Christopher J. Rivera

Multimedia Shared Stories for Diverse Learners with Moderate Intellectual Disability

In recent years, there has been an increase in literature related to the development of literacy skills for students with intellectual disability (ID). By the same token, literature on ways to improve literacy skills for English language learners also has grown. Despite these advancements within the literature little is known about effective practices for English language learners with ID, specifically those who are Hispanic. The purpose of this study was to examine the comparative effects of an English and Spanish multimedia shared story intervention, with a constant time delay procedure, on the acquisition of English vocabulary for two English language learners with moderate ID. Instruction was provided to students for two weeks, lasting approximately 7–11 minutes per session. Results from the study suggested that language of instruction played an important role in English vocabulary acquisition. Results also indicated that language of instruction did not have a meaningful impact on generalization and maintenance of vocabulary for both conditions over time. Finally, teachers reported that multimedia shared stories were practical and a useful supplement for literacy instruction.

Using a Multicomponent Multimedia Shared Story Intervention with an iPad to Teach Content Picture Vocabulary to Students with Developmental Disabilities

With the increased use of iPads in classrooms, special education teachers need methods for preparing students with developmental disabilities to access and use this technology for a variety of academic purposes. This study used a multiple probe design to examine a multicomponent multimedia shared story (MSS) intervention via an iPad to teach science vocabulary to three elementary students with developmental disabilities. The shared stories, delivered via an iPad, included photographs, text, and videos to purposefully support generalization of vocabulary. Furthermore, pre and post measures were taken to determine student gains in digital literacy skills through modeling without explicit instructions. Results demonstrated that all three students met the criterion for identifying picture vocabulary and maintained and generalized their vocabulary knowledge across other stimuli. Students also showed mastery of digital literacy skills. Implications for future research are discussed.

A Token Economy Made Easy through ClassDojo.

Students with behavioral and emotional disabilities spend less time on academic instruction due to their behavioral disruptions, contributing to the academic difficulties these students face. Classroom management strategies, in the form of positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS), incorporate principles of applied behavior analysis to shape student behaviors through the use of motivation and positively reinforce good behaviors. A strategy often used in PBIS systems is a token economy. This column provides practitioners with a strategy for implementing a token economy using ClassDojo, a web-based classroom management program available for computers and mobile devices.

Increasing Teacher Praise and on Task Behavior for Students With Autism Using Mobile Technology

This study investigated the effects of using mobile technology as an intervention to increase the amount of praise delivered by teachers to low-performing students with autism. Additionally, the study also investigated the impact that praise would have on the on-task behaviors of these students. Participants included five elementary students with autism, two teachers, and two paraprofessionals. Results indicated that prompts from the mobile devices were effective in increasing the amount of praise provided by each of these educators. However, the extent to which teachers’ contingent praise impacted student on-task behaviors was less clear. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Teaching Students with Intellectual Disability to Solve for x

math skills taught to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities are functional in nature. Students are often taught rote counting, money skills, and how to tell time. With the growing need to align student learning to the general curriculum and common standards, teachers often find it difficult to teach more complicated math skills such as algebraic equations to these students. This article describes how to use graphic organizers and task analyses when teaching students with intellectual disability to solve simple one-step algebraic linear equations.

Effects of Direct Systematic Instruction on Google Glass Orientation With Individuals With Intellectual Disability

Glass, designed by Google, is a fairly new wearable and mobile technology that projects an image into a glass prism above the eye and is currently in beta testing. A touch pad on the side of Glass allows users to engage with the device through swiping gestures and voice control to perform several functions similar to mobile devices. This initial study used a multiple probe across participants design to investigate the effects of direct systematic instruction (model-lead-test [MLT]) to teach three individuals with intellectual disability (ID) to operate Glass. To date, no study has been conducted using Glass with individuals with ID. Results demonstrated a functional relation between the direct systematic instruction and student performance with Glass orientation across all participants. Additionally, participants indicated positive experiences using this wearable/mobile technology based on social validity measures collected at the end of the study. Limitations, future research, and implications for practice are also discussed.

Using Direct Instruction: Teaching Preposition Use to Students With Intellectual Disability

PURPOSE Students with intellectual disability often struggle with significant language delays or impairments and can require explicit instruction in language skills. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of direct instruction on the use of and response to prepositions by 3 elementary school students with intellectual disability. METHOD A multiple-baseline design across prepositions was used in this study with replication across students. RESULTS Results of this study found that students were able to use and respond to prepositions consistently after receiving direct instruction on each of the 3 target prepositions. Furthermore, all 3 students demonstrated maintenance and generalization of the prepositions. CONCLUSION These results have implications for practice that could influence preposition acquisition for students with intellectual disability, providing educators with a simple, efficient instructional approach.

A Content Comparison of Literacy Lessons from 2004 and 2010 for Students with Moderate and Severe Intellectual Disability.

Mandates such as No Child Left Behind (2001) and Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004) shifted the emphasis of instruction to include skills that access the general curriculum for students with moderate to severe intellectual disability. The purpose of this study was to describe changes in literacy instruction of teachers who participated in literacy research using secondary data analysis of instructional videos from 2004 to 2010. Results from the study suggest that teachers in 2004 focused on fewer components of reading that did not include phonemic awareness or phonics than teachers in 2010. Other changes in instruction included use of systematic instruction, grade-appropriate materials, and structure of literacy lessons.

Research on Mathematics Instruction with Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities: Has Anything Changed?.

In 2008, Browder and colleagues published a meta-analysis on mathematics instruction for learners with significant cognitive disabilities and found that most skills taught to these students were only from two of the five strands recommended by the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics (i.e., Number and Operations, and Measurement). A review of the literature since Browder et al. yielded an additional 29 studies. When results from both reviews were compared, a greater percentage of studies taught skills from three strands (i.e., Number and Operations, Geometry, and Algebra), whereas the percentage teaching skills from the Measurement strand decreased and the percentage teaching skills from the Data Analysis and Probability strand was unchanged. In addition, a systematic evaluation of the studies’ instructional components found evidence to support the use of systematic instruction, in vivo instruction, system of least prompts strategy, constant time delay strategy, and task-analytic instruction as evidence-based practices for teaching mathematics to learners with significant cognitive disabilities. Implications for practice include the use of systematic instruction and in vivo procedures, the need for practitioners to have a deep understanding of mathematics, and the importance of relevancy when teaching a variety of mathematics skills.

Teaching Emergent Literacy Skills to Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder

This article provides six fundamental steps for using a task analysis to teach emergent literacy skills to young learners with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Compared to general education peers, students with ASD score lower on reading measures and often have difficulty acquiring literacy skills via the instruction methods used in typical classrooms. An effective instructional technique for many students with ASD is systematic instruction via task analysis. Task analysis may be a useful tool for teachers of students with ASD to build literacy skills by aligning instruction in missing skills to the curriculum standards. The steps to consider when using a task analysis include what emergent literacy skills will be taught, defining expected steps and correct responses, the instructional method to be used, systematic prompting techniques, piloting and updating the task analysis, and teaching and collecting data. Considerations for implementation for practice are provided.