Bob Algozzine

Effects of Interventions to Promote Self-Determination for Individuals With Disabilities

Self-determination, the combination of skills, knowledge, and beliefs that enable a person to engage in goal-directed, self-regulated, autonomous behavior, has become an important part of special education and related services for people with disabilities. Research on the outcomes of self-determination interventions has been sparse. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive review of literature and used quantitative methods of meta-analysis to investigate what self-determination interventions have been studied, what groups of individuals with disabilities have been taught self-determination, and what levels of outcomes have been achieved using self-determination interventions. Fifty-one studies were identified that intervened to promote one or more components of self-determination; 22 were included in meta-analyses. The median effect size across 100 group intervention comparisons (contained in 9 studies) was 1.38. In contrast, 13 single subject studies included 18 interventions and produced a median percentage of nonoverlapping data (PND) of 95% with a range of 64% to 100%. Seven of the interventions had a PND of 100%, suggesting strong effects. Although all components of self-determination were reflected in this research, most focused on teaching choice making to individuals with moderate and severe mental retardation or self-advocacy to individuals with learning disabilities or mild mental retardation. The outcomes are discussed regarding the need to demonstrate that self-determination can be taught and learned, and can make a difference in the lives of individuals with disabilities.

Research on Reading Instruction for Individuals with Significant Cognitive Disabilities

This article presents the results of a comprehensive review of 128 studies on teaching reading to individuals with significant cognitive disabilities. The review compared these studies against the National Reading Panels components of reading; although it revealed an inadequate consideration of the components of reading, it found strong evidence for teaching sight words using systematic prompting and fading. The reviewers considered not only the number of studies, but also indicators proposed for evidence-based practice and effect size. This study identified some high quality studies with strong effect size for comprehension and fluency, but only one phonics study was strong in both quality and effects. Additional research is needed to promote broader skills in literacy for this population.

Similarities and Differences Between Low Achievers and Students Classified Learning Disabled

Considerable evidence suggests that the learning-disabilities (LD) category is primarily one of underachievement. The research reported here compared school-identified LD children with a group of low-achieving students (non-LD) not identified as LD. Both groups were administered a battery of psychoeducational tests and their performances were compared on all measures. While discriminant function analysis indicated 78.4% correct classification of the students, further analysis showed it would be impossible to discern classification on an individual basis. An analysis of the results indicated considerable similarities between the groups; in fact, an average of 96% of the scores were within a common range, and the performances of LD and low-achieving children on many subtests were identical. The findings could be interpreted to support either of two major conflicting viewpoints: (a) that schools are failing to identify many students who are in fact LD or (b) that too many non-LD students are labeled LD. This investigation demonstrates that as many as 40% of students may be misclassified. The implications of these results with regard to identification and placement practices are discussed.

Multicultural issues in autism

The professional literature provides ample evidence that individuals with autism exhibit a myriad of unusual social, communication, and behavioral patterns of interactions that present challenges to their families and service providers. However, there is a dearth of quality works on multicultural issues regarding autistic spectrum disorders. In this article, we explore issues surrounding autism and multiculturalism, with the intent not to provide answers but to raise questions for further examination. We focus our discussions on two primary issues: autism within cultural groups and multicultural family adaptation based on the framework of pluralistic societies in which some cultural groups are a minority within the dominant culture. We found differences in prevalence rates across races for autism and little information regarding how multicultural families adapt to raising a child with autism. Further, students with multicultural backgrounds and autism are challenged on at least four dimensions: communication, social skills, behavioral repertoires, and culture. Future research in these areas is clearly warranted.

Declaring Students Eligible for Learning Disability Services: Why Bother with the Data?.

School personnel routinely collect a variety of information in order to make decisions concerning a students eligibility for special services. Such decisions are typically made at placement team meetings in which individuals are expected to reach consensus as a group on the basis of assessment results. Twenty videotapes of placement team meetings were analyzed relative to the kinds of data presented. The relationship between the final decision and the amount of information presented was positive: greater likelihood of identification was evident at meetings in which more information was presented. Little relationship existed between the type of information presented and applicability to various currently popular identification criteria. Eighty-three percent of the statements made at the meetings were considered irrelevant. The data provide little evidence to suggest that teams use specific, formal criteria when making eligibility decisions or that assessment results are used for purposes other than minimal professional credibility.

Probabilities Associated with the Referral to Placement Process

Sandra Christenson is Research Assistant and James Ysseldyke is Director, both, Institute for Research on Learning Disabilities, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455. Between October, 1976,1 and December, 1980, the number of students served in special education increased by nearly 600,000 from 3,586,804 to 4,185,076. This is an increase of nearly 17% in the number of students served. Recently, educators have expressed concern about, and debated the reasons for, this significant increase. At least four kinds of arguments are heard. The first argument is that Public Law 94-142 was intended to provide services for increased numbers of previously unserved students (Ballard & Zettel, 1977), and that under mandates for child find and delivery of services to individuals between 3 and 21 years of age, schools are finally beginning to serve all this nation’s handicapped students. A second explanation is an economic one. In P.L. 94-142 it was argued that &dquo;Developments in the training of teachers and in diagnostic and instructional procedures and methods have advanced to the point that, given appropriate funding, State and local education agencies can and will provide effective special education and related services to meet the needs of handicapped students&dquo; (p. 776). Proponents of this explanation argue that an increase in the numbers of students served is a logical consequence of increased funding. A third explanation is one stressing that increasing numbers of students are experiencing home and family problems as well as withinstudent deficits, dysfunctions, and disabilities, and are in need of special education services. In 1979 the National Education Association

Student Ratings of Instruction in Distance Learning and On-Campus Classes

Abstract Student ratings in 2 special education courses offered on campus and off campus using different means of instruction, including electronic media, were compared. Ratings also were compared when distance classes were taught at local and remote facilities. End-of-course student evaluations were examined using a counterbalanced design. A comparison of outcome measures revealed no difference in the overall course means. Outcome measures for on-campus students versus off-campus students for the 2 courses were examined, but no differences were found in the overall ratings. Course, instructor, teaching, and communication ratings were similar across settings and courses. Implications for future research in evaluating instruction at a distance are suggested.

A Logical and Empirical Analysis of Current Practice in Classifying Students as Handicapped

The major criterion for classification systems is that students said to evidence any specific handicapping condition must demonstrate at least one universal and one specific characteristic. We conducted two investigations, using the category “learning disabilities” as an example, to examine the extent to which this criterion is met. In the first study, we demonstrated that 85% of 248 3rd-, 5th-, and 12th- grade students identified as normal could be classified as learning disabled. In a second investigation, we contrasted low-achieving students enrolled in regular fourth-grade classes with students labeled as learning disabled (LD). Analysis of these data indicated that 88% of the low-achieving sample could be identified as LD and that 4% of the LD sample did not meet any of the criteria for classification as LD. We found no specific characteristics that differentiated the groups. Implications for classification practices in general and for serving students who are failing in school are discussed.

Tips for Teaching: Differentiating Instruction to Include All Students.

(2007). Tips for Teaching: Differentiating Instruction to Include All Students. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth: Vol. 51, No. 3, pp. 49-54.

Learning Disabilities as a Subset of School Failure: The Over-Sophistication of a Concept

The learning disabilities field has always struggled with practical problems related to definition and operational criteria for identification practices. To a large extent, in spite of attempts to create a more sophisticated category, learning disabilities has become a category of low achievement. We compared two samples of school-age children. Some were identified as learning disabled by their respective school districts; others were low achievers. Few psychometric differences other than selected achievement scores were found between the groups of children. Many of the learning disabled children did not meet federal definition guidelines as we operationalized them, and many low-achieving children were “learning disabled” by these same decision rules. Results are discussed and a conceptual challenge offered to professionals.