Anne M. Donnellan

Analyzing the Communicative Functions of Aberrant Behavior.

This paper presents some issues related to the assessment of possible communicative functions of aberrant behavior. These issues are addressed in terms of both the behavioral and the pragmatics literature, with the suggestion that the latter can be drawn upon to support and enhance the information derived from traditional functional analyses of behavior. Included are an assessment strategy and tool that can be used to formulate and test hypotheses about functions of behavior.

Gaze behavior: A new look at an old problem

This article reviews the research and clinical literature that has investigated the topography and functions of eye-to-face gaze in normal children and adults. These data and data from a recent pilot study are then compared to the criteria typically used in eye-contact training programs with autistic children. This comparison reveals some educationally relevant discrepancies between the normative data and the training criteria. The need to base educational interventions for autistic individuals on normative standards is discussed, and suggestions for future research are provided.

The Criterion of the Least Dangerous Assumption.

Currently, educators lack longitudinal data measuring both the qualitative and quantitative outcomes of various educational interventions used with handicapped students. As a result, there is no reliable standard to use when designing instructional programs which meet the “criterion of ultimate functioning ” (Brown, Nietupski, & Hamre-Nietupski, 1976). The criterion of the least dangerous assumption is presented as an interim standard to use until such data are available. The criterion of the least dangerous assumption holds that in the absence of conclusive data educational decisions ought to be based on assumptions which, if incorrect, will have the least dangerous effect on the likelihood that students will be able to function independently as adults. The use of the criterion of the least dangerous assumption in instructional program design, parent involvement, and student evaluation of students with autism is illustrated.

Effects of Adult Interaction Style on Conversational Behavior in Students with Severe Communication Problems

Children with severe communication handicaps such as autism and mental retardation often experience significant problems in conversational interactions. These problems are typically attributed to the well-documented social, linguistic, and cognitive deficits of the children. Some authors have suggested, however, that the interaction behavior of the conversational partner also affects the childrens spontaneous verbal output. This study investigated this issue using a small group design to compare the verbal output of adolescent subjects with autism or mental retardation with adults who used two different sets of verbal behaviors during conversational interactions. The results indicated that when the adults used a facilitative rather than a directive (or question-based) style, subjects initiated a significantly higher proportion of main topics and produced significantly higher proportions of both spontaneous comments and questions in their conversational exchanges. They produced higher proportions of direc...

A Time-Limited Intensive Intervention Program Model to Support Community Placement for Persons with Severe Behavior Problems

This article describes a program model for meeting the needs of a widely diverse range of clients using nonaversive strategies to deal with their severe behavior problems in community environments. Data from 2 years of implementation and follow-up designed to evaluate the program are also presented which support the effectiveness of the model. Additional data collected from parents and an independent review committee provide additional support for the social validity of the programs goals and methods.

Citizenship and culture: the role of disabled people in Navajo society

ABSTRACT Cultural constructs of disabilities can vary from one culture to another and significantly affect how the individual with disabilities is perceived, accepted, and accorded citizenship rights and responsibilities. This anthropological study of Navajo individuals with disabilities investigates these cultural constructs in a non-Western society from the perspective of the Navajo community members. Factors analyzed include child-rearing practices, the Navajo concept of childhood, and Navajo notions of health and unwellness. Historical attitudes toward disabled people are also explored, as well as changing attitudes due to the influence of Western biomedical explanations and interventions.

Teaching Students With Autism in Natural Environments: What Educators Need From Researchers

A representative sample of the literature in the field of autism was reviewed to ascertain the potential impact of the available information on the development of educational programs to teach students with autism to function in a wide variety of heterogeneous community environments. Limitations in the research literature were identified with regard to the artificial nature of settings, tasks, materials, teaching formats, and curriculum content. Suggestions are made as to ways in which research efforts can be directed towards enabling educators to better assist these students to function more independently and ultimately to live, work, and recreate in a variety of noninstitutional environments.

Issues Related to Professional Involvement with Families of Individuals with Autism and other Severe Handicaps

The combination of social, cognitive and communicative deficits associated with autism has contributed to a unique and complex relationship between parents and professionals who serve these individuals. This relationship has changed over time from one in which parents were blamed for their childrens autism to the present situation in which the emphasis is on a parent-professional partnership. This paper addresses some of the roots of non-productive parent-professional interactions related to individuals with autism and suggests some standards which might lead to more fruitful and positive relationships.

A Qualitative Study of the Process of Facilitated Communication

Qualitative research methods were used to investigate facilitated communication as it was implemented with two sixth-grade students in a general education setting. The areas of interest in this study focused on (a) the process of facilitated communication and (b) the role or roles facilitators played in this process. Participant observations occurred in a variety of school and community settings and interviews were conducted with students, their primary facilitators, and other involved teachers and teaching assistants. The findings revealed that a wide variety of physical accommodations were used to support students during the process of facilitated communication. It appeared that each student used a unique combination of support tailored to his or her individualized needs. Additionally, findings showed that complex and detailed functions were performed by facilitators. These functions included providing physical support, decision-making, and negotiating meaning during interactions. A brief discussion of the implications of these findings is included.

Opportunities Available When Severely Handicapped Students Attend Chronological Age Appropriate Regular Schools

Two issues confronting those concerned with providing educational services to severely handicapped students are extremely important and controversial: (a) the locations in which services are provided, and (b) the nature of those services. Issues related to the locations in which educational and related services are provided and how they affect the range, quality, and substantive nature of those services are addressed in this paper. The basic position offered is that it is in the best interests of students, their families, and the public for handicapped students to attend, in accordance with the natural proportion, special education classes in chronological age appropriate regular schools that are close to their homes. Some of the reasons given are that regular schools are inherently more accessible, they provide enhanced opportunities for maximal participation, and they are relatively cost efficient. In addition, regular schools offer more positive psychological and social working environments, allow provision of more acceptable related services, provide critically needed benefits to nonhandicapped students and other nonhandicapped persons, and afford benefits to severely handicapped students that would not otherwise accrue.