This two-part study was conducted as part of a larger project exploring leadership, organizational processes, and performance in local governments. In Study 1, we conducted interviews with exemplary leaders in local governments across a medium sized southeastern state. Results of these interviews suggested leadership and organizational processes consistent with organizational mindfulness. In Study 2, we created a survey instrument based on existing work in organizational mindfulness. Responses from 96 local governments provided evidence suggesting that organizational mindfulness is related to self reports of organizational performance. We end with a discussion of these results, study limitations, and opportunities for future research.

The majority of schools use punitive and reactive strategies to deal with maladaptive behaviors. This descriptive study was a replication of Wilmott (2012) and occurred in a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) high school. Professional development was provided to 22 teachers from a high school located in the western United States. This included 61% males and 39% females. Measures included the frequency of praise notes and ODRs, the quality of praise notes based on a praise note rubric, and a social validity questionnaire. The ODR and praise note frequencies were compared using the Spearman correlational coefficient that resulted in a weak correlation (r (2) = .-385, p > .05). Results were not significant in the ODR baseline to treatment (t(3)=-1.849, p <.05). The baseline praise note frequency compared to praise note frequency during treatment was significant (t(3)=-4.115, p<.05). Implications for educators suggested that the problem-solving process is feasible and essential when implementing evidenced based practices (EBPs), such as praise notes. The study concluded that ongoing professional development is integral to maintaining MTSS and EBPs. Limitations of this study include the lack of precise definitions in ODR reporting and minimal baseline data.

Purpose Our aim was to develop a taxonomy of elements comprising phonological interventions for children with speech sound disorders. Method We conducted a content analysis of 15 empirically supported phonological interventions to identify and describe intervention elements. Measures of element concentration, flexibility, and distinctiveness were used to compare and contrast interventions. Results Seventy-two intervention elements were identified using a content analysis of intervention descriptions then arranged to form the Phonological Intervention Taxonomy: a hierarchical framework comprising 4 domains, 15 categories, and 9 subcategories. Across interventions, mean element concentration (number of required or optional elements) was 45, with a range of 27 to 59 elements. Mean flexibility of interventions (percentage of elements considered optional out of all elements included in the intervention) was 44%, with a range of 29% to 62%. Distinctiveness of interventions (percentage of an intervention's rare elements and omitted common elements out of all elements included in the intervention [both optional and required]) ranged from 0% to 30%. Conclusions An understanding of the elements that comprise interventions and a taxonomy that describes their structural relationships can provide insight into similarities and differences between interventions, help in the identification of elements that drive treatment effects, and facilitate faithful implementation or intervention modification. Research is needed to distil active elements and identify strategies that best facilitate replication and implementation.

Challenging behaviors such as hitting, kicking, screaming, destruction of property and other socially-inappropriate behaviors are common among children with significant disabilities. Behavior Parent Training (BPT), which is based on basic principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), has been shown to be effective in reducing these problem behaviors. Traditional approaches to BPT have typically emphasized consequence-based interventions, however, advances in the field of ABA (e.g., FBA, antecedent-based interventions) and PBS have led to more strategies that are more effective in complex community environments. Evidence of such practices is emerging but has not been adequately documented. The current study evaluated the use of a standardized PBS protocol in decreasing problem behaviors of four children with developmental disabilities. The success of the parent education protocol was evaluated using a multiple baseline across participants design. Results of this study showed that after participating in parent education using a standardized protocol, participants' children displayed decreases in problematic behavior as well as increases in adaptive behavior, for all but one of the participants.

The purpose of this review was to determine whether the use of sensory-based alternative seating to increase the appropriate behaviors of individuals with disabilities is an evidence-based practice (EBP). Articles located on this topic were descriptively analyzed, and What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) guidelines were applied to determine each study’s methodological rigor, level of evidence, and whether, taken together, there is enough research to support alternative seating as an EBP. A total of 37 studies of the effects of sensory-based alternative seating on individuals with disabilities were found. These studies included a total of 44 participants, between 3 to 9 years of age. Based on WWC guidelines, six of the 37 studies, or 16%, met standards for rigor, and of those, only one study showed evidence of a positive effect on the target behavior. The results and their implications for teachers/practitioners, and future research are discussed.

Self-injurious behaviors (SIBs) are relatively common in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and many teachers have difficulties dealing with these challenging behaviors. Besides the possibility of causing serious injuries to children with ASD, the frequent occurrences of SIBs can limit their access to academic instruction and peer interactions. The abundance of possible strategies is confusing for teachers to figure out which strategies to use and how to implement them. The purpose of this project was to develop a guiding manual for educators working with children with ASD. The manual presents proactive, evidence-based strategies to help prevent or decrease students’ SIBs in the classroom.

School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) is a school disciplinary framework seen as an effective tool to replace school disciplinary practices that contribute to the school to prison pipeline (STPP). While evidence suggests that SWPBIS can help improve school discipline and lower suspension/expulsion rates, it has not been shown to consistently decrease racial disciplinary disparities. This study thematically analyzed semi-structured interviews of educational staff at one high school at the outset of SWPBIS implementation to understand their perceptions of school discipline and the potential for SWPBIS to address root causes of racial disciplinary disproportionality. Using a critical race theory analytical lens to center issues of race and racism, the findings revealed a school that is deeply structured in Whiteness. Participants described the school as “two schools in one”—one that is largely White, affluent, and high-achieving and another that is predominantly Black, economically disadvantaged, and achieving at lower levels. Educators were open to key elements of SWPBIS, such as positive discipline and school-wide consistency in disciplinary practices. And while many participants identified systemic barriers to achieving equity, they simultaneously relied on discursive strategies that upheld Whiteness. These findings suggest that SWPBIS has the potential to be an alternative to punitive school discipline, but faces multiple barriers in addressing disciplinary disproportionality. The segregated and stratified school structure raises questions about whom SWPBIS is for and who will bear the burden of implementation.

Sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) is a construct that includes symptoms of slowness, mental confusion, excessive daydreaming, low motivation, and drowsiness/sleepiness. SCT is often co-morbid with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and SCT symptoms are associated with significant academic and interpersonal impairment above and beyond the influence of ADHD symptoms. Despite the overlap between ADHD and SCT and associated impairments, no studies have evaluated how evidence-based psychosocial interventions for adolescents with ADHD impact symptoms of SCT. This study examined whether SCT symptoms improved in a sample of 274 young adolescents with ADHD who received either an organizational skills or a homework completion intervention. SCT intervention response was evaluated broadly in all participants, and specifically, for participants in the clinical range for SCT symptom severity at baseline. Change in ADHD symptoms of inattention, executive functioning, and motivation was examined as potential predictors of improvement in SCT. Multilevel modeling analyses indicated that SCT symptoms decreased at the same rate for adolescents in both the organizational skills and homework completion interventions when compared to the waitlist group (d = .410). For adolescents with parent-reported clinical levels of SCT, the decrease in symptoms was more pronounced (d = .517), with the interventions decreasing the total score of SCT by 2.91 (one symptom). Additionally, in the high SCT group, behavior regulation executive functioning, metacognitive executive functioning, and inattention predicted change. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed, including development of interventions for adolescents with high levels of SCT.

Despite the academic gap between students with learning disabilities (LD) and their nondisabled peers, schools continue to educate students with LD in regular education classrooms. In secondary math classes, such as Algebra 1, students with LD have high percentages of failure. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine the relationship between teachers' personal theories of teaching and learning and their use of math interventions. Fox's (1983) theoretical framework of teaching and learning was used as a conceptual lens. Surveys were administered to 20 high school math teachers in an urban Northeastern U.S. school district. An ordinal logistic regression statistical test was used to analyze relationships between teachers' personal theories of teaching and learning and their use of math interventions, years of experience, gender, ethnicity, and age. A statistically significant relationship was found between teachers' years of experience and their use of math interventions, p = .031. Teachers with 6 or more years of teaching experience self-reported using math interventions more frequently than did teachers with 5 or fewer years of teaching experience. Recommendations for future research include examining why teachers with more years of teaching self-reported using math interventions more than did less experienced teachers and the impact, if any, of the use of math interventions on students with LD's academic performance in Algebra 1. This study can lead to positive social change by providing college and university secondary math candidates with training on how to use math intervention to teach algebra to students with LD.

Obesity is currently viewed as one of the most important health concerns in the United States. Researchers have minimally investigated perspectives surrounding obesity within the African-American female population. This lack of research presented a gap in knowledge concerning the perceived social, environmental, and cultural influences of obesity within this population. The research questions asked African-American females about their views toward these influences. This research was guided by tenets of the social cognitive theory and the transtheoretical model for behavioral change. Thirteen African-American females participated in the interviews. The data collected were reviewed and coded using word frequencies and themes. Findings included recurring themes of cultural influences, social disparities, and the lack of access to healthy food sources and health providers. Positive social change could result from this research to help enlighten public health professionals and community planners to understand the perspectives of African-American women's belief systems surrounding obesity. The information delivered by this research could possibly empower the participants to address the issues within their communities with civic leaders and policy makers to create and sustain needed change.