No description available.

This dissertation explores the functioning and participation of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in their natural environments, with a focus on the preschool years. Chapter 1 provides the context for this dissertation through introducing the theoretical frameworks that were used, exploring function-based measures, and social communication functioning. Chapter 2 is a qualitative evidence synthesis of the literature to identify the cultural factors that are associated with parents’ engagement in their children’s healthcare services. This chapter highlights the challenges that parents of children with ASD faced and the importance of health providers to be culturally competent in family-centered care. Chapter 3 is a descriptive study that aims to explore the participation patterns of preschool children with ASD at home and in the community. The association of environmental factors and social communication abilities on children’s participation are also explored. This chapter emphasizes that children with ASD participated in a variety of activities at home and in the community. It also highlights the importance of supporting parents to engage their children in activities and the need for community to support their participation. Chapter 4 examines the stability of a function-based categorization system – the Autism Classification System of Functioning: Social Communication (ACSF:SC). Children’s social communication abilities were rated using the ACSF:SC at baseline and six months. This chapter indicates that rating of social communication abilities can vary over time. Therefore, frequent assessment using the ACSF:SC is recommended for accurate identification of the child’s current social communication abilities. Chapter 5 discusses the clinical and research implications of this dissertation work. It also discusses knowledge translation opportunities and potential future work. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This thesis consists of a series of studies examining factors associated with the abilities of children with autism spectrum disorder and their participation in daily activities. The first study provides a review of the literature examining the association between cultural backgrounds of parents and their engagement in autism child services. The second study explores the patterns of engagement in childhood activities for preschool children with autism using parent-reported measures. This study also examines the associations between environmental factors and the social communication abilities of a child and their participation in childhood activities. The third study examines the social communication abilities of children with autism using a new approach to describing levels of ability, rather than deficits. This study looks at the social communication abilities of preschool children with autism over six months. The importance of this work is that it adds to the literature by generating new knowledge on the abilities of children with autism, rather than their deficits. It also emphasizes the need for support in healthcare settings and in the community to improve these children’s participation.

No description available.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to long-term closures of schools and drastic changes in the way educational services were delivered. While children of all ages were affected, those in pre-kindergarten were arguably affected the most severely. The intent of pre-kindergarten (pre-K) is to prepare children for the academic rigors of kindergarten. Kindergarten readiness is described as the minimum set of skills necessary to enable a young child to successfully transition into kindergarten. The educational progress of the children who were temporarily taught at home during COVID-19 depended largely on the ability of their parents to adequately foster education. However, education was not the only vital school-based service interrupted. School closures meant that many children also missed out on free or reduced-priced meals provided by schools, increasing the risk of hunger for children from low socioeconomic backgrounds. The present study, therefore, conducted timely empirical research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on kindergarten readiness. This study examined the change in kindergarten readiness pass rates from 70 Florida school districts for the school years 2018-2019, 2019-2020 and 2020-2021, and whether or not reliance on free and reduced lunch affected these rates. Mean pass rates increased during the three years. The 2018 school year had a mean pass rate of 51.9 percent, followed by 53 percent in 2019, and 53.9 percent in the 2020 school year. However, the only statistically significant difference was between the academic years of 2018 and 2020. As rates of children receiving free or reduced-price meals increased, pass rates generally decreased. The current study indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic did not negatively impact kindergarten readiness in Florida but being of lower socioeconomic status (SES) negatively impacted the pass rates. Additional research is needed to further investigate findings, including examining the 2021-2022 school year data to learn how the pandemic and SES affect long-term kindergarten readiness.

No description available.

Research Findings: This study evaluated the effects of an early mathematics intervention designed to engage preschool children, their teachers, and their families in an interactive mathematics game. Previous research shows that playing this specific type of linear board game results in increased numerical skills and understanding in young children under controlled conditions. The current study explores the game’s effectiveness under more natural conditions–a classroom-based intervention with teachers and a related family engagement component. A pilot study informed a larger-scale experiment, comparing outcomes in multiple skill domains (verbal counting, counting on, number line estimation, numeral magnitude, and numeral recognition) with those of control group children who played memory matching games. The analysis sample included 256 children in classrooms that were randomly selected from volunteer teachers and randomly assigned within 10 centers to either the treatment group (mathematics games, 23 teachers) or the comparison condition (matching games, 22 teachers). The intervention resulted in positive impacts for numeral identification, but not the other domains. The number of math games played was positively associated with verbal counting. No impact of family game play was found; however, implementation challenges could have influenced this finding. Practice or Policy: Including simple, research-informed mathematics board games in the preschool classroom can support mathematical learning. Future work must include families and educators in the design of these supports.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to compare three groups of students: (1) those who were served in a transitional first grade program by a teacher having an interactionist philosophy, (2) those who were previously retained in grade, and (3) a random sample of regularly promoted students. This study used the philosophical orientation of the teacher as the indicator for the type of transitional program (independent variable). The age of the student (birthdate) was also used as an independent variable. The dependent variables used to make these comparisons were ability scores, achievement scores, self-esteem scores, and attendance.;Findings indicate that no significant difference occurred between students formerly served in a transitional program and students who had been retained for any of the dependent variables measured. Regularly promoted students had significantly higher achievement scores and ability scores normed by age than the other two groups. Grade level comparisons revealed no significant difference for measures of ability. There was no birthdate effect present on achievement test scores for the students in this study. There was no interaction present between the group and the student's birthdate. There were no significant differences found among the three groups on self-concept and motivation scores, nor did the students in these three groups differ on the number of days absent from school. Several conclusions were drawn. First, there was no evidence found from this study to indicate that being served in a transitional program was any more beneficial than being retained. Second, successful transitional programs found in the literature had the characteristics of interactionism. From this study, a teacher with an interactionist philosophy, in and of itself, was not enough to produce achievement results for students in a transitional program comparable to those of regularly promoted students. Third, it is recommended that the student's ability be a primary consideration for placement into a transitional program. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.).

The COVID-19 Pandemic has impacted the entire world. Teachers have been challenged throughout this time to adapt their teaching practices amidst a constantly changing environment. The purpose of this study was to answer the research questions: (1) how did teachers' responses to the COVID-19 pandemic vary between the United States and Venezuela? And (2) what do teachers perceive they need to better support children in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic? This research used an interpretive, case study approach through kindergarten teacher interviews and curricula analysis. Teachers were included in the study if they had taught for more than five years and less than 15; served between 15 and 30 children in their classrooms during the pandemic; were lead teachers during the pandemic; and had a bachelor's degree in education. To respond to the pandemic, teachers experienced changes between the initial response and subsequent teaching approaches, they acquired new skills, used different forms of technology, were influenced by students' ages, had challenges with the home environment, found support from families, had to provide support to families, they required support, utilized school resources, and developed COVID-19 safety measures. Teachers in both countries had to provide increased support for children's wellbeing, but, in Venezuela, teachers had a stronger academic emphasis. To support children beyond the pandemic, teachers from both countries spoke about requiring materials, professional support, and comprehension from administrators towards their work. Teachers from both countries demonstrated low concerns about the future of young children.

Limited research has compared parents' perceptions of the benefits of the early intervention (EI) program across states. This study explored whether parents' perceptions of the EI program's benefits differed significantly based on two of the program's primary components: the lead agency's profile and the service delivery model. In addition, the researcher evaluated families' responses to individual items on the Family Outcome Survey-Revised (FOS-R) and provided insights into the findings. The researcher implemented a causal-comparative research design to compare parents' responses to Section B of the FOS-R. As a result of the purposive sampling technique, the researcher obtained data that had been collected by six states, and 3,945 cases were included in the final data set for analysis. The results indicated that, in general, parents have positive perceptions of the EI program's benefits. However, significant differences were detected in parents' responses across lead agencies, suggesting that lead agencies' governing departments influence parents' experiences with the program. Similarly, the comparisons drawn across service delivery models identified significant differences in parents' perceptions of the EI program's benefits. To create a system that provides similar benefits and opportunities for families across states, stakeholders and policymakers consider the results of this study to identify the factors that produce differences in parents' experiences from state to state.