Benjamin A. Mason

Adequate Yearly Progress for Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Through Research-Based Practices

Because schools are held accountable for the academic performance of all students, it is important to focus on academics and the need for effective teaching practices. Adequate yearly progress, a method of accountability that is part of the No Child Left Behind Act (2001), profoundly affects the education of students who have emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). These students, who typically and consistently perform below grade level, are, or soon will be, tested on grade level across content-area courses. The authors conducted a review of academic interventions for students with EBD to broaden the impact of research by developing a list of instructional interventions that researchers have demonstrated to be effective in improving academic performance of students with EBD.

Measurement and Statistical Problems in Neuropsychological Assessment of Children

The field of neuropsychology as practiced clinically has been driven in large part by the development and application of standardized diagnostic procedures that are more sensitive than medical examinations to changes in behavior, in particular higher cognitive processes, as related to brain function. The techniques and methods so derived have led to major conceptual and theoretical advances in the understanding of normal and abnormal patterns of brain– behavior relationships. Despite the apparent utility of many of the neuropsychological tests discussed in this volume, their psychometric properties leave much to be desired. Much of their utility comes from the clinical acumen and experience of their users and developers, a situation that has, historically, made clinical neuropsychology more difficult to teach than should be the case. In fact, much of today’s practice and yesterday’s theoretical advances in clinical neuropsychology stem from intense and insightful observation of brain-damaged individuals by such astute observers as Ward Halstead, A. R. Luria, Hans Teuber, Karl Pribram, Roger Sperry, and others. These superstars of clinical neuropsychology were state-of-the-art researchers (though the state of the art was often crude) to be sure, but their greatest inspirations came from their constant monitoring and informal interactions with the behavior of persons suffering from a variety of neurological trauma and disease. Halstead roamed the halls of Otho S. S. Sprague making notes as he

The role of microstructure refinement on the impact ignition and combustion behavior of mechanically activated Ni/Al reactive composites

Metal-based reactive composites have great potential as energetic materials due to their high energy densities and potential uses as structural energetic materials and enhanced blast materials however these materials can be difficult to ignite with typical particle size ranges. Recent work has shown that mechanical activation of reactive powders increases their ignition sensitivity, yet it is not fully understood how the role of microstructure refinement due to the duration of mechanical activation will influence the impact ignition and combustion behavior of these materials. In this work, impact ignition and combustion behavior of compacted mechanically activated Ni/Al reactive powder were studied using a modified Asay shear impact experiment where properties such as the impact ignition threshold, ignition delay time, and combustion velocity were identified as a function of milling time. It was found that the mechanical impact ignition threshold decreases from an impact energy of greater than 500 J to an...

Use of a Self-Monitoring Application to Reduce Stereotypic Behavior in Adolescents with Autism: A Preliminary Investigation of I-Connect.

Many students with autism engage in a variety of complex stereotypic behaviors, impacting task completion and interfering with social opportunities. Self-monitoring is an intervention with empirical support for individuals with ASD to increase behavioral repertoires and decrease behaviors that are incompatible with successful outcomes. However, there is limited evidence for its utility for decreasing stereotypy, particularly for adolescents in school settings. This study evaluated the functional relationship between I-Connect, a technology-delivered self-monitoring program, and decreases in the level of stereotypy for two students with ASD in the school setting utilizing a withdrawal design with an embedded multiple baseline across participants. Both students demonstrated a marked decrease in stereotypy with the introduction of the self-monitoring application. Results and implications for practice and future research will be discussed.

Educator and Administrator Perceptions of the Impact of No Child Left Behind on Special Populations

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) seeks to address the inequality in schools and to correct achievement disparities prevalent in education, but little is known of NCLBs effect on students in special education. This study assesses the impact of NCLB on special education by asking educators, administrators, and staff who serve students in special education about their perceptions of the impact of NCLB for students with disabilities. Survey responses were received from 248 respondents across the state of Texas. Findings include positive perceptions of changes related to accountability, teacher qualifications, and evidence-based practices; negative perceptions related to assessment; and perceptions of no changes in relationships and communication with parents or freedom for states and communities.

Instructional Settings in Science for Students with Disabilities: Implications for Teacher Education

Finding appropriate instructional settings in science for students with disabilities is challenging, and the range of services or placements used is currently unknown. This study identifies administrative structures, instructional settings, and special/general education teacher roles in teaching science to students with disabilities. A phone survey was conducted with special education coordinators of fifth graders in 137 districts in Texas. Survey data indicated that while nearly all districts reported special education settings for the instruction of science for students with disabilities, some districts provided only general education settings. Theoretical and practical implications for teacher preparation are discussed.

Self-Monitoring for High School Students with Disabilities: A Cross-Categorical Investigation of I-Connect.

Self-monitoring interventions are well supported within the empirical literature as improving classroom engagement for students with disabilities. However, studies implementing self-monitoring interventions in high school settings are rarely conducted despite their potential to improve student academic and behavioral outcomes. In an investigation of an unobtrusive, self-monitoring application loaded on a handheld device, classroom engagement and perceived academic benefits were assessed in a withdrawal design for three high school students with different disabilities (specific learning disability, autism, and intellectual disability) in varied instructional arrangements. Direct observation data supported the intervention as effective in improving classroom engagement for all three students during intervention and maintenance phases.

Teacher-student relationship quality and academic achievement in elementary school: A longitudinal examination of gender differences☆

Multiple group longitudinal cross-lagged panel models were implemented to understand the directional influences between teacher-student closeness and conflict and measured math and reading achievement across elementary grades and gender groups using the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development longitudinal sample (N=1133). Specifically, after testing multiple group longitudinal measurement invariance to ensure consistent measurement across genders and time, and tests of equivalence of the latent parameters, we were interested in whether longitudinal changes in teacher-rated closeness and conflict explained longitudinal changes in achievement, and vice versa, and whether those longitudinal influences varied by gender. Latent teacher-student closeness decreased for both genders over time (Cohens d=-0.15 to -0.32), but latent conflict increased for males (Cohens d=0.16). There was also increased heterogeneity in teacher-student relationship quality for males relative to females. Math and reading achievement had medium reciprocal effects (β=0.12 to 0.23), and previous math achievement had small to medium effects on subsequent teacher-student closeness (β=0.08 to 0.11) and conflict (β=-0.07 to -0.09). Teacher-student conflict and closeness did not influence subsequent levels of math or reading achievement once previous levels were controlled. Further, these influences were consistent across gender groups despite latent differences in teacher-student closeness and conflict with teachers reporting closer relationships with female students and more conflictual relationships with male students.

Technology delivered self-monitoring application to promote successful inclusion of an elementary student with autism

ABSTRACT The ever-increasing prevalence of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is paralleled in public educational settings, including general education classrooms. Challenges with social/behavioral functioning, including limited self-management and behavior inhibition, can lead to off-task and disruptive behaviors that interfere with acquisition of academic and social skills. Without effective and efficient interventions, opportunities to participate in inclusive settings will likely be reduced. Self-monitoring (SM) is an intervention with strong evidence for increasing prosocial behaviors and decreasing challenging behaviors for students with ASD in educational settings, although the cuing mechanisms (e.g., timers, stopwatch) and tracking materials (e.g., paper, pencil) can be cumbersome and obtrusive. I-Connect is an SM application that allows for customizable prompts, recording, and data monitoring. The purpose of this study was to evaluate, utilizing an ABAB design, the functional relationship between implementation of I-Connect SM intervention and increases in on-task behavior with concurrent decreases in disruptive behavior for an elementary student with ASD in a general education classroom. Results indicate an immediate increase in on-task behavior as well as a decrease in disruptive behaviors with each introduction of I-Connect. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Cognitive ability and math computation developmental relations with math problem solving: An integrated, multigroup approach.

Individual differences in Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) cognitive abilities are related to individual differences in math problem solving. However, it is less clear whether cognitive abilities are associated with math problem solving directly or indirectly via math component skills and whether these relations differ across grade levels. We used multigroup structural equation models to examine direct and indirect CHC-based cognitive ability relations with math problem solving across six grade-level groups using the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition and the Kaufman Tests of Educational Achievement, Second Edition co-normed standardization sample data (N = 2,117). After testing factorial invariance of the cognitive constructs across grade levels, we assessed whether the main findings were similar across higher-order and bifactor models. In the higher-order model, the Crystallized Ability, Visual Processing, and Short-Term Memory constucts had direct and indirect relations with math problem solving, whereas the Learning Efficiency and Retrieval Fluency constructs had only indirect relations with math problem solving via math computation. The integrated cognitive ability and math achievement relations were generally consistent across the CHC models of intelligence. In the higher-order model, the g factor operated indirectly on math computation and math problem solving, whereas in the bifactor model, the first-order G factor had direct relations with math computation and math problem solving. In both models, g/G was the most consistent and largest cognitive predictor of math skills. Last, the relation of math computation with math problem solving increased as grade level increased. Theoretical implications for math development and considerations for school psychologists are discussed.