<p> Stigma toward adults with serious mental illness involves labeling, stereotyping, separation, status loss and discrimination. Stigma has been linked to lowered self-esteem, social isolation and withdrawal, and lowered quality of life. As providers of treatment and services, it is fundamental that social work professionals have knowledge regarding serious mental illness and stigma. This quantitative study evaluated the attitudes of 87 Master of Social Work students attending California State University, Long Beach. Respondents completed the Attribution Questionnaire (AQ-27) which evaluated attitudes toward a schizophrenic man presented in a case vignette. Measurements of the nine subscales measuring stigma had a total possible range of 3-27. Results showed correlation between age and pity, differences between ethnicity and stigma subscales, and between stigma subscales and gender. This study contributes to the understanding of stigma toward adults with serious mental illness and shows the need for curriculum that addresses mental health, cultural diversity, and stigma.</p>

<p> Respite care is a social support service that gives parents of people with intellectual disabilities a short break from the constant stress of giving care&mdash;an outside provider temporarily fills the caregiving role. Utilized by families of various socio-cultural backgrounds, little research to date examines respite efficacy holistically in different contexts. Through ethnographic research in the homes and communities of three families over six months of service utilization, meaningful patterns have emerged regarding the planning, perceptions, use, and expected outcomes of respite care. Findings include that parental satisfaction is associated with how parents make plans, if they find the care provider trustworthy, and how completely they and their adult children are able to achieve respite plans. In sum, service efficacy depends largely upon the degree to which parents feel in control of the entire respite experience.</p>

<p> Verified improvement in the treatment of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in the past decade has involved both early interventionists and parents. It is widely acknowledged that the parent-child relationship is fundamental to the development of communication and social skills, especially for children with ASD, and accordingly that parent education is critical. However, lists of required skills and knowledge in professionally developed curricula designed for parents of children with ASD have not been prioritized by the consensus of large numbers of variously affiliated practitioners. The present research yielded wide professional agreement on the prioritization of such skills and knowledge. The instrument used was a self-evaluating, closed-ended survey administered to 483 behaviorists who treat autism. In particular, the survey identified whether a participant had a child with autism or not. The information gathered will assist in the development of a curriculum intended to guide parents in optimizing the help they can give their children with autism.</p>

<p> This mixed method study examines teachers' and administrators' perceptions of what contributes to the growth of the students in the educational disabilities subgroup in reading within the context of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) mandated by NCLB in New Hampshire until June, 2013. This study researches effective reading instruction for students identified with reading disabilities, and the factors within a school that support it, that help that group become proficient in reading. Using the New England Common Assessment Program and AYP data as criteria, four schools that had made AYP in 2011 and 2012 were selected. Participants were 68 special education and regular education teachers and five administrators. Data were collected by 15 initial interviews with special educators, administrators, and reading specialists. Fifty-three classroom teachers were then surveyed. QSR NVivo analyzed qualitative data while quantitative data were analyzed with SPSS software. Analysis yielded six key factors: highly trained teachers, high expectations of success, what the district provides both in resources and organization, collaboration/communication, what to do when students don't make progress, and delivery of instruction. The study yielded a list of the most used direct instruction programs, while small group instruction in the classroom or resource room was the preferred method of instructional delivery. A framework for decision-making was suggested, which included core curriculum, programs, time x intensity, progress monitoring, and tuning-up (CPTPT).</p><p> Key Words: reading instruction, students with disabilities, elementary education, Response to Intervention.</p>

No description available.

<p> The purpose of this project was to locate a potential funding source and write a grant to enable children with physical disabilities to become more included in their education and with their peers. An extensive literature review was performed to investigate the best way to meet these needs through the usage of assistive technology (AT) devices and how such technology can be implemented into an educational curriculum. </p><p> The Inclusion Through Assistive Technology (ITAT) program has the following goals: (1) train children and teachers on the usage of AT devises, (2) reduce children's emotional difficulties, and (3) increased the involvement of children and parents in the educational process. </p><p> The Children's Charity Fund was selected as the program's potential funder, due to its focus on the educational needs of the target population. The actual submission of the proposal was not a requirement of the thesis project. </p>

<p> The descriptive qualitative case study examined the resources nonpublic school staff members used to manage severe maladaptive behaviors and to facilitate the reintegration of students with severe maladaptive behaviors into public schools. The case study involved the participation of 17 nonpublic school staff members in semi-structured audio-recorded phone interviews. Case study participants shared personal thoughts and opinions about (a) best practices employed to manage severe maladaptive behaviors, (b) the operation of nonpublic schools, and (c) the factors that influenced reintegration into public school. Analysis of case study responses using NVivo 9.0 qualitative analysis software revealed five themes related to the research question: (a) maintaining safety, (b) resources and strategies, (c) opportunities for interaction in the community and with typical peers, (d) reintegration process, and (e) suggestions to public school staff. Data analysis also resulted in identification of 10 recommendations to educational leaders regarding strategies and resources for management of severe maladaptive behaviors as well as enhancing the reintegration process. Findings corroborated literature that indicated nonpublic staff members received specialized training and assistance from specialists to manage severe maladaptive behaviors respondents (Day &amp; Prunty, 2010). Findings also confirmed further research is necessary about the reintegration process and how to enhance communication between educational settings.</p>

<p> The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness and feasibility of using tiered instruction to increase the frequency of conversational turn taking (CTT) among preschoolers with and without disabilities in an inclusive setting. Three CTT interventions (Universal Design for Learning, Peer Mediated Instruction, and Milieu Teaching) were organized on a hierarchy of intensity and implemented in an additive manner. Using an increasing intensity across participants with a reversal design, child progress was monitored over time and children were moved through tiers based on level of need. A functional relationship between tiered instruction and CTT was found for nine of 13 child participants and the strongest intervention effects were observed at tier one. All but one child participant showed an increase in conversational turn taking from baseline to reinstatement. Teacher fidelity of implementation was monitored at each tier. Her overall average was 90% with the highest percent occurring in tier one. Resulting contributions to the literature include a better understanding of the feasibility of tiered instruction for the inclusive early childhood classroom, the effectiveness of tiered instruction for increasing CTT, and practical considerations for implementation of tiered instruction across tiers and phase change decisions.</p>

<p> Within the field of school psychology there exists literature for school psychologists working with specific ethnic and linguistic groups (Frisby &amp; Reynolds, 2005; Tomes, 2011). The Arab American population is estimated to be 3.6 million (Arab American Institute, 2012). However, there is a paucity of school psychology research on Arab American students and families (Goforth, 2011; Haboush, 2007). As active members of the special education process, school psychologists will benefit from information regarding Arab American cultural and religious beliefs about special education and disabilities. Such information will assist them in providing culturally sensitive and appropriate services to students and families. </p><p> This study utilized a phenomenological qualitative approach to illuminate Arab Americans parents' experiences with their children's encounters with the special education process and perceptions of their children's disabilities. Phenomenological data analysis revealed four core themes. First, parents attached significance to specific steps within the special education process and to cultural stigmas around special education and disabilities. Next, parents reflected on special education services and key relationships. Additionally, parents discussed their children's abilities, their understandings of special education, and their advocacy work. Finally, parents reported that their goals for their children had not changed as a result of the special education process, although the goals were tailored to their children's identified disabilities. These findings have significant implications for professionals working with Arab American students and their parents. Recommendations are made for culturally sensitive school psychology practice with Arab Americans. Suggestions are provided for further research on this important yet under-researched topic. </p>

<p> The present study was designed to measure differences in elementary school teachers' attitudes toward willingness to teach students with ADHD in their classrooms in Riyadh City in Saudi Arabia through a descriptive non-experimental quantitative research instrument. The study examined relationships among many variables through teachers' level of education, years of teaching experience in the education area, grade level of teaching, class size, previous teaching experience with any kind of disabilities, teachers' positions in schools, special education courses taken in college, teachers' in-service training, and teachers' gender. The last variable examined teachers' overall attitudes toward their willingness to teach students with ADHD in their classrooms. </p><p> The participants in the study, a total of 300 elementary school teachers including 150 males and 150 females, completed the survey. Overall the results found that elementary school teachers have neutral attitudes toward willingness to teach students with ADHD in their classrooms. Moreover, the findings of the study revealed the significance of the relationship between teachers' willingness to teach students with ADHD in their classrooms and their level of education, grade level of teaching, class size, previous teaching experience with any kind of disabilities, positions in schools, special education courses taken in college, and in-service training. Finally, the study found there was no relationship among years of teaching experience in the education area or gender and teachers' attitudes toward willingness to teach students with ADHD in their classrooms.</p>