Blackorby and Wagner (1996) posit that youth with visual impairments are not employed, living independently or attending post-secondary educational sites commensurate with their sighted peers. Literature suggests that students need both work-based and school-based skills to successfully transition to the world of employment and that transition planning is the vehicle used during high school (or sooner if appropriate) to document those needed skills. This descriptive study was conducted in two phases to review and describe the required skills, teacher quality, and transition planning for transition-aged students with visual impairments in the state of Iowa, known for a stellar educational system. The second objective of this study was to describe the differences in IEPs and TVIs that represented a high, middle and low level of compliance and promising practices, including the number of Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) content areas (Hatlen, 1996; Pugh & Erin, 1999) documented on the IEPs. Both qualitative and quantitative data analysis were used to answer the following two research questions; 1) What are the levels of compliance and promising practices on transition IEPs for students with visual impairments in Iowa and 2) What variables in the focus areas distinguish a transition IEP that reflects the variability of compliance and promising practices? The hypothesis that a highly qualified TVI would produce a transition IEP that reflected a high level of compliance and promising practices guided this study. The results found a low to moderate compliance and promising practices reflected on the transition IEPs for students with visual impairments. In addition, IEPs for students with the presence of mental retardation and for students at Iowa Braille School reflected higher levels of compliance, promising practices and instruction. Higher levels of efficacy, instruction, experience, and caseloads were found for TVIs whose IEPs reflected a higher level of compliance and promising practices.

Using a sample of children seen at two Tennessee Centers of Excellence for Children in State Custody (COEs), this study examined characteristics of abused children with disabilities compared to abused children without disabilities. Children with and without disabilities were also compared to children who were in state custody but did not experience abuse. Records of 443 children were coded for child, parent, family, abuse, placement, and other characteristics. Four main findings were noted. First, compared to non-abused children, children who were abused entered state custody at a younger age and had more siblings. Second, children with disabilities were most often evaluated during the middle years (especially from 8-11 years), whereas children without disabilities were evaluated when they were very young (0-3) or older (16 and up). Third, children without disabilities were more likely to have many siblings if they were abused, but the number of siblings was similar for children with disabilities who were and were not abused. Finally, compared to their percentages of the U.S. population, children with disabilities were significantly over-represented in the COE sample. Abuse of children also depended on type of disability: children with behavior disorders were more often abused; children with mental retardation less often abused. Compared to groups without disabilities, fathers of children with mental retardation abused their children less often and mothers of children with health/orthopedic impairments abused their children more often. Results of this study have practical and theoretical implications for future research and interventions.

SPECIAL EDUCATION SIBLING USE OF RESPONSIVE INTERACTION STRATEGIES ACROSS SETTINGS JENNIFER ALACIA TRENT Dissertation under the direction of Professor Ann P. Kaiser The effects of an intervention designed to facilitate interactions between three older typically developing siblings and their younger siblings with disabilities were investigated using a multiple probe across behaviors design. Typical siblings were taught to use three responsive interaction strategies through the use of written materials, modeling, role-play, and oral feedback. Following training in the three responsive interaction strategies, target siblings increased their use of mirroring, nonverbal turn-taking, and verbal responding during social toy activities. Two of the typical sibling generalized use of the responsive interaction strategies to independent toy activities and shared-product routines without explicit training. The third typical sibling demonstrated generalization of responsive interaction strategies following explicit training I nthe two generalization contexts. The measures of the communicative performance of the children with disabilities revealed some increases in the number of comments made by the children in each session. Two of the siblings with disabilities demonstrated improvement in mean length of utterance (MLU), diversity of vocabulary, and Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) scores from pre- to post-intervention. Data from the 1-mo follow-up observations indicate that two of typical siblings were able to maintain use of the responsive interaction strategies during that period. The paper concludes with a discussion of issues related to siblings as interventionists, implications for practice, and implications for research. Approved__________________________________________Date____________

To date only a handful of studies have been conducted to investigate improving the writing skills of students with EBD and only 1 evaluating the effects of writing on students at risk for internalizing behavior problems. This is concerning considering writing in communication and expression of feelings. The effects of Self-Regulated Strategy Development (Harris & Graham, 1996) on persuasive writing, academic engagement, and disruptive behaviors of 6 second grade students with internalizing behavioral concerns and co-occurring limited writing abilities was examined in this study. Results suggest improvements in the number of essay elements included, essay lengths, and to a lesser extent, the quality of essays after SRSD instruction for persuasive writing. Functional relations between SRSD instruction and behavioral outcomes were not established.

SPECIAL EDUCATION A COMPARISON OF DYNAMIC ASSESSMENT AND PROGRESS MONITORING IN THE PREDICTION OF READING ACHIEVEMENT FOR STUDENTS IN KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE ERIN CAFFREY Dissertation under the direction of Professor Douglas Fuchs The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of dynamic assessment (DA) and progress monitoring in the prediction of reading achievement for students in kindergarten and first grade. A total of 120 participants (25 kindergarten and 95 first grade) were administered traditional pre-reading and reading measures and DA in November and December. From December to April, weekly progress monitoring data was collected using curriculum-based measurement (CBM). Traditional reading-related measures and DA were administered again in April and May. Three variables from the fall assessment were used to predict four outcome variables from the spring assessment. Predictor variables included Fall DA, CBM intercept at week #1 (CBM intercept), and CBM slope over 5 weeks (CBM slope). Outcome variables included the Wide-Range Achievement Test Reading subtest (WRAT Reading), Woodcock Reading Mastery Test-Revised Word Attack subtest (Word Attack), oral reading fluency (fluency), and the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test Spelling subtest (WIAT Spelling). Multiple regression analysis was used to determine significant predictors of Spring reading achievement. A commonality analysis was used to establish the unique contribution of each predictor. For the kindergarten sample, the CBM intercept explained the most significant unique variance on all four spring reading measures. Fall DA explained significant unique variance in WRAT Reading and Word Attack. CBM slope explained significant unique variance in fluency. For the first grade sample, Fall DA, CBM intercept, and CBM slope explained statistically significant unique variance on all four Spring reading measures. Fall DA explained the most unique variance on WRAT Reading and Word Attack. CBM intercept and CBM slope explained the most unique variance in fluency. Fall DA and CBM intercept explained the most unique variance in WIAT Spelling. Both DA and progress monitoring (as measured by CBM intercept and CBM slope) were useful in the prediction of Spring reading achievement. The relative utility of DA and progress monitoring was dependent on the specific reading skills predicted.

The effects of training teachers to implement an intervention designed to promote pretense behaviors in children with disabilities were examined using a multiple probe design. Teachers were trained to use a system of least prompts procedure, contingent imitation and praise to promote pretense behaviors through the use of a written manual, video, role-playing, and performance feedback. With instruction, children with disabilities increased their use of pretense behaviors, increased the diversity of their pretend play, and increased their use of vocalizations related to their pretend play. Three of the four participants showed changes across three toy sets; and one showed them across two toy sets before being withdrawn from school. Two of the four participants increased pretense behaviors immediately with no modifications in the prompt levels (i.e., presentation of all toys, model prompt, and hand over hand controlling prompt). With one participant an additional level (i.e., choice of two toys) was included to the system of least prompts procedure. With the other participant two additional levels (i.e., a visual prompts and presentation of one toy) and an edible reinforcement were included in the system of least prompts procedure. Pretense behaviors maintained for all four participants during probe conditions without prompts after instructional conditions. Generalization measures included daily generalization probes with a non-teacher adult and the same toy sets, and, for three of the four children, post-test probes with a non-teacher adult and different toy sets. All four children had increases in the pretense behaviors in the daily generalization probes with a non-teacher adult and the same toy sets. Two of the three children had increases in post-test probes with a non-teacher adult and different toy sets. Pre and post-test measures were assessed with three of the four children using the Structured Play Assessment (e.g., Ungerer & Sigman, 1981). All three of the children had increases in pretense behaviors in the post-test.

This study examines how family background impacts the comprehension of struggling readers in grades 2-6. Background surveys were administered to parents (N = 51), who also completed cognitive and psychosocial measures. These data, in conjunction with student cognitive and behavioral scores, were used to examine the predictive validity of the family background instrument compared to two socioeconomic measures common to educational research (i.e., Lunch Subsidy, Hollingshead). Correlation and regression analyses examined how the variables composing family background correlate and their relationship to the students comprehension score on the Gates MacGinitie Reading Test. Components of family background were significantly related to students comprehension scores; and accounted for as much or more variability than either the Hollingshead or lunch subsidy status.

The purpose of this study was to involve second-graders unresponsive to research-validated classroom instruction (i.e., Peer Assisted Learning Strategies; PALS) in four treatments: one to one standardized, one to one individualized, one to three standardized, and continuation in large-class PALS. The two central research questions were: (a) Does individualizing tutoring promote greater reading growth than a standardized approach? (b) Do students in standard 1:1 instruction show greater improvement than those in small group standard instruction? Results were unexpected. Those who remained classroom PALS instruction outperformed the other study groups on many of the reading measures. Those in the 1:3 standard group made similar gains to those in the 1:1 group. Prior reading ability and English Language Learner status were significant predictors of reading progress. That is, students with higher pretreatment scores made more progress. Students whose first language was not English made less progress than those whose first language was English.

The present study examined the effectiveness and efficiency of two instructional arrangements using the progressive time delay (PTD) procedure with 5 young children with autism. An adapted alternating treatment design was used to compare PTD with instructive feedback (IF) after the consequent event of correct responses and PTD without IF. The results suggest (a) children with autism can learn when PTD is used and IF is included after the consequent event of correct responses, (b) IF can be an effective method of instruction for children with autism, and (c) the combination of PTD and IF increases the efficiency of learning. These results are discussed within the constraints and limitations of the data and areas for future research are recommended.

The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability, validity, and predictive utility of 3 measures for screening kindergarten students for risk for math difficulty (MD). The screening measures assessed number sense and computational fluency, constructs central to typical early mathematical development. Conceptual and operational outcomes were assessed at the end of 1st grade, with MD operationalized as below the 16th percentile. The study evaluated how single-skill vs. multiple-skill screeners compared in terms of predictive efficiency; the accuracy of fall vs. spring kindergarten screening; and whether development could be forecast more precisely in terms of conceptual or operational outcomes. Students (n = 196) were tested during the fall and spring of the kindergarten year; follow-up data collection occurred during the spring of 1st grade. Alternate form and internal consistency reliability, concurrent and predictive validity, and predictive utility for the screening measures were examined. Logistic regression and ROC analyses indicated that the multiple-skill screeners produced good and similar fits as the single-skill quantity discrimination measure at both the fall and spring screening occasions in forecasting conceptual mathematics outcome at the end of 1st grade. To forecast operational outcome, the multiple- and single-skill screening measures produced similar but less accurate fits.