The objective of this research is to review the degree of United States Army compliance in the implementation of evidence-based design practices within the Military Health System construction cycle. This research looks at the impact of the 2007 Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs memorandum directing the use of evidence-based design within the Military Healthcare System construction process. The memorandum impacted the military medical construction process that includes over 6.2 billion dollars in government programmed military medical construction covering 9.2 million beneficiaries. An analysis of federal construction documents, interviews, and an online survey was conducted with 85 government and civilian healthcare facility planners to measure general evidence-based design knowledge, direct knowledge of medical construction policy requirements, and the level to which the Military Health System Evidence-based Design Principles matrix has been implemented within four selected military medical construction projects. Results of the review of construction publications show minimal evidence of evidence-based design incorporation with key federal regulatory documents. The results of an online survey conducted during the research had a 65.8% response rate (39 government personnel, 17 civilian personnel). The survey showed that basic knowledge of evidence-based design was present, but revealed severe deficiencies in specific knowledge and application of construction policies. Review of selected medical facilities demonstrated non-standardized incorporation of evidence-based design features. This research concludes that evidence-based design has achieved minimal integration into the Military Health System general knowledge base and project execution. Achieving compliance with the 2007 directive memorandum requires that significant efforts be made in personnel training and reconciliation with federal military medical construction documents.

This study explored instructional strategies elementary-year mathematics teachers of students with emotional and/or behavioural disorders (EBD) perceived to be helpful in improving students’ performance in mathematics using a resiliency perspective (i.e., the ability to positively adapt despite experiencing significant adversity; Luthar, Cicchetti, & Becker, 2000). The researcher interviewed three elementary-year teachers to gain insight into their teaching experiences and the instructional strategies. A basic interpretive qualitative approach (Merriam, 2002) was used to understand the underlying meaning of the experiences of these mathematics teachers of students with EBD as they used evidence-based instructional strategies to improve students’ academic performance in mathematics and behaviour during instruction. A definitional focus on resiliency was the lens utilized for analyzing data generated through the interviews (Luthar, Cicchetti & Becker, 2000; Masten, 2001; Smith & Prior, 1995; Smokowski, 1998). Three themes emerged from participant interviews: ways of engaging students in learning; from dead time to active learning; and promoting positive student behaviour. Specifically, teachers reported an instructional strategy that met the needs of students of EBD which helped them obtain academic success in mathematics, and students were also better behaved in classrooms where instructional strategies employed were meeting their individual needs. These findings suggest an appropriate instructional strategy influences how students of EBD make meaning of mathematics, since teachers observed students were able to do higher thinking mathematics when strategies were in place in the classroom that met their individual needs. Teachers also shared that students were able to make good behavioural choices when they were experiencing academic success in the classroom. Practical implications of the findings, the limitations and strengths of the current study, and areas for future research are discussed.

For students with emotional and behavioural issues the bridge from middle years to senior years can be particularly challenging. This transition is especially problematic if the students are moving from self-contained or specialized programming supports in middle years to inclusive senior years environments. This qualitative research study examined the perspectives and experiences of four principals and three student services personnel regarding the transition of students from specialized middle years placements to inclusive senior years schools. Each participant was asked their opinions on what strategies, structures, policies and supports assisted with the transition process as well as those that detracted from successful transitioning. Qualitative analysis of the data suggested that students need to connect with a positive adult upon transitioning to senior years, and they need to perceive that their senior years school is a safe and positive place for them to attend.

For students with emotional and behavioural issues the bridge from middle years to senior years can be particularly challenging. This transition is especially problematic if the students are moving from self-contained or specialized programming supports in middle years to inclusive senior years environments. This qualitative research study examined the perspectives and experiences of four principals and three student services personnel regarding the transition of students from specialized middle years placements to inclusive senior years schools. Each participant was asked their opinions on what strategies, structures, policies and supports assisted with the transition process as well as those that detracted from successful transitioning. Qualitative analysis of the data suggested that students need to connect with a positive adult upon transitioning to senior years, and they need to perceive that their senior years school is a safe and positive place for them to attend.

Youth with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) have poorer outcomes compared to their peers with and without disabilities. As a result, the federal government has mandated transition services to improve supports and ultimately student outcomes. Using data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS-2), this secondary analysis looked at services provided to youth with EBD (n = 410). The purpose of the study was to show a relationship between utilization of multiple services and the attainment of paid employment, and/or attending post-secondary education. Results indicate relationships between receiving financial services, tutoring and educational services and vocational services with attending a post-secondary institution. Logistic regression indicated a relationship between time, age and amount or services with paid employment. These results indicate the need for continuous, systematic and linked services for youth with EBD well into their twenties.

Individually administered intelligence tests are a routine component of psychological assessments of children who may meet criteria for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), learning disorders (LD), or emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). In addition to providing potentially useful test scores, the individual administration of an intelligence test provides an ideal opportunity for observing a child’s behavior in a standardized setting, which may contribute clinically meaningful information to the assessment process. However, little is known about the associations between test scores and test session behavior of children with these disorders. This study examined patterns of test scores and test session observations in groups of children with ADHD, LD, EBD who were administered the Stanford Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition (SB5), as well as in control children from the SB5 standardization sample. Three hundred and twelve children receiving special education services for ADHD (n = 50), LD (n = 234), EBD (n = 28) and 100 children selected from the SB5 standardization sample were selected from a data set of children who were administered both the SB5 and the Test Observation Form (TOF; a standardized rating form for assessing behavior during cognitive or achievement testing of children). The groups were then compared on SB scores and TOF scores. Associations between test scores and TOF scores in children with ADHD, LD, and EBD and normal controls were also examined. The results of this investigation indicated that children with ADHD, LD, and EBD and normal control children differed on several SB5 and TOF scales. Control children scored higher on all of the SB5 scales than children with LD, and scored higher on many of the SB5 scales than children with ADHD and EBD. Children with EBD demonstrated the most problem behavior during testing, followed by children with ADHD. Children with LD were similar to control children with respect to test session behavior. In addition, several combinations of test scores and test session behavior were able to predict diagnostic group status. Overall, the results of this investigation suggest that test scores and behavioral observations during testing can and should be important components of multi-informant, multi-method assessment of children with ADHD, LD, and EBD.

The increase of students with an emotional and/or behavioral disorder (EBD) and the increased time they are in the regular education classroom presents multiple challenges for untrained regular classroom teachers. At the local site it was noted that leadership needed a deeper understanding of the practices used by the teachers with EBD students. The purpose of this study was to identify educator's descriptions of effective instructional strategies when working with EBD students. Using Vygotsky's theories of defectology and zone of proximal development as the framework, the guiding questions for this study focused on training, instructional strategies, and behavior management tools that teachers deemed successful in the inclusion classroom. Data were collected using a case study exploring the design with purposeful sampling strategies for participant recruitment. Two focus groups with 14 regular Kindergarten through fifth grade classroom teachers were conducted along with personal interviews with 5 behavior specialists. Data were analyzed using open and axial coding with iterative re-categorization strategies. The findings highlighted effective teaching strategies that focused on improving the overall educational experience in the inclusive classroom by targeting improvement of academic performance, social skills, communication techniques, and behavior management strategies. This study focused on a positive social change by positioning teachers to create a successful educational environment for all students. The study's project provided a culminating professional development project that presented the various strategies discovered during the data collection and analysis process.

<p>This was a cross-sectional study done in Lagos, Nigeria on 114 dentists. The aim of the study was to describe the knowledge and attitudes of dentists towards the concept of evidence-based dentistry (EBD). This study also attempted to create an awareness of this concept in the minds of previously uninformed dentists as well as demonstrate its need in continuous professional education via seminars, updates, lectures and short-term courses in Lagos, Nigeria.</p>

The Behavior Education Program was implemented with four students at a large sub-urban elementary school in central Texas. The elementary school has a diverse population of 750 students and was implementing Tier 1 interventions with 81% fidelity as measured by the School-wide Evaluation Tool. The BEP was implemented in a multiple-baseline design. All students’ behavioral improvement was measured through daily behavior rating scales, office discipline referrals and time sampling data. Academic engagement was measured through direct observation, DIBELS progress-monitoring and nine-week grades. Progress on BEP goals was then compared to direct observation data of on-task behavior and DIBELS data. All three students’ improvement on BEP goals correlated with an improvement in academic engagement and increased scoring on DIBELS progress monitoring indicating that progress in the area of behavior is linked to academic achievement.

In this study, the effects of two secondary tier positive behavioral support strategies, teacher praise notes (TPNs) and peer praise notes (PPNs), were investigated using an alternating treatments single-subject design in residential classroom settings with eight elementary students with emotional and behavioral disorders (E/BD) in grades one through five who displayed disruptive behaviors. These students were selected based on the following criteria: (a) identified as using attention-seeking behaviors to disrupt classroom instruction, and (b) accrued an average of three or more office discipline referrals (ODRs) during classroom instruction since the beginning of the semester. Teacher praise notes are notes written by the teacher to a student regarding observed appropriate classroom behaviors while peer praise notes are written by the students to peers of their choice regarding observed appropriate behaviors. The type of praise notes were counterbalanced across each session. Duration recording was used to record the length of disruption per student during all sessions. Data were analyzed by visual analysis. The results suggest that TPNs and PPNs decreased disruptive behaviors of the students with E/BD in a residential setting; however, there was minimal to no fractionation between the two interventions. Limitations and future for research directions are discussed.