Employment data were collected from personnel files of 43 teachers of students with serious emotional disturbances from a large suburban school district. The 43 records were sorted into groups by level of college education and type of teaching endorsement. The groups were then compared for differences in duration of employment and summative evaluation scores on the Texas Teacher Appraisal System using a non-parametric one-way analysis of variance. At a .05 probability level, no significant differences were found between groups.

Teacher-parent partnerships in education are crucial when responding to the challenges of the 21st century. As teachers and parents work collaboratively to enhance children's development, the need for building productive alliances becomes essential. The link between these institutions takes on added significance as parents and teachers of students with disabilities work together as partners. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the ranking of selected values and beliefs about child development by parents and teachers of students with disabilities. The sample was comprised of 10 teachers considered out of field, teaching in exceptional education classrooms and 10 mothers whose children with disabilities were receiving services in special education classrooms. Participants were interviewed individually using a Q-sort rank and order task. The Q-sort involved a set of 15 cards, which were presented to the participants. Each card listed a characteristic(s) that could be ascribed to a child (e.g., responsible, obedient). Participants were asked to sort the cards into three groups of five cards according to the importance they ascribed to the characteristics. Data analysis was divided into two phases. First, the similarities and differences on participants' ranking were examined within and across groups. Means and standard deviations were calculated and used for comparison. Second, definitions ascribed by mothers and teachers to the top three and bottom three characteristics were transcribed and analyzed to compare their constructed meaning for each of these characteristics. Research findings yielded that mothers' and teachers' are in fact in agreement as to the characteristics that they value and believe to be the most arid least important to the development of a child. Results also described differences in the definition of selected constructs or characteristics responding to the role participants played in the lives of the children. Similarities and differences identified in this study may assist in the development of healthy parent-teacher partnerships and strengthen those that already exist.

<p> This study examined the effects of a 2-day professional development for special education teachers of students who have Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). The professional development included general knowledge of ASDs and teaching strategies that could be used in the classroom to assist children with ASDs. This study also ascertained teachers&rsquo; perceptions and knowledge gains as a result of participating in professional development opportunities on ASD. </p><p> The overarching research question addressed in this study was: Does a professional development on ASDs for special education teachers increase their knowledge of ASD and their knowledge and ability to implement strategies in the classroom? The specific research questions were: 1. Does the professional development change teachers&rsquo; perceptions of students with ASD? 2. Does the professional development increase the special education teachers&rsquo; knowledge of ASD? 3. Does the professional development provide specific teaching strategies directly related to students with ASDs&rsquo; success? </p><p> The researcher employed a mixed methods approach for this research study. The researcher collected data using the ASD Inventory (pre and post assessment). The study measured participants&rsquo; perceptions and knowledge of ASD, provided evidence-based practices to the participants, and assessed the participants&rsquo; comfort levels teaching students with ASD. The inventory assessments were analyzed using paired-samples t-test to obtain the final results. </p><p> The overall goal of this study was to learn about how to create effective professional development experiences for special education teachers in the area of ASDs. The goal was to enhance teachers&rsquo; perceptions of teaching students with ASD, increase their technical knowledge of ASD, and improve their knowledge of strategies to use when teaching students with ASD, as assessed by the ASD Inventory. </p><p> The major findings in this study were that after a 2-day professional development on ASD, there was a significant change in teachers&rsquo; perceptions of students with ASD, as well as a significant increase in teachers&rsquo; knowledge of ASD. Evidence of teaching strategies provided by the professional development was indicated through the assessment and teacher participation. Therefore, teachers learned strategies to meet the needs of students with ASDs.</p>

<p> The research for this qualitative ethnographic study included interviews with nine general education, middle-school teachers in an urban school district. The purpose of this study was to explore how inconsistencies in teacher-based referrals describe disproportionality in special education. Through the development of themes from participant responses, the results of the study indicated that teachers had deeply rooted opinions of appropriate classroom behavior and academic achievement. Teachers were more likely to recommend special education services if the student did not align with the teacher&rsquo;s personal experiences of appropriate behavior and academic achievement. In the majority of the sample, teachers recommended that the student be referred for special education services. </p>

<p> The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of a self-monitoring practice in a middle school setting. A total of three participants who received special education services utilized this self-monitoring practice to evaluate their individual behaviors. This investigation took place in an inclusive classroom setting where the participants received instruction from a certified teacher alongside their non-disabled peers. A multiple baseline ABAB design was employed to determine the effectiveness of a cuing procedure on two specific measures; 1.) staying on task and 2.) following directions. The participants recorded data on their individual intervention sheets during the intervention phases. Each of the participants made improvements toward the two specified measures. This investigation revealed that self-monitoring practices can be used to manage students&rsquo; behaviors and to assist teachers with classroom management.</p>

<p> I selected 10 typically developing preschool students between the ages of 2 and 3 years from a preschool facility. I tested their listener and speaker responses to common stimuli to determine whether they demonstrated differences in their listener and speaker repertoires. I selected the 6 children with the largest discrepancy in their listener and speaker repertoires to participate in Naming probe sessions to measure for the presence of Naming (a capability which allows an individual to acquire language incidentally). None of the participants had the full Naming capability at the onset of the study. A delayed multiple probe design across participants was implemented to test for the emergence of speaker responses for stimuli the participants could only respond to as a listener prior to the acquisition of Naming. Multiple exemplar instruction (MEI) across speaker and listener responses was implemented to induce Naming in these participants. Following the acquisition of Naming the experimenter re-tested listener and speaker responses, finding that the participants could respond as a speaker to the stimuli they previously could only respond to as a listener, thereby demonstrating the transformation of stimulus function from listener to speaker responses. Following the acquisition of Naming, 5 of the 6 participants acquired over 50% of untaught responses with the exception of 1 participant who acquired 30% of untaught responses following the acquisition of Naming.</p>

<p> In order to investigate the actual instructional experiences for students with reading disabilities in Taiwan, a qualitative study was conducted using the method consisted of observation of the special education environment and interviews with two students with reading disabilities, one parent of the student, and three Resource Room teachers. On a macroscopic scale, the researcher looked at the special education system&rsquo;s implementation in a public middle school in Taiwan, while on a microscopic scale, the researcher focused on the remediation of the reading disabilities that the students were receiving in special education. The ultimate goal of this research was to benefit the special educational system in Taiwan in educating students with reading disabilities. Therefore, this was written in both English and Mandarin for the benefit of readers in Taiwan and in the U.S.</p>

<p> This dissertation, employing a social constructivist orientation, investigated the socialization behaviors employed by school age children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in the context of meaning-based writing activities. A qualitative investigation, this study used ethnographic methods to describe and interpret the social behaviors of the individual participants throughout the writing events. Data in the form of audio and video recordings, participant observations, artifacts, and parent interviews for three participants with ASD were collected over the course of one academic semester during group social, literacy-based intervention. The manifestations of socialization evidenced during micro analysis of a primary data set were described in detail and triangulated via multiple secondary data sources. Findings demonstrate that all three participants oriented uniquely to socialization within the writing events.</p><p> Though the participants all evidenced unique manifestations of socialization, their behaviors could be conceptualized into broad patterns. Results of this study describe five patterns of the manifestations of socialization across all three participants; these included employment of social compensatory strategies, conceptualization of shared writing process as a social interaction, social monitoring behaviors, conceptualization of writing as something to be shared, and using writing as an opportunity to socialize/affiliate. Three additional patterns noted include participants being more successful with clinicians than peers, clinician mediation of peer-peer interactions, and breakdowns in coherence.</p><p> Clinical research implications drawn from the results include the importance of a strengths-based, contextualized approach to assessment and intervention and the value of the peer group, and the unique opportunities meaning-based writing intervention s can provide for addressing socialization. Research implications address the notion of social impairment as a distinct category of impairment as problematic.</p>

<p> This qualitative study examined how teachers use instructional practices and family reinforcement interventions to support intrinsic motivation for special education students as a means to meet graduation requirements. Purposeful sampling of highly qualified special education teachers certified in language arts was used in this study. The data were collected through three teacher participant interviews, classroom observations, and a collection of documents and artifacts. </p><p> The findings are presented and discussed through the three main themes that emerged from data analysis and interpretation. Three main themes described instructional practices used to support intrinsic motivation for special education students as a means to meet requirements for graduation: collaboration, relevant/meaningful learning, and relationships. One main theme described how teachers use family support interventions to provide intrinsic motivation for special education students as a means to meet requirements for graduation: open/transparent communication. This study adds to the body of literature regarding instructional practices and family support interventions to support intrinsic motivation as a means of meeting graduation requirements.</p>

<p> The purpose of this qualitative design study was to better understand the experiences of high school general education English teachers who have students with Asperger Syndrome in their classes. More specifically, this researcher wanted to better understand the teacher&rsquo;s perception of the IEP-denoted accommodations the general education teachers are responsible for implementing. Data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, journal entries and collection of artifacts. Findings of this study include: the IEP document and IEP process from the lens of the general education teacher do not provide adequate information when considering the unique needs of students with Asperger Syndrome; general education English teachers are committed not only to forming relationships with students with Asperger Syndrome, but often take it a step further, taking on the role of advocating for the student as well as encouraging the student to advocate for himself or herself; and general education English teachers are committed to doing what works for the student, regardless of what information can be found in the IEP document.</p>