This is a case study of the language abilities of five people. They each present a different problem for methods of analytic description and grammar construction. The major goal is to present a formal treatment of language disability, but some formal improvements in early child language are necessary along the way. The basic data are complete verbatim transcripts in most of the case studies. Four transcript samples of a young girl, aged 23 months, are presented to study the developments over a month of early syntactical phrase structures. The stable abilities of four adolescents are studied: one to illustrate details of transcriptional method; another to represent a language delay; another for a simple disorder; and the last may be a complex disorder or perhaps a language deviation. The formalization of early child language and disabilities given herein primarily concerns the relationship between syntax and semantics. The lack of formal pragmatics is noted, although a few involvements with intensional logic and specified set-theoretical models are suggested. The grammatical analysis is defined upon an arbitrary artificial language, and two fragmentary samples from published literature also are given to illustrate the earlier formal treatments with pivot grammar and also transformational phrase structure. Like these earlier formal treatments, this study attempts to place empirical data within a systematic theoretical structure. In the manner of scientific advancements, this descriptive method accounts for all of the data which were the basis for the earlier formal treatments; provides a principled description for previous systematic counterexamples; and introduces new phenomena which were unobserved or even denied before this research. The integration between context-free phrase structure and model-theoretical semantics in generative grammar is found to be well-principled on the grounds of application to early child language and disability.

The purpose of this study was to determine if minority students were receiving equal educational opportunities in remedial programs as now guaranteed by law. The study focused on the enrollment patterns of Black and Hispanic students in special education, transitional bilingual education, and Chapter I programs at forty-six elementary and eighteen secondary schools in three urban Massachusetts communities which had been cited by the State Department of Education for prima facie denial of equal educational opportunities to minority students. Disproportionate enrollment patterns of Black and Hispanic students suggested discriminatory placement practices were occurring in these communities. However, after years of state investigations, discrimination was not uncovered nor could the disproportionate enrollment be explained. The present study inquired into the possibility that the remedial education services provided in a school system could result in disproportionate placement of minority students in some remedial programs without a practice of unequal opportunity. In other words, disproportionate placement in one program could not be equated with discrimination if similar educational opportunities were provided in another appropriate program. Five research objectives guided this study by determining the relationships among White, Black, and Hispanic student enrollment patterns in special education, transitional bilingual education, and Chapter I programs at selected elementary and secondary schools. Specific findings suggest that: (1) Speech and language needs of minority youth are not appropriately met in remedial education; (2) Chapter I programs are primarily utilized by minority students but the language of instruction does not always correlate with the needs of the population; (3) Transitional bilingual education in Chapter I programs appear to substitute for some special education programs; (4) Enrollment patterns of remedial programs need to be studied collectively rather than individually to determine if and how equal educational opportunities are provided to minority students. The research culminates in a ten-step model for investigating equal educational opportunities for minority youth in remedial education. This model can be used by school districts to analyze and monitor placement patterns to ensure that equal educational opportunities are being provided to minority students.

Parents' and special education teachers' perceptions of parent involvement in special education were studied in three Boston Public Schools. Parent involvement was ascertained based on a number of variables related to communication, decision making and participation in school activities. The study assessed how parents currently perceive their role in the special education process, satisfaction with their child's special education program and how they would like to participate in school special education activities. The study similarly assessed special education teachers' perceptions of parent involvement in various activities and decision making, and satisfaction with school practices and efforts to facilitate active parent involvement. The information for this study was collected through two questionnaires (one for parents and one for teachers) and a follow up interview question for teachers to assess the school's monitoring practices and procedures as it relates to special education. Questionnaires (English and Spanish version) were distributed by mail to 463 parents and 38 teachers. Completed questionnaires were received from 106 parents and 33 special education teachers for a total of 139 respondents. Oral interviews were completed on the 33 teacher subjects to assess opinions regarding school monitoring practices and procedures. The responses of the two groups were analyzed using a t-test. Results were described through a discussion based on major and minor hypotheses. Responses were compared to existing laws and past research findings related to parent involvement. The results of this study were consistent with the findings of earlier studies. Parents and teachers indicated a desire for more parent involvement. School distance, income, and household status did not affect parent participation. Variables found to have a significant difference in preferred level of involvement were race and educational level of parent. Major reasons cited by parents as barriers to more parental involvement were work and household commitments such as taking care of younger children. The majority of teachers cited similar responses as reasons for lack of parent involvement. The study also revealed that 43.4% of parents surveyed do not feel knowledgeable enough about special education laws and procedures to make informed decisions regarding their child. In general, it appears parents are satisfied with their child's special education program, but still are not "equal participants".

No description available.

Students with emotional and behavior disorders are at risk for significant deficits in reading, however, reading research on evidence-based practices for this population remains limited. Literature reviewed for this study on reading and students with Emotional and Behavioral disorders did not include all of the five essential components of reading instruction outlined by the National Reading Panel that should be an explicit and systematic element of reading instruction. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires the inclusion of students with disabilities in statewide assessments, including reading assessments. This study implemented a 13 week reading tutoring intervention that included all five components, and was supplemental to the Reading Mastery classroom curriculum. Three first graders and one kindergartner diagnosed with emotional and behavioral disorders were selected from an elementary school with a county program for students with emotional behavior disorders. A multiple baseline across subjects design was used to assess the effects of tutoring on nonsense word, phonemic segmentation, and oral reading fluency. Criterion referenced and Standardized Reading measures were documented for pre to posttreatment outcomes. Results indicated gains in the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, and fluency as measured using DIBELS and the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test-Revised. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Childhood Education, Reading, and Disability Services in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science.. / Spring Semester, 2006. / March 21, 2006. / Emotional Behavior Disorders, Reading / Includes bibliographical references. / Stephanie Dent Al Otaiba, Professor Directing Thesis; Mabel Rivera, Committee Member; Monica Delano, Committee Member.

This study examined Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) closed cases of Latinos and Caucasians with hearing loss to determine which characteristics would contribute to a successful case outcome. This study was conducted for several reasons. A review of the Florida VR closed cases (Fiscal Years 2004-2004) indicated that a large proportion of Latinos with hearing loss were closed unsuccessfully. The Latino population recently became the largest minority group in both the United States and Florida resulting in more Latinos with disabilities, including those with hearing loss, seeking VR services. The federal-state VR program recognized this as an underserved population. Very few studies were done on VR services to Latinos with disabilities including those with hearing loss. This study examined ten independent variables: consumer (ethnicity, age, gender, hearing loss, support at application, education at application), service (placement), and counselor (ethnicity, education, communication skills). The subjects were 481 randomly-selected Latinos (White Hispanics) and Caucasians with hearing loss from Fiscal Years 2002-2004 Florida VR closed cases. Survey responses were received from 107 VR counselors. Closed case status (successful and unsuccessful) was a dependent variable. Both a late-deafened sample and a training variable were removed prior to analysis due to inadequate size. The level of significance was set at .05. Chi-square analysis found six variables to be significant including gender (in the opposite direction), hearing loss, age, education at application, support at application, and placement service. Those who are hard of hearing, male, older, financially independent, having at least a high school diploma or equivalency, and receiving placement services were more likely to achieve a successful outcome. Consumer ethnicity and all three counselor variables were found to be insignificant. Similar results were found in logistic regression analysis. The forward stepwise logistic regression analysis also found consumer and service variable clusters to be significant, not the counselor cluster. The findings in this study contradicted published literature reporting consumer and counselor ethnicity as issues in the field of rehabilitation and the effects of counselor education and communication skills on the case outcome. Additional research was recommended. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Childhood Education, Reading, and Disability Services in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2006. / February 27, 2006. / Latinos, Deaf, Deafness, Hard of Hearing, Hearing Loss, Case Outcomes, Rehabilitation, Hispanics, Vocational Rehabilitationpanics, Vocational Rehabilitation / Includes bibliographical references. / Deborah Ebener, Professor Directing Dissertation; Howard Goldstein, Outside Committee Member; Mary Hanline, Committee Member.

In schools across the United States, co-teaching is a commonly used model for providing instruction for students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms. Co-teaching is an instructional arrangement in which a general education teacher and special education teacher work collaboratively to provide instruction to students with and without disabilities in the general education classroom. While the use of co- teaching is reported to be widespread, there is little empirical evidence that it is an effective means of providing instruction for students with disabilities. Further information is needed about the instructional practices educators use in co-taught classrooms as well as the factors that influence this instruction. This mixed-methods, multiple case study analyzed the instructional actions of eight special education teachers to examine the extent to which they implement instructional practices recognized in the field of special education as evidence-based in co-taught English Language Arts and mathematics classrooms at the middle school level. In order to more fully understand the instructional practices observed in these classrooms, this study also explored special education teachers’ perceptions of the factors that influence their roles and the instructional practices used in these settings. Data were collected through teacher surveys, individual semi-structured interviews, and video recorded lesson observations. Teacher surveys and interview responses were analyzed thematically using an inductive process to identify themes related to teachers’ perceptions of their instructional roles and the instruction in co-taught classrooms, as well as factors that influence their roles and the instruction they provide for students. Lesson observations were scored using a standardized instrument to determine the extent to which evidence-based practices in special education were actually being implemented in these teachers’ co-taught classes. Findings indicated that the majority of special education teachers in this study took on limited roles related to planning, curriculum development, and instructional delivery in their co-taught classes. These special educators identified a number of factors that shaped their instructional roles in the co-taught classroom, with a significant factor being the general education teacher with whom they were paired. General educators were also identified to be an important factor impacting the types of instruction offered in co-taught settings. These findings suggested a clear power differential between general education and special education teachers in co-taught classrooms, with general educators assuming control over the division of responsibilities and instruction in co-taught English Language Arts and mathematics classes. Results of lesson analysis indicated that instruction in the majority of co-taught classrooms observed for the purpose of this study was rated in the low to medium quality range. Exceptions to these findings are noted. Based on these results, implications for practice in schools and teacher preparation are considered. Recommendations are also made for future research.

This research study aimed to decrease stereotypic behaviors (e.g., face hitting, table hitting, thumb sucking) of a student with deafblindness that have had a negative impact on learning opportunities and pose a safety concern to the student. A single-subject, multi-treatment withdrawal design was used to test the effects of multiple interventions including physical prompting to engage in object manipulation of preferred items, contingent reinforcement, and response blocking, on target hand-stereotypy and object manipulation for one nine-year-old boy with deafblindness and a severe to profound intellectual disability. A functional relation was observed to show that hand-related stereotypy decreased due to prompting object manipulation and further decreased when object manipulation was reinforced with edibles. Adding the blocking component to the intervention had inconsistent positive effects on stereotypy, and a functional relation was not observed. Prompting alone did not appear to increase object manipulation until contingent reinforcement was added, and response blocking did not appear to have an additive effect to increase object manipulation. Implications for future research and practice are discussed. / A Thesis submitted to the School of Teacher Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Summer Semester 2018. / June 13, 2018. / Behavioral Intervention, Deafblind, Object Manipulation, Self-injurious Behavior, Stereotypy, Visually Impaired / Includes bibliographical references. / Sarah E. Ivy, Professor Directing Thesis; Jenny Rose Root, Committee Member; Sandra Lewis, Committee Member.

Elementary students who demonstrate accuracy and speed in handwriting are better equipped to generate higher quality, longer composition. Unfortunately, students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) tend to encounter significant difficulties with legibility, size, and speed of handwriting. The present study used a single-subject, multiple-baseline design across participants to examine the effects of CASL (Center for Advancing Student Learning) Handwriting intervention on handwriting accuracy and speed for three early elementary students with ASD. The dependent variable was correct letter points (CLP) and error letter points (ELP) as measured on a 90-s sentence copy probe. The intervention was delivered over eighteen, 20-min sessions which included alphabetic knowledge activities, explicit instruction in handwriting, and timed practice with goal-setting, praise, performance feedback, and self-graphing. After starting intervention, all students showed immediate increases in overall handwriting accuracy. Throughout intervention, handwriting accuracy continued to improve for each student, and handwriting speed increased for 2 of 3 students. However, the observed gains fell short of high levels of accuracy needed to achieve fluency as a learning outcome. Results extend prior research on handwriting intervention for students with ASD, the CASL Handwriting Program, behavioral fluency theory, the Instructional Hierarchy, explicit instruction, and timed practice.

No description available.