Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / This quasi-experimental study was undertaken to determine the effect of context on learning a functional living skill for individuals with cognitive deficits associated with the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Forty-six people (ages 27-62) with non-paranoid schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were matched on cognitive level (Allen Cognitive Level Screen- 90, Allen, Kerberg, & Bums, 1992), cooking experience, and living situation (group home or apartment). They were then randomly assigned to one of two treatment conditions, clinic or home. All participants were evaluated and taught basic cooking skills in either the clinic or their homes. Finally, all participants were evaluated in their homes. Both groups scored significantly higher after cooking lessons (t=5.57, df = 21, p<.0001 for those in the clinic; t = 7.81. df = 21, p<.0002 for those learning at home); there was no significant difference between the two groups in where the learning took place (B = -1.8, df = 42, p<0.23). Those who learned in the clinic scored lower than the home group when tested at home (t = -2.07, df = 42, p<.0489) although this result must be accepted with caution because of a significant difference between the two groups on the first assessment of cooking skill. Additional questions yielded the following: there was a positive correlation between cognitive level and cooking skill (df = 44, r =.55, p <.001); there was a positive correlation between cognitive level and transfer of learning (df = 21, F = 52.49, p < .0000); no significant correlation was found between amount of practice and increase in cooking skill ( df = 27, r = .256, r2 = .066). People with cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia can learn a specific functional living skill in different contexts. Qualitative aspects of those contexts are discussed. Further research is recommended to describe/understand transfer of learning from one context to another. Cognitive level is highly correlated with both ability to learn and ability to transfer learning. Additional research is recommended to adequately describe the effect of practice on learning a functional living skill. Implications for treatment and suggestions for clinical research are presented.

Observational learning has been defined as the learning of new responses that occurs as a result of observing the responding of a model and the consequences that this responding produces (Catania, 2007; Taylor & DeQuinzio, 2012). The following study compared the effectiveness of a peer and staff model for teaching four adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities a new response chained task. An alternating treatment design, counterbalanced across subjects was used to evaluate the effects of each modeling condition. Results indicated that all four adults learned the skill with fewer sessions by observing the peer model. Following acquisition of each task, the degree of generalization and maintenance of responding was also evaluated. Implications and directions for future research are further discussed.

Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW) / The National Policy on Orphans and Vulnerable defines an orphan as a child, who has lost one, or both parents, and is under the age of 18, while a vulnerable child is one, who is in need of care and protection. The Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs) are placed in residential childcare facilities (RCCFs), such as children’s homes, shelters, safe havens, or any other alternative form of care. They are provided with psychosocial support, depending on the facility, in which they are placed.Failure to provide proper and specialised care by the caregivers could prove harmful to the overall wellbeing of the child, resulting in children with developmental difficulties, poor interpersonal relationships, mental health difficulties, behavioural difficulties, and poor academic achievement.

Barros et al. (2018) suggested that individuals with a diagnosis of down syndrome (DS) and/or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face challenges in acquiring adaptive daily living skills (ADLs). As a result, more intensive support may be required to acquire such skills and quality of life (QoL) may be impacted for those individuals and their parents/caregivers/legal guardians. The purpose of this study was to teach children with a diagnosis of down syndrome (DS) or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) oral hygiene skills, specifically toothbrushing, utilizing basic video modeling. Three children between the ages of four – 11 with a diagnosis of DS or ASD viewed video models portraying a similar age peer completing the toothbrushing task. A concurrent multiple baseline across participants design was used and independence in tooth brushing was monitored. Results suggested that utilizing basic video modeling can increase correct independent responding in tooth brushing. When taught ADLs, individuals with a diagnosis of DS or ASD may be able to increase independence in everyday life such as feeding, using the bathroom, or living independently. Furthermore, acquiring ADLs can increase the QoL for individuals with a diagnosis of DS or ASD and for the parents/caregivers/legal guardians of those individuals.

The question of which strategies for teaching daily living skills (DLS) are most effective for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) requires increased attention. Special education elementary teachers may not have the instructional strategies necessary to teach DLS to students with ASD. DLS instruction for students with ASD is important because these skills are essential to functioning in school as well as society. The aim of this study was to identify elementary special education teachers' perceptions about their ability to teach DLS to students with ASD. The study's conceptual framework was rooted in a synthesis of ideas from current refereed literature, along with Bandura's social cognitive theory. Purposeful sampling identified 10 participants for individual interviews. Findings indicated 2 themes that emerged from Bandura's (1993) self-efficacy theory: lack of competency to teach DLS and teachers' beliefs about DLS instruction. Thematic and open coding indicated the following themes: lack of time, lack of administrative support in formally addressing DLS deficits, and strategies influencing DLS acquisition. The results indicated that special education elementary teachers did not feel efficacious about their ability to teach DLS to students with ASD and did not feel that they had time and support to provide DLS instruction to students with ASD. This study suggests a need for ongoing, sustainable professional development opportunities for special education teachers related to teaching DLS to students with ASD. Social change implications include improved teacher practice focused on increasing DLS performance for students with ASD so that they will be able to independently perform DLS in various environments, along with increased awareness and comprehension of the value of teacher voice in DLS instructional practices for students with ASD. From ProQuest: https://search.proquest.com/docview/1964903175/.

Background Individuals with intellectual disabilities need continued supports in completing daily living tasks to increase the likelihood of achieving independence. Fortunately, research has shown that assistive technology, and particularly video prompting helps support independent living for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Aims This study investigated the efficacy of a highly customizable task analysis smartphone application in assisting three young adults with intellectual disabilities learn how to cook three different multistep recipes. Materials & Methods Three young adults with intellectual disabilities enrolled in a four-year postsecondary education program (PSE) participated in a multiple probe design across participants to examine the effect of a Task Analysis app on the participants' completion of three cooking tasks. Results In this present study, the use of video prompting to teach a daily living skill resulted in large and meaningful effect size gains of 99%–100% for all three participants, as measured by Tau-U. Discussion Video prompting is an effective instructional strategy which allows the user to self-prompt and manage their ability to successfully complete daily living skills. In this current study, video prompting made a substantial difference in the safety of participants. Conclusion The use of video prompting can decrease the reliance on others (e.g., teachers and caregivers), improve self-confidence of the user, and improve the user's level of autonomy.

Darbo tema – Tėvų ir specialistų bendradarbiavimas ruošiant sutrikusio intelekto vaikus savarankiškam gyvenimui. Sutrikusio intelekto žmonės iki šiol mūsų visuomenėje yra laikomi silpnais ir nesavarankiškais, nesugebančiais spręsti gyvenimiškų problemų. Dažnai jie yra tapatinami su niekad nesuaugančiais vaikais. Pagrindinis sutrikusio intelekto vaikų ugdymo tikslas – parengti auklėtinius gyventi kaip galima savarankiškiau , todėl juos lavinant turi būti daug gyvenimiškų situacijų pratybų, mokymosi kartoti veiklą pagal jos nuoseklumą. Didelę įtaką ruošiant šiuos vaikus savarankiškam gyvenimui turi ugdymo kryptingumas. Sutrikusio intelekto vaikų rengimas savarankiškam gyvenimui yra sudėtingas ir įvairiapusis procesas, kuriam realizuoti reikia naujų pedagoginių būdų, metodų. Ypač aktualu kalbėti apie vaikų, turinčių negalią, savarankiškumo ugdymo ir realizavimo problemas ir galimybes tapo vykstant integracijai ir pradėjus rūpintis šių žmonių gyvenimo sąlygų bei kokybės gerinimu. Tyrimo objektas – tėvų ir specialistų bendradarbiavimas, ruošiant sutrikusio intelekto vaikus savarankiškam gyvenimui. Tyrimo tikslas – atskleisti tėvų ir specialistų bendradarbiavimo problemas, ruošiant sutrikusio intelekto vaikus savarankiškam gyvenimui. Tyrimo uždaviniai : Apibūdinti sutrikusio intelekto vaikų savarankiškumo bruožus. Atskleisti sutrikusį intelektą turinčių vaikų savarankiškumo formavimo ypatumus. Nustatyti tėvų ir specialistų bendradarbiavimo būdus ir problemas... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The topic of the thesis – the partnership of parents and specialists while training children with mental disorders to live independently. Nowadays in our society people with mental disorders are considered to be weak and non self-sufficient, being not able to solve life difficulties. They are often compared with children who never grow up. The major purpose of children with intellectual disabilities training is to prepare them to live as more independently as possible; therefore, there should be much practice of real-life situations and learning to repeat an activity under its sequence while training pupils. The purposefulness of education has a great impact on these children’s preparation for an autonomous life. The training of children with mental disorders to live on their own is a complicated and diverse process which needs new educational techniques and methods to get it realized. It became particularly relevant to talk about problems and possibilities of self-sufficiency training and implementation of children with intellectual disabilities during the process of integration and starting paying attention on the improvement of life conditions and quality. The subject-matter is the collaboration of parents and specialists while preparing children with mental disorders to live independently. The research goal is to reveal the problems of the partnership of parents and specialists while preparing intellectually disorded pupils to live on their own. The tasks of the... [to full text]

Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) often need to be taught independent living skills in order to reintegrate into community settings. This study examined the use of video modeling to teach culinary skills to three individuals with TBI. Video modeling is easily accessible, inexpensive, and not reliant on an additional person to directly teach skills. For all three participants, video modeling resulted in increases in cooking skills using a task analysis created for each food item prepared. For one participant, the skills maintained over two weeks and generalized to a novel food. For another participant video modeling was insufficient in reaching high skills levels therefore a second phase utilizing reinforcement and corrective feedback was implemented. This phase demonstrated with the additional component including reinforcement and corrective feedback, the third participant reached high skill levels.

The purpose of this Master’s thesis was to determine the efficacy of a preventative intervention, MindMasters 2. In order to do so, an outcome evaluation was conducted to explore the extent to which MindMasters 2 impacted specific social and emotional skills in Grade 3 children. Additionally, a process evaluation was conducted to attain teachers’ perspectives on the acceptability of the program in a classroom setting. Teachers also provided suggestions for program improvement. A total of 98 Grade 3 children were recruited and randomly allocated to either a control or experimental group, and evaluated before and after a 3-month implementation period. Six Grade 3 teachers were recruited to partake in semi-structured interviews to share their experiences of program implementation. Overall, both quantitative and qualitative results support the notion that MindMasters 2 may play a role in improving children’s emotional regulation, relaxation ability, and social relationships. Furthermore, qualitative results indicate that the program was well adhered to in a classroom setting, and implementation of the program on a larger scale is supported by teachers. School administrators, teachers, caregivers, parents, researchers, and program administrators may find useful information in this thesis when attempting to promote positive living in the youth population.

No description available.