In three experiments, I first examined the correlation between the presence of transformation of stimulus function (TSF) across computation and the presence of TSF across saying and writing for spelling words, and then tested the effects of the establishment of TSF across saying and writing on the establishment of TSF across math operants. Eight middle school students with learning disabilities participated in experiments I and II. All participants demonstrated reader/writer and math skills such as textual responding and using counting strategies to solve one-step word problems. Four of the eight participants also demonstrated TSF across saying and writing for spelling. The dependent variables of Experiment I were the accuracy and fluency of solving word problems after receiving fluency training on math facts, as well as the number of counting strategies used when solving word problems. Results showed that all participants with TSF across saying and writing for spelling demonstrated significant increases in both their accuracy and fluency when responding to word problems (i.e., ES = 1) whereas participants who did not demonstrate TSF across saying and writing for spelling demonstrated minimal gain from accuracy and fluency training of math facts (i.e., mean ES = 0.3). Experiment II tested the effects of fluency and accuracy training of word problems on the accurate and fluent responding to math facts and other math operants. Results showed that accuracy and fluency training had large effects on all participants (i.e., ES = 1). Participants who did not demonstrate TSF also demonstrated larger improvement (i.e., ES > 0.67) compared to Experiment I. The results of Experiments I and II demonstrated an association between TSF across math operants and TSF across saying and writing for spelling. Experiment III further tested for a functional relation by examining the effects of the establishment of TSF across saying and writing for spelling on the establishment of TSF across math operants with three of the participants who did not demonstrate TSF across saying and writing for spelling in the first two experiments. Upon establishment of TSF across saying and writing for spelling words, all three participants demonstrated TSF across math operants (i.e., increased accuracy and fluency of word problems, extinction of counting strategies). The results of the three experiments suggest the importance of teaching math as a verbal behavior, more specifically, as a speaker-as-own-listener behavior instead of as visual match-to-sample repertoires. Future replication of the procedure is needed to extend the external validity of the current experiments.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to determine the changes in four measures of participation for a small sample of children with severe and multiple disabilities when using adapted rhythm instruments. The four measures of participation were: 1) on- task behavior, 2) motivational behavior - smile, 3) motivational behavior - pleasure sounds and 4) performance. Six children between the ages of 5 and 11 years old participated in: eight music therapy sessions over a 14-week period. The sessions consisted of two phases: 1) Baseline Phase (utilizing rhythm instruments), and 2) treatment Phase (utilizing individually adapted rhythm instruments). A Chi-squared test was used to compare on-task behavior between phases. Friedman Two-Way Test of Analysis of Variance tests were used to compare Baseline to Treatment Phases for both motivational behaviors and performance. Results showed one incidence of statistical significance in on-task behaviors. No significance was found for the other three measures. Although no significance was found, the data indicates a pattern between phases. Significant statements taken from the teacher and researcher documents were divided into categories and then condensed into themes by each Phase. Statements showed a reported increase in positive non-typical behaviors, positive emotions, independence, and positive experiences during the Treatment Phases. The teacher reported a decrease in anxious behaviors and off-task behaviors during Treatment. The qualitative data supported and provided context for the patterns found within the quantitative data.

The traditional method of identifying students with disabilities has led to a new innovation being implemented at the school level. Response to Intervention (RTI) is an alternative approach that received federal approval with the passage of Individuals with Disabilities Educational Improvement Act (IDEIA) 2004. On July 1, 2010, RTI became the required process for determining identification of students with learning disabilities for all schools in the state of Florida. Implementation of this approach requires significant changes in how schools operate. Using a phenomenological study design, the purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the experiences of elementary school principals implementing RTI in their schools. After gaining the individual viewpoints of 16 principals through an interview process, the data was analyzed using Fullan‟s nine critical factors affecting implementation of a change project. Results indicate that principals found RTI implementation to be a difficult, but worthwhile experience.

Various researchers have viewed metalinguistics as the ability to consciously reflect upon language (Van Kleeck 1984a; Franklin 1979; Cazden 1975; Dale 1976). Prior to schooling, children use language as a means of functional communication through developing an interaction with the environment. They are aware of the content of their messages but not the language they are using to communicate their ideas. The emergence of language is developed primarily through concrete operations according to Van Kleeck (1984a). However, Allan (1982) states that when children enter school and begin to read, metalinguistics is emphasized and the language evolves from an unconscious, experimental use to a conscious, metalinguistic use. There is a growing interest among researchers in the study of metalinguistics. Smith and Flusberg (1982) employed judgment tasks to look at how the child attends to certain properties of language. This behavior is particularly important when studying the semantic, syntactic and pragmatic development of children.

A comprehensive view of secondary learning disabilities programs is not available in the professional literature. Previous studies have been limited to certain program aspects and often to single states. Therefore, a more integrated investigation is needed into what high school LD teachers do; what their needs are; what teachers and supervisors consider important for their programs; and the impact of these variables on consultative practices. The purpose of this study was to provide a more complete picture of secondary LD programming by investigating LD teachers’ and program supervisors! perspectives on their programs. Surveys were used to gather descriptive data on program practices in seven states: Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Questionnaire items were based on summaries of open-ended interviews with teachers and supervisors in Virginia and information from the professional literature. Questionnaires were mailed to a random sample stratified by state and district size. Response rates for teachers and supervisors were 72.0% and 69.0% respectively. According to the findings of this study, content area instruction and basic skills remediation are the most frequent instructional emphases in these programs; time devoted to paperwork and non-teaching duties is excessive; and minimal time is devoted to consultation and program planning and development. These findings are consistent with research of the past ten years. However, teachers and supervisors in this sample seem to want more emphasis on learning strategies instruction and consultation and less on content instruction in their program. Lack of time and flexibility were identified as the greatest barriers to consultation. Both teachers and supervisors indicate a need for more comprehensive programming. However, differences in perceptions of what teachers' needs for assistance are, how to meet these needs, and teachers' lack of involvement in program planning and development may contribute to the static quality of these programs and prevent sufficient change in working conditions to accommodate teachers' and supervisors' priorities. Implications of findings for developing action plans in local school systems are discussed. / Ed. D.

The present study explored whether explicit instructions would improve the ability of learning disabled and non-disabled children to monitor their comprehension for explicitly stated inconsistencies in stories particularly when the processing demands were increased. Specifically, 24 LD and 24 NLD third and fourth-grade boys listened to three prose passages. Half of each group received explicit instructions describing exactly what type of anomaly was present in the story and the other half received general instructions. The processing demands were manipulated by presenting the stories to each child under three different conditions. In the easy presentation, the premise and contradictory sentences were adjacent. In the distractor task presentation, the premise and contradictory sentences were adjacent, but the child had to simultaneously monitor a secondary task while listening to the story. In the hard presentation, the premise and contradictory sentences were separated by two filler sentences. Multiple measures of detecting inconsistencies and recall were obtained. Past research has determined that LD children exhibit a production deficiency for monitoring inconsistencies in prose passages (Bos & Filip, 1984). However, the present research found that LD children do not exhibit a production deficiency for monitoring explicitly stated inconsistencies in passages. Furthermore, LD and NLD children exhibited the same proficiency in identifying the inconsistencies and recalling the stories. This research provides additional information that must be considered before labeling the LD child as an “inactive learner" (Torgesen, 1980). / Master of Science

The study was designed as one component of a program evaluation in special education funded by the State Department of Education in Virginia. The purpose was to identify the characteristics of mildly handicapped children who had been identified as learning disabled, educable mentally retarded and emotionally disturbed in a small school district. The parameters of the study included demographic information, school-based characteristics and assessment data. Student data were collected from the confidential folders maintained by the school district which included all written reports required for assessment and placement. Demographic data were taken from cumulative folders maintained in the schools for the students and reports developed by the building principal. A regression formula was used with the assessment data to determine if learning disabled students exhibited a severe ability-achievement discrepancy statistically. The regression formula and grade equivalent comparisons were conducted with emotionally disturbed students to determine if the emotional disturbance was adversely affecting their educational performance as measured by standardized tests. A constant comparative method was used to analyze the minutes from eligibility committee meetings to determine the important features school-based teams used for their assignment of labels to handicapped children. Comparisons were made between the characteristics of the children identified as handicapped and the state and federal definitions for those handicapping conditions. A discriminant analysis was used to investigate the possibility of predicting which students considered eligible for special education services would be classified learning disabled or emotionally disturbed based on 10 variables. Interviews were conducted with the program evaluation stakeholders committee to solicit their feedback concerning the results of the study. / Ed. D.

This study examines selected variables as they relate to the performance of sixth-grade learning disabled (LD) and behaviorally-emotionally handicapped (BEH) students on minimum competency tests administered by the North Carolina public schools. The sample consisted of 313 LD and 79 BEH subjects who attended the 1988 Basic Education Program Summer School in 38 selected school districts. Data were collected describing the independent variables including students’ race, sex, handicapping condition, parent education level, and school and teacher characteristics including instructional time, class size, teacher training, and teacher certification. The dependent variables for the study included language, reading, and mathematics performance scores on the Minimum Skills Diagnostic Tests (MSDT). Data were analyzed by utilizing a multiple regression model to describe the relationships between selected demographic and school variables and language, math, and reading gain scores on the MSDT and by utilizing dependent t tests for differences between the means for pre- and post-test performances. Although gains were made by LD and BEH students on the MSDT, it was concluded that the student and school variables used in the study were not predictive of achievement. / Ed. D.

No description available.