Purpose. This study was designed to investigate the effects of a special remedial program on the intellectual, academic, and behavioral functioning of underachieving, culturally disadvantaged, mentally gifted minors. The study also concerned itself with student school attendance and parent attendance at parent-teacher conferences. Variables. The selected variables for this study were IQ, academic achievement, student behavior, student attendance, and parent attendance at teacher conferences. IQ was measured with the Stanford-Binet LM intelligence test. Academic achievement was measured with two instruments, the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills in Reading, Language, and Arithmetic, and the Peabody Individual Achievement Test in Reading Recognition, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics, Spelling, General Information, and a Total Test score. Student disruptive behavior was measured by means of behavior warrants issued by teachers for inappropriate school behavior. Student absences and parent conference attendance were recorded for both groups for later statistical comparison. Sample. The sample of this study consisted of 157 male and female fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students who had qualified as underachieving, culturally disadvantaged, mentally gifted minors. Procedures. The students were randomly placed into either the control group or the experimental group. The control group students were placed in regular fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade classes while the experimental group underwent a special nine-month remedial program. Analysis of covariance was used for the hypotheses that dealt with IQ and academic achievement. Analysis of variance was used for the hypotheses that dealt with student behavior, student attendance, and parent attendance at teacher conferences. Findings Intelligence. The students in the experimental group scored significantly higher on the Stanford-Binet LM than the control group students. These results were significant at the .05 level of confidence. Achievement. The students in the experimental group did significantly better on the CTBS Reading subtest and the PIAT Reading Comprehension and General Information subtests. The male students in the experimental group did significantly better than their female classmates on the CTBS Reading and Language subtests and on the PIAT Reading Comprehension and General Information subtests. Behavior. The students in the experimental group actually demonstrated more disruptive behavior than the control group students. In the hypotheses dealing with student attendance and parent attendance at teacher conferences, statistical analysis showed that there was no significant difference between the groups. In summary, it would appear that the treatment program was effective in increasing student IQ scores and helped to maintain or increase performance in all measured academic areas. However, it was not effective in improving student behavior, student attendance, or parent attendance at parent-teacher conferences.

The purpose of the study was to compare the use of peer administered contingent reinforcement for social interaction with the use of play materials that facilitate interaction. The subsequent effects on the social interaction of mainstreamed preschool handicapped children with their nonhandicapped peers was examined. Three nonhandicapped kindergarten children were paired with three moderately mentally handicapped preschool children and trained to initiate play. A single-subject, alternating treatment design with a withdrawal phase was used to compare the effects of the two treatments. Generalization immediately following each treatment was also examined as was maintenance over time. Observers used an interval recording procedure and showed a mean interobserver reliability rating of 95%. All observations were conducted in an outdoor playground setting. The use of play materials that facilitate interaction (Treatment C) was shown to be a significantly more effective method for increasing social interaction than was the use of peer administered contingent reinforcement (Treatment B). The mean child-child interaction total for Treatment C was 71% while the mean child-child interaction total for Treatment B was 27%. The t value at a.10 level of probability was $-7.74$. Generalization immediately following treatment was greater after Treatment C (mean 24%) than after Treatment B (mean 7%). The t value of $-1.98$ did not, however, show a significant difference in generalization between the two treatments. Treatment C was implemented as the only treatment upon completion of the alternating treatment phase. Relatively little generalization occurred during the withdrawal phase (mean 17%) and the treatment effects were not maintained over time (mean 7%). A supplemental analysis of the relationship between play attempts by the peer "helper" and the number of actual interactions showed that, while there were a greater number of play attempts during Treatment C than during Treatment B, the difference was not large enough to account for the success of Treatment C. The outcome of the study helps to ascertain that the use of trained nonhandicapped peer "helpers" coupled with the use of play materials that facilitate interaction can be an effective means of increasing social interaction between young handicapped and nonhandicapped children.

Using qualitative interviews, this study explored public school support of transgender students using questions concerning their knowledge, ideas of what inclusion looks like, level of preparation for teaching transgender students, and openness to learning new information concerning best practices. This study aims to fill gaps in the existing research concerning experiences of transgender public school students, examining teacher support for the sake of helping determine policy steps and education that would best help transgender students looking for inclusive education. Emerging themes included generalized acceptance, fear of teaching outside curriculum, emphasis placed on student needs, and teachers' desires to learn more. These results are explored with consideration to their implications for policy, training, and resource compilation.

<p>In the Public Education System all children have the right to receive the best possible education that public funds can provide. Outlined in the Ontario Ministry Document, Formative Years (1975), is an explanation of an education system that "ensures that each child experiences a measure of success in his or her endeavours, so that each may develop that self-confidence needed for further learning" (p. 5). However, not all children are born equal, some have varying disabilities that interfere with their ability to achieve "a measure of success". This paper addresses the child with Learning Disabilities and the problems he or she faces in our current education system. A _Learning Disabled student is one in whom there is a significant discrepancy between academic achievement and assessed intellectual ability which is not due to physical, emotional, cultural or mental handicaps. The etiology is unknown. Before this type of student can receive specialized help, he or she must be correctly diagnosed as Learning Disabled (LD) by specialists in the school board. This process can involve teachers, principals, special education teachers, resource teachers, psychological services, instructional assistants, committees, Doctors and administrators. This is a process that involves an inordinate amount of time. A delay often impinges on the well-being of the LD student taking its toll in loss of self-esteem, failure to keep up with his peers and failure to progress academically. This may result in behaviour problems, lack of interest, emotional withdrawal, or physical symptoms. Continued delay in implementing a supportive programme benefits no one except perhaps the Board of Education which avoids the expense of special instruction for the student in question. This paper will argue that while there is legislation in place that ensures each child, including those with disabilities, will be educated in an environment that encourages "maximum individual growth and development" (Minister of Education, Hansard, January 8,1989) our public education system often 'fails' these children. Through delays, current philosophical trends or misguided intentions a board can prevent and/or delay, albeit unintentionally, the placement of an LD child in an appropriate setting that "meets the needs of the pupil". ( as above) An explanation of how the education system works in relation to the LD child is presented. A historical overview provides the background to the current legislation involving the rights of LD children. The deficits of these children are documented and references are cited to support this. An overview of how children learn to read and how LD children differ from the norm is presented. The prevailing theories of the education system, school boards and administrators are discussed in the light of the ministry guidelines for the education of LD students. r- ...... , .' The current theory of mainstreaming, a method of keeping the LD child with his or her regular class, is both economical and appropriate, according to many school boards. It can be argued that this is not always the case. There exists a sub-group of LD students for which mainstreaming is not beneficial, rather the reverse. Case studies are presented to support this view and a programme designed to meet the unique needs of these exceptional students is discussed in detail. The programme advocates a whole-child approach involving the social, emotional, physical and cognitive aspects of the child. It will be argued that such a programme is necessary for the successful well-being of the LD student. It will also be argued that this programme is best presented in a segregated setting, and could not be - appropriately implemented in a mainstream classroom,. Support for the theories that are .-/ the basis of this belief are cited. While there is a sound pedagogical foundation for the proposed programme, in the short term it is viewed by the school board as expensive due to the low pupil/ teacher ratio required. "Bill 82 gives youngsters an entitlement to special education programs. [School boards] use the mainstreaming argument as an evasion in order not to come into conflict with the province over questions of financing". (S. Lewis, June 1989, p. 5) The expense in the long run, incurred through high school drop out rates, high levels of unemployment, increased use of mental health programmes, etc., are picked up by government departments other than the school board. It is my contention that these funds might be better used for identifying and recognizing early precursors of children at risk for school failure due to LD and implementing an early intervention programme. Prevention through education of teachers and administrators is advocated. It is by recog~izing the potential problem early that many of the damaging results may be prevented. Early identification is the key and immediate intervention is the answer. The ability to ameliorate the low self-esteem, the behavioural, emotional and physical problems that are often the result of an unhappy, unsuccessful and/or unrecognized LD child is within the school system's grasp. Early signs that help identify LD factors are known and some school systems are implementing this knowledge with pre-schoolers. The delay in putting this into effect, prevention rather than remediation, especially in the light of the problems outlined in this paper, risks both monetary and potential loss. This paper advocates that school boards explore their options in order to circumvent a policy that causes the 'failure' of some of its exceptional children.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

The urgent need for tapping new reserves of manpower during the recent war emergency caused new stress to be put upon the rehabilitation of handicapped individuals. Employers were more willing than ever before to give the handicapped person a chance to prove that he could produce in competition with those who were physically whole. These two factors combined to bring about an increase in the staff personnel in Kentucky in such a short period of time that it was impossible to revise the organization of this division of the State Department of Education rapidly enough to keep pace with its expansion. The present administrative and supervisory organization was worked out rapidly and set to work as more or less of an experimental organization. Now that the present organization has been tried and time enough has elapsed for those in charge to locate its weaknesses discovered. Since the writer is employed as a district supervisor under the present organization and is in a position to recognize many of these weaknesses from the standpoint of the worker out in the field, Mr. W. Hickman Baldree, the present director of Vocational Rehabilitation in Kentucky, has agreed to this study in order that the new organization may reflect the views of the man who does the case work as well as those of the supervisory and administrative staff of the state office.

No description available.

Behavioral and academic outcomes differ for students by race, ability, and gender within the K-12 public education system. Moreover, striking gaps exist at the intersection of race, ability, and gender, despite the similarity in severity and frequency of behavior between groups. Few studies, however, have examined the educational mechanisms that contribute to these gaps. Despite this, the scientific literature? shows that when educators have high expectations, students are more likely to be successful academically and behaviorally. Therefore, this study examines the inverse of this relationship by recognizing that biases likely influence behavior and academic student outcomes through expectancy bias for certain groups of students. The present study utilizes an intersectional framework of disability studies and critical race theory (DisCrit) to examine preservice educator expectations of behavior and academic outcomes of a hypothetical student at the intersection of student race, ability, and gender using a factorial vignette experimental design. Analyses consisted of factorial multivariate analyses of main and interaction effects including covariates for social desirability, tolerance, severity, and demographic characteristics. Results indicated significant and meaningful differences in expectations of behavior and academic experiences by race and ability. However, interaction effects were not detected. Implications and limitations of this study are discussed.

While there has been extensive research on the quality of life for people with disabilities, very little research has been conducted on the way in which families impact the quality of life of these individuals. This study focused on how family dynamics impact the quality of life for people with disabilities who are clients of state vocational rehabilitation agencies. Specifically, family flexibility and cohesion, as well as family resilience, were the independent variables; quality of life was the dependent variable. It was found that family functioning and family resilience play an important role in the quality of life for people with disabilities. There was a strong relationship between family functioning and quality of life, in addition to family resilience and quality of life. Ten life domains were used to examine quality of life: physical health, mental health, work/education, leisure activities, relationship with significant other, family relationships, social relationships, financial situation, independence/autonomy, and religious/spiritual expression. For each domain, the participant was asked four questions on the importance, control, satisfaction, and impact of disability. Family functioning and family resilience significantly correlated with all of the 10 life domains on most of the four factors. Family dynamics account for 36% of the variance of quality of life. Family dynamics significantly impact the quality of life for people with disabilities and therefore should be taken into consideration in the rehabilitation process.

Typically developing children learn from play. For example, play serves as a foundation for children to acquire early language and social skills. Children with autism tend to have deficits in play, and often engage in rigid or repetitive behaviors during play. Such rigid play behavior can limit opportunities for these children to learn from play. Researchers have shown that it is possible to increase the variety of play behaviors that children with autism engage in. But, research has not yet shown whether these gains in play behavior will transfer to other play environments and situations. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate methods for promoting the transfer of varied and appropriate play to other play situations with three children with autism. In this study, we increased varied play behavior by providing rewards for playing in a varied manner (and not providing rewards for playing in an inappropriate or rigid manner). We did this with multiple different play situations to help the participants learn to engage in varied play in different situations. We then tested to see if the participants would vary their play with completely new play situations. We found that, following some modifications, our procedures were successful at increasing varied play behavior for all three participants, and that their varied play transferred to other play situations.

Young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) demonstrate behavioral deficits and excesses that can adversely affect their play skills. Teaching children with ASD to use activity schedules with embedded scripts have led to increased appropriate game play with other children with autism and typically developing peers; however, there is sparse research on promoting more dynamic social play in children with ASD. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of teaching the use of activity schedules with embedded scripts on the sociodramatic play of preschoolers with ASD with their typically developing peers. We also examined the extent to which we could remove scripts and schedule components and continue to observe appropriate sociodramatic play. Two participants with ASD quickly demonstrated high levels of sociodramatic play with their typically developing peers compared to baseline, and an additional participant with ASD demonstrated similar increases with procedural modifications. The participants also continued to show these increased levels after all scripts and nearly all components of the activity schedules were systematically removed, including during 1-and 2-week follow-up sessions. In addition, all participants engaged in additional unscheduled, yet contextually appropriate, sociodramatic play behaviors.