Home visiting services have become an important and common component of early intervention for children with developmental delays. Currently, this group of children is the most frequent target of home visiting programs throughout the nation, although research evaluating the effectiveness of these programs is less pervasive. For this reason, a comprehensive analysis of studies within the home visiting literature that specifically focused on children with developmental delays and their families has been conducted. This effort has been accomplished through the process of meta-analysis. In addition to the computation of standardized mean difference effect sizes, emphasis was also placed on identifying the salient sample, intervention, and outcome characteristics of this group of studies. Results are discussed in terms of ecological validity or how well the findings of the study generalize to the world of practice, policy, additional research, and training in the field of home visiting. Overall, much of what we are observing in the research is applicable to current practice, specifically in regard to the home visiting procedure. However, discrepancies between research and practice have been found in regard to the target of the intervention and the training of the home visitor.

This study described the effect of a non-augmented (Spoken Communication, SC) and two augmented language interventions (Augmented Communication-Input, AC-I or Augmented Communication-Output, AC-O) on the upper-body, gross and fine motor skills of toddlers at the onset and conclusion of the intervention. The data presented are from a longitudinal study by Romski, Sevcik, Adamson, Cheslock, Smith, Barker, & Bakeman (2010). Three standardized assessments and five observational measures examined the participants' motor skills used to activate the speech generating device (SGD), language abilities and outcomes. The AC-O intervention decreased physical prompting, increased error-free symbol activations, and increased developmentally appropriate gross and fine motor use. An augmented intervention that utilizes a SGD may facilitate both language and motor development through the combination of the communicative goals and increased motor learning opportunities when accessing the SGD device.

This study examined indigenous infants, children, and youth in rural central Mexico for developmental delays by using a mixed methods approach. A two-person team consisting of a researcher and a translator completed this study. They conducted observations of 665 minors and interviews with their caregivers. A self-designed rubric was the guide to evaluate children using standards previously researched, developed and tested during the researcher's employment as director of a bilingual school in the United States (USA). This tool was used to evaluate the children, ninety-five percent of which were of Mexican heritage. The tool was modified to meet the needs of indigenous participants within this study in Central Mexico. This study found that the identification of developmental delays or special needs using traditional assessments might fail to take into account sociocultural factors (Baez, 2002; Cattey, 1980; Kelly, Sacker, Schoon, and Nazroo, 2006; Ogbu, 1992b; Rogoff, 2003) present in indigenous rural Mexican farm or ranch communities (`campos'). Data suggested that Native Indian or indigenous (`campesino') parents or other caregivers struggle with self-esteem issues related to class status thus failing to advocate for themselves or their children. Data additionally implied that caregivers lack access to social services including those aimed at working with developmental delays, special needs, (Fletcher, 1999; Forlin, Cedillo, Romero-Contreras, Fletcher, and Rodriguez, in press) and children without disabilities. Cultural factors maintained the status quo: the upper class held power, the middle class struggled, and the `campesino' continued to lose vital assets necessary to meet basic human needs. The findings identified a disproportionate number of developmentally delayed children, mainly due to malnutrition or other environmental influences; resulting from class status and/or lack of access to information. `Campesino' participants from in eighteen rural Central Mexican facilities were studied. Participants represented over one hundred `campos.' This study utilized an emic ethnographic approach (researcher being an "insider" researcher-participant) employing both qualitative and quantitative methodology. Results indicated that factors related to social status affected rural Mexican children's ability to acquire the basic nutritional intake necessary to achieve academic success and/or social elevation in Mexico or elsewhere due to the caregivers limited ability to improve the quality of life for his/her `campesino' children.

No description available.

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF BRITTNEY E. EBERHARDT, for the Master of Science degree in Behavior Analysis and Therapy, presented on August 2016, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: TEACHING IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS TO CHILDREN WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS USING THE PEAK RELATIONAL TRAINING SYSTEM MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Mark R. Dixon Idiomatic expressions are commonly used phrases, which require the listener to interpret the meaning figuratively rather than literally. The purpose of this study was to expand the research in the area of stimulus equivalence to determine whether untaught symmetrical and transitive responding in relation to idiomatic expressions would emerge for two participants with developmental delays. The first phase of the study involved directly training participants to respond with the statement (B stimuli; i.e.: “Go to bed.”) that corresponded with an intraverbal (A stimuli; i.e.: “What do you do at night after you put on your pajamas?”). After participants mastered these relationships, they were directly trained to respond with the idiomatic expression (C stimuli; i.e.: “Hit the hay”) when the experimenter verbally asked, “What is another way to say [A stimuli]?”. The results indicate that both participants achieved mastery criteria during the first phase of the study on A-B relations, however they were unable to demonstrate the derived equivalence A-C relation or C-B relation. After training on the B-C relationship, participants were again able to achieve criteria on the trained relationship and demonstrated some of the derived symmetrical relationships as well as derived transitive relationships. In addition, this study utilized the procedures from the PEAK-E relational training system to aid in replication in research and clinical practice.

Thesis advisor: Callista Roy / Assessing pain in nonverbal children with intellectual disability (ID) is challenging. These children are at risk for having pain from complex medical conditions and treatments for these conditions (Breau, Camfield, McGrath, Finley, 2004). Compounding this, their pain cues are often misunderstood, given that they are nonverbal and limited by their physical abilities. Although, pain assessment tools for this population exist, there is a need for tools appropriate for a range of exhibited pain expressions. The general purpose of this study was to examine the words that parents of children with ID use to describe their child's pain responses in order to improve pain recognition and management. Specifically, the aims were to: 1) Identify common pain responses; 2) Examine the relationship between type of pain response and demographic characteristics; 3) Compare common pain responses to cues in the literature. A non-directed summative content analysis identified patterns in 335 parent described pain responses of 50 nonverbal children with ID ages 6-18 years. The relationships between type of pain response and selected demographic factors were examined. Then pain responses were compared to items of pain tools for this population. Seven distinct categories of pain expression were identified in the content analysis. The greatest percentage of pain cues were within the categories of vocalization (39.4%), social behavior (21.8%) and facial expressions (16%). Four categories: vocalization, social behavior, muscle tone and activity level included opposite responses to pain. Significant relationships between type of parent described pain expression and 1) pain severity; 2) causes of ID and; 3) the gender of the child found that type of pain expression changes with severity; that patients with seizure disorders expressed pain with vocal pain expression; and that females expressed pain with more social pain expression while males expressed with more vocalizations. The results support published evidence that parents can articulate their child's pain responses. The study also provides evidence of: 1) opposite pain responses within general categories of pain; 2) a significant relationship between type of pain responses and severity of pain, cause of ID and child gender and; 3) the comprehensiveness of pain assessment tools vary greatly. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. Connell School of Nursing. / Discipline: Nursing.

The current study examined the effects of language instruction with two preschool age students who are English language learners who have developmental delays using the incidental teaching method. Language targets were randomly chosen according to the language level of each student and the targets were either in Spanish (L1) or English (L2). The students were in a special education classroom and researchers worked with them one-on-one, using the natural learning environment to teach and to better implement learning objectives. Targets were withheld during play and students had to mand, tact, or use intraverbal skills to receive the item. Their reward was the object they desired after they manded, tacted, or used intraverbal language. The experimental effects were measured using a single case, repeated acquisition design. The intervention was maintained for five months. The results indicated that acquisition of English (L2) is acquired faster after Spanish (L1) has been appropriately taught. Implications for further research are discussed.

This study explored the way members of one family understand the presence of developmental delays, especially Asperger Syndrome, in the children of that family. Specifically the study sought to glean how each parent constructed individual understanding of the presence of Asperger Syndrome in their twin, 13 year-old boys. It also sought to explore how each twin experienced the phenomenon of being labeled a child with Asperger Syndrome, and how their experiences affected their growing understanding of the syndrome. A third son, 10 years old, with PDD-NOS, was also a central focus in this study in that he also created and shared experiences that affected his, his brothers, and his parents understanding of Asperger Syndrome. Findings indicate that each member of the family constructs an individual understanding of the syndrome, based on personal experiences and attitudes. While this is not surprising, it is interesting to note how these divergent constructed understandings mesh and mingle with each other in the familys experiences. Both parents approached the onset of their boys Asperger Syndrome by sorting through very different world views and backgrounds. Yet both essentially define the syndrome in the same terms. They deal with their children differently, especially when juxtaposing similar tasks, i.e., helping with the childs homework, yet they often describe the basic deficits each child has as if speaking from one voice. Within the range of understanding how a learning difference affects a child, it is natural that there would be some denial and/or rejection of the effects on that child. This study found that to be quite true in this family. The study also found that the boys understanding was not that well developed, perhaps a function of some denial and/or rejection by the parents. But perhaps not.

The study focuses on young children with developmental delays (DD) in a large school district and explores the effects of Pre-Kindergarten Exceptional Student Education (Pre-K ESE) duration on 136 students' 3rd grade academic achievement and socialization opportunities. This study specifically examines the 2003 statewide assessment (i.e. Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, FCAT) results of children with DD and their 3rd grade special education status. The literature review showed that providing early intervention services for young children ages 3 through 5 with special needs in the public school system has become the movement of both the federal and state educational policies. However, the empirical studies regarding the effects of Pre-K early intervention programs provided within the public school system are few. A multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was conducted to examine the effect of the Pre-K duration (1 year vs. 2 years) on students' 3rd grade performance as measured by FCAT Reading scores, FCAT Math scores, and socialization opportunities (i.e. weekly Non-ESE minutes) while controlling for students' socioeconomic status (i.e. free/reduced price lunch status) and gender. Moreover, a paired sample t test was conducted to examine the difference of the Matrix of Services scores between Pre-K and 3rd grade evaluations. The results of this study provide an insightful picture of Florida Pre-K intervention duration on the performance of children with special needs in public schools.

No description available.