Showing papers in "Exceptional Children in 1996"
TL;DR: The authors found that about two thirds of general classroom teachers supported the concept of mainstreaming/inclusion and a smaller majority were willing to include students with disabilities in their own classes, but responses appeared to vary according to disabling condition and implicit obligations on the teacher.
Abstract: Twenty-eight investigations were identified in which general education teachers were surveyed regarding their perceptions of including students with disabilities in their classes. Research synthesis procedures were employed to summarize responses and examine the consistency of responses across time, geographical location, and item type. Overall, we found that about two thirds of general classroom teachers supported the concept of mainstreaming/inclusion. A smaller majority were willing to include students with disabilities in their own classes, but responses appeared to vary according to disabling condition and implicit obligations on the teacher. Although about half or more of the teachers felt that mainstreaming/inclusion could provide some benefits, only one third or less of teachers believed they had sufficient time, skills, training or resources necessary for mainstreaming/inclusion. Reported attitudes did not appear to covary with either geographical region or time of publication. Implications for p...
1,060 citations
TL;DR: The National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS) of Special Education students as discussed by the authors found that youth with disabilities continued to lag behind their peers in the general population in all four outcome areas over time.
Abstract: This article describes findings from the National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS) of Special Education Students regarding trends in the employment, wages, postsecondary education, and residential independence of youth with disabilities in their first 5 years after high school. Data from the NLTS indicated strong gains in all four outcome areas over time. In all areas, however, youth with disabilities continued to lag behind their peers in the general population. Several differences between youth in certain disability categories were found regarding employment, postsecondary education, and movement toward independence over time. Longitudinal outcomes also differed widely by gender, ethnicity, and high school completion status.
930 citations
TL;DR: For both general and special education teachers, administrative support and collaboration were powerful predictors of positive attitudes toward full inclusion as discussed by the authors, indicating that teachers favored the education of children with disabilities in general education through collaborative relationships among all educators.
Abstract: Perceptions of 680 licensed general and special education teachers and administrators related to the full inclusion of all students, including students with moderate and severe disabilities, were assessed using the Heterogeneous Education Teacher Survey and the Regular Education Initiative Teacher Survey-Revised. Respondents were from 32 school sites judged as providing heterogeneous educational opportunities for all children. Results favored the education of children with disabilities in general education through collaborative relationships among all educators—contradicting previous results suggesting that educators prefer pullout programs. For both general and special educators, administrative support and collaboration were powerful predictors of positive attitudes toward full inclusion.
306 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a controlled study of 92 special educators and related service providers evaluated the effects of two interventions (a series of stress-management workshops and a peer-collaboration program) on factors known to be correlated with actual turnover (burnout, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment).
Abstract: This article describes a controlled study of 92 special educators and related service providers that evaluated the effects of two interventions (a series of stress-management workshops and a peer-collaboration program) on factors known to be correlated with actual turnover (burnout, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment). Results indicated that improvements on dependent variables occurred as a function of intervention, thus suggesting that the programs show promise as means of providing on-the-job support for such professionals at risk of burnout or exiting the field. In addition, participants perceived the targeted skills and strategies to be practical, valuable ways to prevent or alleviate job burnout.
170 citations
TL;DR: The authors explored the social affiliations of students in three mainstream classrooms containing students receiving general education services, students characterized as academically gifted, students with learning disabilities, and students with emotional and behavioral disorders.
Abstract: This study explored the social affiliations of students in three mainstream classrooms containing students receiving general education services, students characterized as academically gifted, students with learning disabilities, and students with emotional and behavioral disorders. The study provided an in-depth description of the classrooms' social networks, focusing on the social and demographic characteristics that distinguished clusters of students. Findings showed that students formed distinct peer clusters around shared characteristics; particular social characteristics were associated with a student's level of centrality in the classroom; and students with exceptionalities were well integrated into the classroom's social structure. Affiliations of students with exceptionalities suggest topics for future research.
155 citations
TL;DR: This article investigated the validity of three curriculum-based measures for predicting the performance of secondary students on content-area tasks and found that oral reading, maze, and vocabulary measures would predict students' performance on comprehension, acquisition, and retention of content area material.
Abstract: This study investigated the validity of three curriculum-based measures for predicting the performance of secondary students on content-area tasks. It was hypothesized that oral reading, maze, and vocabulary measures would predict students' performance on comprehension, acquisition, and retention of content-area material. Participants were 184 urban middle school students, including 13 with mild disabilities. Reliable correlations were found between each of the three general outcome measures and performance on the content tasks. Results of regression analyses supported the vocabulary measure as the most efficient and effective measure for predicting student performance on the three content-area tasks.
142 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the effects of activity-based phonological instruction delivered by five classroom teachers on the phonological skill development and reading and writing outcomes of kindergarten children with and without (n = 31 and n = 57) disabilities were compared with children matched for type (general or repeating kindergartners, or children with mild disabilities) in classrooms using the same background prereading curriculum.
Abstract: This study was designed to test the effects of activity-based phonological instruction delivered by five classroom teachers on the phonological skill development and reading and writing outcomes of kindergarten children with (n = 31) and without (n = 57) disabilities, and children repeating kindergarten (n = 19) placed in general and self-contained classes. Teachers in the treatment received 10 inservice training sessions spaced over the school year and implemented from 100 to 281 activities during the 6-month intervention. Outcomes for treated children were compared with children matched for type (general or repeating kindergartners, or children with mild disabilities) in classrooms using the same background prereading curriculum. Results suggest that intervention delivered by nonresearch personnel can be an effective way to improve the literacy outcomes of children with a broad range of ability.
141 citations
TL;DR: For instance, this paper found that students with disabilities performed at significantly lower levels than did those without disabilities in four types of word problems, even when the problems involved only single-digit computation.
Abstract: Performance on mathematics word problems having varying structures was compared for Grade 3–8 students with and without mild disabilities. Students with disabilities performed at significantly lower levels than did those without disabilities in four types of word problems, even when the problems involved only single-digit computation. Significant effects were also evident for grade and operation (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division). The findings highlight the need for math instruction to move from a focus on computation to problem-solving activities, including word problems of varying structures. Further, test developers must make more effort to present a variety of reasoning and problem-solving activities in standardized tests.
114 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a survey of 158 rural special education teachers was conducted to determine the teachers' plans for remaining in or leaving their current teaching positions, and only 57% indicated that it was likely that they would return in 5 years.
Abstract: A survey of 158 rural special education teachers was conducted to determine the teachers' plans for remaining in or leaving their current teaching positions. Only 57% indicated that it was likely that they would return in 5 years. Data were analyzed to determine variables that differed significantly between those likely to stay in their positions. Select variables were entered into a logistic regression analysis to build a predictive model. The results of these analyses, along with teachers' written comments, suggested that administrative support and job requirements played important roles in teachers' 5-year plans.
99 citations
TL;DR: A survey on friendships with peers with severe disabilities of 1,137 middle and high school students across three states was conducted by as mentioned in this paper, who found that students with disabilities are more likely to make friends with peers in general education classes, for all or part of the school day.
Abstract: A survey on friendships with peers with severe disabilities of 1,137 middle and high school students was conducted across three states. Students indicated that they should try to make friends with peers with severe disabilities and that friendships are most likely to develop when students with disabilities are educated in general education classes, for all or part of the school day. Students perceived themselves, special education teachers, and youth organizations as primarily responsible for facilitating these friendships, and that effective strategies involve learning situations in which students work together, teachers present information on disabilities, and teachers and parents arrange social events for all students.
86 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the concept of mild mental retardation was examined and the confusion surrounding its etiology, diagnosis, and educational "treatment" was discussed. But, the concept was not defined in contextual terms: a person's relative difficulty in responding to cognitive demands of the environment.
Abstract: This article examines the concept of mild mental retardation—and the confusion surrounding its etiology, diagnosis, and educational “treatment.” The authors conclude that mild mental retardation, unlike more severe forms of mental retardation—or even specific learning disabilities—should be redefined in contextual terms: a person's relative difficulty in responding to cognitive demands of the environment. It is recommended that the term mental retardation be reserved for the more severe forms currently recognized and that a more descriptive term be adopted that focuses attention on this group of children whose unique characteristics and needs have increasingly gone unrecognized and unserved.
TL;DR: This paper investigated the relative influence on test anxiety of academic self-concept, cognitive interference, academic achievement, and study skills, with 82 adolescents with learning disabilities and behavior disorders who were enrolled in a small, private, special education day school.
Abstract: This study investigated the relative influence on test anxiety of academic self-concept, cognitive interference, academic achievement, and study skills, with 82 adolescents with learning disabilities and behavior disorders who were enrolled in a small, private, special education day school. Subjects completed various measures of anxiety, academic performance, and other assessments; and correlation and stepwise multiple-regression procedures were used to analyze the data. Results showed a significant positive relationship between test anxiety and cognitive interference and a significant negative relationship between test anxiety and study habits. Cognitive interference was the most powerful predictor of test anxiety.
TL;DR: This article explored predictors of victimization experiences on a sample of adolescents with disabilities while in school and 1 year after leaving school, through phone interviews of students and parents, and found that people with serious emotional disturbance who demonstrated low personal/social achievement skills were more likely to experience victimization.
Abstract: This study explored predictors of victimization experiences on a sample of adolescents with disabilities while in school and 1 year after leaving school, through phone interviews of students and parents. Logistic regression analyses revealed that people with serious emotional disturbance who demonstrated low personal/social achievement skills were more likely to experience victimization sometime in their school career than were people with other disabilities and higher personal/social skills. Variables affecting victimization rates 1 year out of school included prior victimization (while in school), gender (females were more likely to be victimized), and arrest record of people with serious emotional disturbance after leaving school.
TL;DR: Adolescents with learning disabilities who aspired to a high school diploma or less, and those who aspires to an advanced college degree, espoused lower occupational aspirations than did their peers without disabilities.
Abstract: Using the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, this study investigated the educational and occupational aspirations of high school seniors with and without learning disabilities. Effect sizes showed practical differences between the aspirations of young people with learning disabilities and their peers without disabilities, with the latter holding higher aspirations—-for both educational and occupational outcomes. No practical differences were found for female versus male adolescents with learning disabilities. Adolescents with learning disabilities who aspired to a high school diploma or less, and those who aspired to an advanced college degree, espoused lower occupational aspirations than did their peers without disabilities.
TL;DR: This paper conducted a survey of teachers and found that teachers find letter and number grades more helpful for students without disabilities than for those with disabilities, and that certain grading adaptations, such as pass-fail grades, portfolios, multiple grades, and grading for effort, are helpful for both with and without disabilities.
Abstract: A national survey of elementary and secondary general education teachers (N = 368, response rate of 52%) was conducted to determine the classroom grading practices of general education teachers, including grading adaptations for students with disabilities. Results of this self report survey indicated that teachers find letter and number grades more helpful for students without disabilities than for those with disabilities. Results also indicated that teachers find certain grading adaptations—such as pass-fail grades, portfolios, multiple grades, and grading for effort—helpful for students both with and without disabilities. Implications for training, research, and practice are included.
TL;DR: This article explored parents' experiences as their children prepare to leave high school and documented differences that exist in the transition experiences of parents of students with and without disabilities, finding that parents with disabiliites feel greater discomfort and pessimism than do parents without disabilities.
Abstract: This study explored parents' experiences as their children prepare to leave high school and documented differences that exist in the transition experiences of parents of students with and without disabilities. Survey participants included 93 parents of students with disabilities and 111 parents of students without disabilities. Three factors were identified representing parents' (a) comfort with the transition, (b) vision for their child's future, and (c) response to the schooling process. Differences were found between the groups on a multivariate measure of their transition experiences. Significant differences were found between the groups on the Comfort and Vision measures but not on the Response measure. The results indicate that parents of students with disabiliites feel greater discomfort and pessimism than do parents of students without disabilities. Both groups of parents describe school personnel as important players in their child's transition to adulthood.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined culturally sensitive practices in family interviewing and developed individualized education programs for special education professionals in the United States, including increasing their own knowledge base about other cultures, examining their own cultural biases, providing a family focus, allowing sufficient time for comfortable interviews, and considering time, place, and language needs.
Abstract: This study examines culturally sensitive practices in family interviewing and developing individualized education programs. Participants were 14 professionals in the field of special education, who provided their perceptions and reflections on their experiences as members of cultural minority groups in the United States. The article reviews literature relevant to cultural sensitivity and family interviewing, describes the method and findings of the study, and discusses culturally sensitive practices in family interviewing, while avoiding stereotypes and generalizations. Recommendations for professionals include increasing their own knowledge base about other cultures; examining their own cultural biases; providing a family focus; allowing sufficient time for comfortable interviews; and considering time, place, and language needs.
TL;DR: This paper explored the effect of differential implementation of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) on math computation achievement of students with mild disabilities and selected variables associated with the quality with which teachers implement CBM were examined.
Abstract: This study explored the effect of differential implementation of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) on math computation achievement of students with mild disabilities. In addition, selected variables associated with the quality with which teachers implement CBM were examined. Twenty-nine special education teachers each monitored two students with mild disabilities in math computation using CBM for 16 weeks. Results indicated that students whose teachers implemented CBM more accurately made significantly greater math gains than did students whose teachers (a) implemented CBM less accurately and (b) did not use CBM. Adequacy of planning time was associated with the quality of CBM implementation.
TL;DR: The authors defines transition from the early childhood and secondary perspectives, proposes an infrastructure for an expanded definition of transition based on common components, and advocates for a seamless model of transition service delivery in general and special education.
Abstract: This position paper defines transition from the early childhood and secondary perspectives, proposes an infrastructure for an expanded definition of transition based on common components, and advocates for a seamless model of transition service delivery in general and special education. The model includes program planning from birth through age 21, and addresses curriculum, location of services, futures planning, multiagency collaboration, and family and student focus. The article presents guidelines for implementing this seamless transition model throughout early childhood, elementary, middle, and secondary school programs.
TL;DR: This article examined the inservice training perceptions and suggestions of 242 early childhood service providers in Louisiana and found that they had primarily or exclusively experienced more passive types of training strategies than active kinds of strategies.
Abstract: This descriptive study examined the inservice training perceptions and suggestions of 242 early childhood service providers in Louisiana. These interventionists indicated that they had primarily or exclusively experienced more passive types of inservice training strategies than active kinds of strategies. Few participants reported having experienced support following training. In general, these interventionists rated passive didactic training techniques, such as lectures, handouts, and lists of resources, as much less likely to result in actual practice changes than dynamic strategies that include observations of teacher modeling, small-group discussions, and opportunities to practice targeted skills.
TL;DR: The authors discusses the various, sometimes competing, self-identities of the qualitative researcher and the impact of these identities on decision-making in the research process and illustrates these points with examples from her ethnographic research with African-American/Latino, low- to middle-income families of children with disabilities.
Abstract: This article discusses the various, sometimes competing, self-identities of the qualitative researcher and the impact of these identities on decision making in the research process. The author proposes that while culture provides the backdrop to identity, various aspects of the microcultures to which a researcher belongs may result in varying “personas” that influence decision making about the research process. The author illustrates these points with examples from her ethnographic research with African-American/Latino, low- to middle-income families of children with disabilities.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the social behaviors of children with visual impairments enrolled in a variety of preschool programs and made comparisons between the social interactions of 9 children with VD and a matched comparison group of nine children with full sight.
Abstract: This study investigated the social behaviors of children with visual impairments enrolled in a variety of preschool programs. Using the Behaviour Observation Record, the researchers made comparisons between the social interactions of 9 children with visual impairments and a matched comparison group of 9 children with full sight. Observational data indicated that the children with visual impairments were capable of interacting with others. Differences were noted, however, in the frequency of social initiations and the targets of these initiations made by the children with visual impairments. These observations are interpreted in support of the integration of preschool children with visual impairments into general education programs.
TL;DR: The authors used a sample from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 of 8th-grade students to examine the effects of child disability on parental educational expectations and found that while parental expectations were higher for students with disabilities than for those without, student disability status (disabled versus nondisabled) did not contribute significantly to the ability to predict parental expectations.
Abstract: This study used a national sample (from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988) of 8th-grade students to examine the effects of child disability on parental educational expectations. Four types of disability conditions were included: visual impairment (n = 97), hearing impairment (n = 126), deafness (n = 38), and orthopedic impairment (n = 61). Controls without disabilities were also included. Although parental expectations were found to be higher for students with disabilities than for those without, student disability status (disabled versus nondisabled) did not contribute significantly to the ability to predict parental expectations. School performance, parent education, and race were found to similarly influence parental educational expectations for students with and without disabilities.
TL;DR: In a preliminary investigation of declassification from special education, the authors analyzed data collected by the Michigan Department of Education over the past 5 years as mentioned in this paper, finding that 7% of Michigan's special education students return to full-time general education programs through declassification.
Abstract: Each year 7% of Michigan's special education students return to full-time general education programs through declassification. In a preliminary investigation of declassification from special education, the authors analyzed data collected by the Michigan Department of Education over the past 5 years. Respondents suggested that, as a group, students declassified from special education are academically, socially, and behaviorally well adjusted; but teachers or counselors of 11% of the declassified students felt that these students continued to require special education services. Within 3 years, 4% of declassified students had returned to special education. Particularly noteworthy were the relatively poor results for declassified students with emotional impairments.
TL;DR: An examination of relevant documents and court decisions from the past 10 years provides insight into congressional intent, federal regulations, and local implementation of service delivery related to children with extensive health care needs.
Abstract: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act includes school health services in a list of possible related services. The rising costs associated with education and the request for more extensive and costly services by children who have special health care needs have made the delivery of these services in schools as part of free, appropriate public education increasingly controversial. An examination of relevant documents and court decisions from the past 10 years provides insight into congressional intent, federal regulations, and local implementation of service delivery related to children with extensive health care needs.
TL;DR: Results suggest that barriers to the integration of children who rely on ventilators for life support into school-based programs are attitudinal more than technological.
Abstract: As mechanical ventilation becomes more portable and home nursing care more available, children who rely on ventilators for life support are leaving hospitals and returning to their homes and schools. The authors surveyed 77 families during 1990–1991 to obtain information on the educational placements of these children and parental satisfaction with services. Interviews were conducted with a subsample of 22 families with differing levels of satisfaction and advocacy. Results suggest that barriers to the integration of these children into school-based programs are attitudinal more than technological. Parent satisfaction with services increased with the number of years the student was placed in school.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this paper, the concept of mild mental retardation was examined and the confusion surrounding its etiology, diagnosis, and educational "treatment" was discussed. But, the concept was not defined in contextual terms: a person's relative difficulty in responding to cognitive demands of the environment.
Abstract: This article examines the concept of mild mental retardation—and the confusion surrounding its etiology, diagnosis, and educational “treatment.” The authors conclude that mild mental retardation, unlike more severe forms of mental retardation—or even specific learning disabilities—should be redefined in contextual terms: a person's relative difficulty in responding to cognitive demands of the environment. It is recommended that the term mental retardation be reserved for the more severe forms currently recognized and that a more descriptive term be adopted that focuses attention on this group of children whose unique characteristics and needs have increasingly gone unrecognized and unserved.