Motivating individuals with autism can be challenging for clinicians and educators seeking to increase skills or decrease problem behaviors. Even when highly preferred reinforcers have been identified, they tend to lose their effectiveness over time. Over the years, several strategies have been developed to maintain the effectiveness of reinforcers. Reinforcer variation has been demonstrated to attenuate decreases in responding associated with repeated exposure to a single reinforcer. Another strategy that has been used to help maintain responding is allowing an individual a choice among reinforcers. Several researchers have suggested that providing choice among several reinforcers may produce the same effects on responding as reinforcer variation. Although these two procedures have been shown to maintain motivation in individuals with autism, they have not been systematically compared and evaluated against each other. In this study, we evaluated the effects of reinforcer variation as compared to reinforcer choice.

This dissertation was a discourse analysis study, drawing upon discursive psychology, poststructural understandings of discourse, conversation analysis, and a social relational model of disability. The purpose of this study was to explore how autism was performed as an interactional event among children with autism labels, the therapists who work with them, and their parents, in the context of a pediatric therapy setting. I interrogated how the participants’ everyday discursive practices were shaped and, at times, constrained by the social and political institutions that often work to define autism and the related, official plans of treatment. A total of 12 families agreed to participate, resulting in the participation of 12 children with autism labels, three to 11 years of age, six fathers, and 11 mothers. The participants included three speech therapists, two occupational therapists, one physical therapist, one teacher/social group facilitator, and one medical secretary/sibling support group facilitator. Data sources included conversational data from the therapy sessions of the participating children and their therapists, 14 parent interviews, eight therapist interviews, documents used within the therapy sessions, demographic surveys/information from the participating therapists and parents, and two interviews with a state advocate and clinical directors focused on qualifying for services. Findings from the interview data highlighted the varied meanings and performances of autism, while pointing to the related political and social conditions that make the naming and treating of autism (im)possible. Findings drawn from the therapy session data pointed to how the participants’ discursive practices worked to reframe “behaviors of concern,” and to transgress normative communication patterns. The following conclusions were drawn from the findings: (a) autism, as a construct, remains open to multiple meanings, while being inextricably linked to institutionalized practices; (b) in therapy talk, therapists and children with autism labels often co-construct alternative accounts of problematic behaviors; and (c) therapy talk can function to reframe non-normative communication and behavioral patterns, expanding what is constructed as “acceptable.” The findings point to the complexities of defining and performing autism labels, and highlight the ways in which therapy talk can function to reframe behaviors and communication patterns presumed to be pathological.

This paper aims to explore how shifting federal, state, and individual priorities have transformed public higher education from a bastion of quality higher education for the greatest number of people to a more privatized state that only provides access and choice to those who can afford them. Decreased public support and state appropriations for public higher education schools have led many institutions to privatize themselves through increasing tuition prices and enrolling more out-of-state and international students who can afford to pay the full sticker price. At the same time, federal financial aid programs have become more and more geared towards assisting middle- and upper-income families, rather than focusing their efforts on removing financial barriers for low-income students. Combined, these two trends have manifested greater socioeconomic inequality for students with low-incomes; public higher education institutions are slowly turning their backs on those for whom federally funded public colleges and universities were built.

There is little to no empirical research for sensory sensitivities of individual with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and coping strategies used in the workplace. Seven students with ASD were interviewed about sensory sensitivities experienced and accommodations used at the workplace. This study found that participants self-regulated sensory sensitivities, and not asking for or using accommodations. Future research is needed to focus on the sensory sensitivities of individuals with ASD who have been in the work force for several years.

This dissertation is a critical ethnographic study of institutional, ideological, and cultural factors influencing the educational pathways of low-income Latino/a students. The study lasted for nine months, and research was conducted in two field sites: a public high school and a public university in the Southwest. There were eighteen research participants--seventeen students and one teacher. A funds of knowledge approach combined with a Latino/a Critical Theory lens and best practices in college access allow a consideration of these factors in public schooling. I balanced institutional data with interviews, writing samples, and class discussions, and I found that factors hindering students' persistence included material conditions such as overcrowding, ideological constraints such as low expectations, and a cultural disconnect between students' values and the values embedded in school curricula and policies. Although these Latino/a students demonstrate experiential critical literacy, the students are not given an opportunity to connect their lived experiences to theory in school, which can hinder college-going attitudes. To foster critical democracy, practitioners of First-Year Composition have an opportunity to rethink our purpose and goals to make sure that what we advocate in theory--college persistence for all students--matches up with our practice. This study suggests remedies to ensure that in a system in which social, economic, and political inequities are fed by and feed our inequitable educational system, we can take an active role in reshaping the educational pipeline by working in partnership with public schools and communities to bring equity to college access and retention efforts.

The education system in Guatemala struggles to meet the needs of students with disabilities. There are often not enough trained special educators to meet the demand. In addition, general educators are often not trained to adequately meet diverse needs in their classrooms. Thus, schools are often unable to fully meet the needs of students with disabilities. This study sought to identify a method by which teachers could be virtually trained on a teacher behavior (i.e., specific praise) that could help meet diverse student needs. A multiple probe design across participants was used to determine if virtual training could be effective in training teachers to use new teacher behaviors. The results of the study are discussed, along with implications for future research.

The purpose of this project was to interview mothers of newborns who participated in early intervention services focusing on the implementation of a tool developed at the Family, Infant and Preschool Program (FIPP) in North Carolina. The intent was to examine the experience of mothers and home visitors employing the tool, which was designed to enhance the mother/infant relationship. However, a stronger focus on the relationship between mother and home visitor emerged throughout the interviews. Among some participants the relationship among practitioner and parent appeared to create a safe space to share, practice strategies and grow. Although characteristics of FIPP practices associated with the tool remained consistent among home visitors, the way in which services were implemented were unique to each home visitor and parent. Mothers participating in the project were identified as coping with numerous life stressors associated with poverty at the time of the interviews.

Numerous and countless factors have been theorized to be causes of inequality. This paper started with identifying the most important determinants of income inequality through theoretical research. Among the various theories of causes of inequality, I hypothesized creating a level playing for children at the very start of their career as students as an important determinant. In order to test the hypothesis that a level playing field is important to help fight inequality, a regression tailored for this question is created. I develop a regression model using the variable public expenditure on primary education as the variable to be tested while controlling for other important determinants of inequality including public expenditure per student on all stages of education, unemployment rate, GDP per capita, GDP growth, and governance indicator. The empirical model confirms theory that quality of primary education is highly beneficial for students. I conduct further theoretical research concerning ways to improve the quality of primary education and included them in policy recommendation section.

This dissertation investigated the effects of social facilitation theory, specifically mere presence of a peer, on automatic and effortful processing in boys (ages 7 to 12 years) diagnosed with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The sample (N=61) was comprised of ADHD and Normals who were matched by chronological age (+ /- 9 months) and IQ (1 standard deviation). Forty-eight percent of the sample was Hispanic. Each pair was randomly assigned to one of two conditions to test social facilitation effects. The conditions were Alone (subject worked alone in room) and Presence (subject worked in the presence of confederate). All subjects performed seven information processing tasks which varied in attentional demands from automatic, to acquired automatic, to effortfu1. Automatic processing was measured by two tasks, initial vigilance and frequency monitoring of a word list; acquired automatic was measured by a visual discrimination activity presented twice; and effortful processing was measured by three tasks, free recall of words and two listening comprehension activities. Results support the concept that ADHD is a developmental disorder involving the inability to invest, organize and maintain attention and modulate impulsive responding. Diagnostic effects were applicable across both ethnic (Anglo and Hispanic) groups and emphasizes the significance of the disorder across cultures. There were several significant effects for diagnosis with ADHD subjects performing significantly worse on the frequency monitoring task, on the second administration of the visual discrimination task, and on one effortfu1 task, Free Recall of Related Words. No main effect for social facilitation was found, disconfirming Zajonc's mere presence hypothesis, for both ADHD and Normal children, Cottrell's learning theory model which states that more direct involvement of the peer or a threat of evaluation is needed to elicit social facilitation effects is discussed. Additional analysis indicated that the ADHD subjects were significantly more likely to engage in extraneous and non-task related verbal and motor activity on nine out of twelve behavioral indices. Results are discussed in terms of the effects of the experimental context on the performance of ADHD subjects, observed deficits in sustained attention, and other motivational factors. Educational implications, emphasizing group monitoring effects and instructional design are discussed.

The passage of Public Law 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, mandates that parents of a handicapped child must be included in the educational planning and placement procedures for their child. The law requires (1) parent counseling and (2) parent participation in the planning of the child’s educational career. Yet almost six years after the passage of Public Law 94-142, the role of parent which emerges today appears to be one of passive involvement in the Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) process. The literature suggests this lack of active participation possibly stems from several sources: the parents’ inadequate knowledge, discomfort when interacting with school personnel, confusion in regard to the educational decision-making process, and school encouraged noninvolvement in the IEP meeting. Thus while Public Law 94-142 stresses active parent involvement, the schools’ discouragement of parental responsibilities along with the parents’ limited knowledge and understanding of the law and their role in the process may combine to actively discourage parental participation in the education of their handicapped child. The literature suggests that limited resources exist for parents of newly identified school-aged educable mentally handicapped (EMH), or mildly handicapped children. In general, parents of these children do not have the necessary information or skills for effective involvement in the educational process nor are they receiving supportive counseling. In order to address the specific needs of these parents, an educational-counseling program was developed. The purpose of the program is fourfold: (1) to inform parents about handicapping conditions, legal issues and mandates pertaining to the education of handicapped children, educational assessment and placement procedures and parents’ role in the education of handicapped children, (2) to develop the parents’ repertoire of communication and assertiveness skills necessary for securing appropriate educations for their handicapped children, (3) to provide emotional support and encouragement to the parents, and (4) to increase the parents’ awareness of available resource materials, organizations, and personnel dealing with the education of handicapped children. Various methods and materials are utilized in the Parent Education-Counseling Program to accomplish its goals. Formative and summative evaluations are incorporated in order to determine the extent to which the program is implemented as planned and to assess its effects. A pilot trial of the program utilizing a single set of parent participants was conducted to determine the feasibility and practicality of the methods and materials. Evaluation of the pilot trial indicated that the parents of a newly identified EMH child were capable of increasing their knowledge bases regarding issues and procedures for educating a handicapped child, learning rules of communication, becoming more aware of their feelings related to their EMH child, and accepting information about available resource materials and organizations. The evaluation information therefore suggests positive results of the program is to help parents become effective advocates for their handicapped child, follow-up of the parents’ effectiveness in future school-based meetings is needed to determine whether these short-term program effects will generalize within the school system.