This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Systematic and Engaging Early Literacy (SEEL) intervention method to improve consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) reading in four students receiving Tier 3 services. The SEEL intervention method was also combined with the use of digital books on an iPad to investigate the effects of using technology in reading intervention sessions. Previous research indicates effectiveness for the foundational principles of SEEL, which include instruction in engaging, meaningful contexts that provide frequent and intense opportunities to practice. This research involved 4 kindergarten students who qualified for Tier 3 services based on their performance on an index of difficulty in early literacy skills. The study contrasted trained with untrained literacy targets of comparable difficulty and was conducted as a single-subject multiple-baseline-across-behaviors design. Intervention was delivered three times a week for 15-20 minutes, depending on the engagement of the participants. An analysis of the results showed improvement in three out of four participants in their reading ability of the target CVC words. It gave mixed results as to the effects of using technology in combination with the reading intervention. The analysis also looked at student engagement during both the hands-on manipulation of the materials and the reading and writing tasks performed on the iPad. It found that the engagement between these two parts of each session was similar; if a student had poor engagement for the SEEL intervention, he or she also had poor engagement for the iPad portion, and vice versa. This study provides further insight into the efficacy of SEEL and the use of technology; it also provides suggestions for future research in the area of reading intervention.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

A qualitative study was undertaken to develop an understanding of the social welfare services rendered to street children and to ascertain how these social welfare services can be enhanced from the perspective of service providers employed by NGOs in Pretoria. An explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was utilised. The researcher used purposive and non-probability sampling methods to draw the sample. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect information from nine service providers working with street children. Data were analysed according to the framework provided by Tesch (in Creswell, 2009). Data was verified using Guba‘s model (in Krefting, 1991).The study highlights challenges faced by NGOs in providing social welfare services to street children. The study provides a critical analysis of some of the key social welfare service challenges that need to be addressed to ensure effective and sustainable delivery of social welfare services. how these social welfare services can be enhanced from the perspective of service providers employed by NGOs in Pretoria. An explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was utilised. The researcher used purposive and non-probability sampling methods to draw the sample. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect information from nine service providers working with street children. Data were analysed according to the framework provided by Tesch (in Creswell, 2009). Data was verified using Guba‘s model (in Krefting, 1991).The study highlights challenges faced by NGOs in providing social welfare services to street children. The study provides a critical analysis of some of the key social welfare service challenges that need to be addressed to ensure effective and sustainable delivery of social welfare services. the social welfare services rendered to street children and to ascertain how these social welfare services can be enhanced from the perspective of service providers employed by NGOs in Pretoria. An explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was utilised. The researcher used purposive and non-probability sampling methods to draw the sample. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect information from nine service providers working with street children. Data were analysed according to the framework provided by Tesch (in Creswell, 2009). Data was verified using Guba‘s model (in Krefting, 1991).The study highlights challenges faced by NGOs in providing social welfare services to street children. The study provides a critical analysis of some of the key social welfare service challenges that need to be addressed to ensure effective and sustainable delivery of social welfare services. / Social Work / MA (Social Work)

Les enfants atteints d’un trouble du spectre de l’autisme (TSA) présentent souvent des difficultés à généraliser leurs apprentissages à des nouveaux stimuli, contextes et individus (Brown & Bebko, 2012; Happé & Frith, 2006; Lovaas, Koegel, Simmons, & Long, 1973; Plaisted, O'Riordan, & Baron-Cohen, 1998). Pour cette raison, il est important d’utiliser des techniques promouvant la généralisation au sein des programmes d’intervention leur étant destinés. Cette recherche visait à évaluer l’efficacité de deux des techniques les plus fréquemment utilisées dans les programmes d’intervention comportementale intensive (ICI), soit l’enseignement séquentiel et l’enseignement simultané, afin de déterminer si l’une d’elles était systématiquement plus efficace que l’autre pour promouvoir la généralisation des concepts chez les enfants ayant un TSA. Des devis expérimentaux à cas unique ont été utilisés pour évaluer les effets des deux techniques sur la généralisation de quatre enfants ayant un diagnostic de TSA et recevant des services d’ICI en clinique privée. Pour deux participants, la méthode enseignement simultané a démontré une plus grande efficacité quant à la généralisation des concepts enseignés. Pour les deux autres, les deux techniques se sont avérées aussi efficaces. Bien que préliminaires, les résultats suggèrent qu’il serait préférable d’appliquer la méthode enseignement simultané lors de l’enseignement de concepts chez les enfants ayant un TSA en contexte d’ICI. / Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often show difficulties in generalizing what they have learned to new stimuli, contexts or persons (Brown & Bebko, 2012; Happé & Frith, 2006; Lovaas, Koegel, Simmons, & Long, 1973; Plaisted, O'Riordan, & Baron-Cohen, 1998). For this reason, it is important to implement strategies to promote generalization within programs intended for this population. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of two of the most commonly used strategies in intensive behavioral intervention (IBI), serial training and concurrent teaching, to determine whether one was systematically more effective than the other at promoting generalization in children with ASD? Single-case experimental designs were used to assess the effects of the two strategies with four children with an ASD diagnosis receiving services in a private clinic. For two participants, concurrent teaching was more effective to promote generalisation of the learned concepts. For the remaining two participants, the two strategies were equally effective. Albeit preliminary, the results suggest that it may be preferable to introduce exemplars concurrently when teaching concepts to children with ASD within IBI programs.

The first part of the thesis summarizes theoretical knowledge of the areas that relate to the characteristics of pervasive developmental disorders, as well as chapter focused on family and compensatory mechanisms with the diagnosis and the adoption of a child. Next chapter describe helping professions and it is a brief introduction of specific professions with who I have the opportunity to meet and get to know that their work and the methods used with a target group of preschool children with ASD. I consider the importance of an early intervention in terms of working with the family and the child to be important, therefore, I focus on diagnostic methods and organization APLA Prague and Central Bohemia. I had the opportunity to attend several practices in this organization and I got to know methods of working with clients with autism. Overall, this practice must be assessed as very beneficial. System and work of the organization is actually a good example for practice. I will try to describe this organization in the form of case studies and interviews with families. I then will focus on the social support of families and the financial opportunities that are offered to these families. The next chapter is about social services which are services of social prevention, care and counseling. These...

This thesis focuses on functional assessments, visual stimulation and on offers of Centres for Early Intervention that provide services in the area of visual perception for children in early and preschool age. The goal of the thesis is to analyze interviews with workers in these centres on options and services in the area of visual aid that these centres provide for families and their children with disabilities. The first four chapters deal with theoretical background in the area of functional assessments of vision, visual stimulation and description of the group of children in early and preschool age with visual and multiple disabilities. Last but not least, these chapters also deal with organizations that provide early intervention services, their structure, composition of personnel and range of offered services. The content of the fifth chapter is a qualitative research investigation. The data were collected through interviews with instructors of visual stimulation and with an early intervention assistant. Analysis of these interviews then became basis for the subsequent definition of commendable suggestions for good practise.

Redan i de tidiga skolåren och i skolans alla ämnen har språket stor betydelse för utvecklingen och lärandet. Alla barn utvecklas olika och skolan har ett uppdrag i att möta och utmana alla elever. Studiens syfte är att bidra med kunskap om hur skolan kan möta och utmana de elever som redan har ett välutvecklat språk när de kommer till skolan, något som vi väljer att kalla tidiga språkare, samt hur specialläraren inom språk-, skriv- och läsutveckling kan vara delaktig i detta arbete. Studien belyser även hur samverkan mellan personal på skolan och skolbibliotek kan främja dessa elevers språk-, skriv- och läsutveckling. Teoretisk utgångpunkt i studien är sociokulturellt perspektiv. Empiri till studien har samlats in genom intervjuer av kvalitativ och semistrukturerad karaktär med åtta respondenter. Resultatet visar att lärare och förskollärare upplever att de snabbt får en klar bild av samtliga elevers språkliga förmågor och vilka som är i behov av särskilda utmaningar. Det framkommer också att lärare och förskollärare uppger sig ha möjligheter att utmana de som har kommit längre i sin språkliga utveckling. Gruppens betydelse och sammansättning lyfts som viktiga faktorer för lärande och samtliga respondenter trycker på vikten av det sociala arbetet i skolan. Resultatet visar även att lärare och förskollärare främst önskar handledning från speciallärare inom språk-, skriv- och läsutveckling för att möta de språkligt tidiga elevernas behov. Speciallärarens handledande roll är en viktig specialpedagogisk implikation som framkommer i studien. / Already in the early school years and in all school subjects, the language has great importance for development and learning. All children develop differently and the school has a mission to meet and challenge all pupils. The aim of the study is to provide knowledge about how the school can meet and challenge the students who already have a well-developed language when they come to school, something that we choose to call early language speakers, and how the special needs teacher in language, writing and reading development can be involved in this work. The study also highlights how collaboration between staff at the school and school libraries can promote these pupils' language, writing and reading development. The theoretical starting point in the study is socio-cultural perspective. The empirical study has been collected through interviews of a qualitative and semi-structured character with eight respondents. The result shows that teachers and preschool teachers find that they quickly get a clear picture of all pupils' linguistic abilities and who are in need of special challenges. It also appears that teachers and preschool teachers say they have the opportunity to challenge those who have come further in their linguistic development. The group's importance and composition are highlighted as important factors for learning and all respondents emphasize the importance of social work in school. The result also shows that teachers and preschool teachers primarily want supervision from special needs teachers in language, writing and reading development in order to meet the needs of the linguistically early students. The special role of the special needs teacher is an important special educational implication that emerges in the study.