes technology supports and self-monitoring. The purpose is to teach students to recognize underlying problem structures in word problems for better generalizability to real-world situations. This article outlines the existing evidence for teaching problem solving to students with disabilities, the conceptual model for teaching mathematical problem solving to students with severe disabilities, and the implications of the model for practitioners and future researchers.

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