Social Interactions of High School Students With Mental Retardation and Their General Education Peers

Even with inclusive general education classrooms, high school students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have few social interactions with classmates. Peer support arrangements hold promise for increasing peer interactions and shared learning within general education classrooms. However, previous evaluations of this intervention have focused narrowly on adolescents with severe intellectual disability. In this pilot study, we examined the impact and social validity of peer support arrangements for four high school students with ASD. All four students increased their social interactions with peers, while academic engagement either increased or maintained for three students. Social validity data from peer partners and students indicated they considered the intervention acceptable. We discuss limitations and offer recommendations for future research and practice aimed at enhancing social connections within inclusive classrooms.

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

Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities ◽

10.1177/1540796920904179 ◽

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.

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The Effect of “Opportunity to Perform” on the Maintenance of Skills Learned by High School Students with Severe Handicaps

Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps ◽

10.1177/154079698501000308 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 172-175 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Robert H. Horner ◽

Julie A. Williams ◽

Carole A. Knobbe

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Mental Retardation ◽

High School Students ◽

Public School ◽

Sign Test ◽

Severe Mental Retardation ◽

School Students ◽

Severe Handicaps ◽

Adaptive Skill ◽

Selection Of

The likelihood that learned skills will be maintained in natural performance settings may be affected by the number of opportunities to perform the skills following acquisition. To examine this hypothesis, 17 high school students with moderate to severe mental retardation were selected from three public school classrooms. Each student had learned one adaptive skill that he or she had performed at least twice per month without additional training for 5 months prior to this study (high opportunity). Each student had also learned one adaptive skill that he or she had not performed more often than once per month over the 5 months immediately preceding the study (low opportunity). Performance of both behaviors was probed under conditions as similar as possible to those experienced during training. Twelve of the 17 high opportunity skills were performed successfully while only 4 of the 17 low opportunity skills were completed. A sign test indicated these differences to be statistically significant. Implications of the results for selection of IEP goals and the inclusion of “opportunity” objectives are discussed.

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Attitudes of High School Students Toward Individuals With Mental Retardation

Mental Retardation ◽

10.1352/0047-6765(2000)038<0154:aohsst>2.0.co;2 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 38 (2) ◽

pp. 154-162 ◽

Cited By ~ 42

Author(s):

Junean Krajewski ◽

Thomas Flaherty

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

Mental Retardation ◽

High School Students ◽

School Students ◽

Individuals With Mental Retardation

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Teaching High School Students With Disabilities to Advocate for Academic Accommodations

The Journal of Special Education ◽

10.1177/0022466919892955 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 54 (3) ◽

pp. 146-156

Author(s):

Nancy J. Lopez ◽

Nicole M. Uphold ◽

Karen H. Douglas ◽

Shaqwana Freeman-Green

Keyword(s):

High School ◽

High School Students ◽

General Education ◽

Students With Disabilities ◽

Functional Relation ◽

Transition Process ◽

Future Research ◽

Academic Accommodations ◽

School Students ◽

Self Advocacy

One factor that may contribute to the success of students with disabilities in postsecondary educational settings may be their ability to advocate for academic accommodations. By incorporating self-determination practices into the curriculum and transition process during high school, students with disabilities may acquire the self-advocacy skills for postsecondary settings. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a modified Self-Advocacy and Conflict Resolution (mSACR) training program on the ability of five high school students with high-incidence disabilities to request academic accommodations in a high school general education course. A multiple-probe-across-participants design was employed to evaluate the effects of the intervention on 14 targeted behaviors. Results indicated a functional relation between the mSACR and the ability of students to request accommodations. Findings from this study are discussed along with limitations, suggestions for future research, and implications for educational practice.

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