Jacqueline Hawkins

The relationship between behaviours exhibited by children with autism and maternal stress

The present study investigated the relationship between behaviours exhibited by children with pervasive developmental disorders, particularly autism, and maternal stress levels. Participants consisted of 60 mothers who had a child diagnosed with a pervasive developmental disorder by an independent practitioner using DSM‐IV criteria. Children were between 2 and 7 years of age. Mothers completed the following self‐report measures: the Parenting Stress Index (short‐form), the Aberrant Behavior Checklist, AAMR Adaptive Behavior Scales and a demographic questionnaire. Two‐thirds of the participants in the sample evidenced stress scores that were significantly elevated. Regression analyses revealed that child maladaptive behaviour and child adaptive behaviour accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in maternal stress. Methodological issues and considerations for future research are discussed.

School Attachment: perspectives of low‐attached high school students

Abstract Attachment to school plays a vital role in the success or failure of todays middle and high school students. Many researchers identified attachment to school as contributing to student self‐esteem, motivation, effort, behaviour and academic achievement. However, definitions of school attachment have been varied and based largely upon observation of student behaviour. In an attempt to elucidate this definition, the construct of school attachment was examined from the perspective of students who were classified as low‐attached to school. Specifically, in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews of 10 students were conducted and analysed qualitatively. Results indicated that students who were low‐attached described their lives at school as lonely and isolated, and saw themselves as alienated from the school community. They perceived a low level of support and encouragement from the school personnel and from their peers. A broad understanding of school attachment as well as factors which contribute to stud...

The Impact of an Ongoing Professional Development Program on Prekindergarten Teachers' Mathematics Practices

Mathematics is a natural part of daily life for young children as they explore and investigate the world around them. To build on these experiences, and to begin establishing a mathematical foundation, early childhood educators must not only be knowledgeable about mathematical concepts, they must also be aware of the most developmentally appropriate ways in which to teach these concepts to young children. After participation in an ongoing professional development program, specifically targeting teachers of prekindergarten children in public school, Preschool Programs for Children with Disabilities (PPCD), Head Start, and child care settings, teachers reported positive changes in math practices. Specifically, teachers reported a stronger alignment to national mathematics standards and increased awareness pertaining to developmentally appropriate mathematics practices as they apply to early childhood classrooms. Teachers reported a shift towards more hands-on activities and a shift away from the use of worksheets in their prekindergarten classrooms. Implications from this study suggest that ongoing professional development that is designed to meet the specific needs of early childhood educators can have a positive impact on reported mathematics content knowledge and instructional practices.

Curricular Modifications for Elementary Students with Learning Disabilities in High-, Average-, and Low-IQ Groups

Abstract Students considered gifted and learning disabled (G/LD) are those most at risk of not being adequately served in U.S. schools. This research compares delivery formats and Individual Education Plan (IEP) modifications offered to 1,055 elementary school students, grades 3–5, who qualified as having a learning disability (LD) at different levels on the intellectual spectrum. Archival assessment and IEP documents determined the proportion of students with LD who demonstrated high, average, and low intellectual abilities, and the modifications, accommodations, and services they were offered. Multivariate analyses examined group differences in identified modifications. Although current research indicates that children who are G/LD receive the same modifications as their average and below-average LD peers, students in the higher scoring intellectual group received significantly fewer modifications in two of the four evaluated categories (namely, delivery and evaluation). Modifications failed to address areas of strength and/or giftedness of students who were LD but also demonstrated high intellectual ability. Group differences in educational planning showed that students who had high intellectual ability and LD differed from their peers who demonstrated low and average intellectual ability with LD. However, it is not clear whether the resulting differentiated programming that occurred in practice was the appropriate educational approach for this group of children.

Psychotropic Medication Prescriptions: An Analysis of the Reasons People with Mental Retardation Are Prescribed Psychotropic Medication

A descriptive analysis was undertaken to determine the reasons people with mental retardation are prescribed psychotropic medication. The psychotropic medications and the reasons for which they were prescribed to 71 adults with mental retardation receiving services from a community mental health and mental retardation agency were recorded. There were a total of 145 psychotropic medications prescribed. Of the 145, 85 medications (59%) were prescribed to treat diagnoses or disorders (or both) for which the medications were intended. Twenty-nine of the 145 medications (20%) were prescribed for reasons that did not match the accepted uses of the medications. Results suggest that prescribing practices for people with mental retardation may not always be valid.

Extent, Type, Preferences and Consequences of Crisis Intervention Training for Teachers

Abstract This study addresses the issue of including crisis intervention training as a component of teacher preparation programs. Results demonstrated that (a) few teachers receive training as a component of formal coursework, but the substantive majority are expected to perform crisis intervention at varying levels of involvement; (b) measurable improvements in self‐efficacy to perform interventions were achieved with short‐term training; (c) recognition and delivery training produced higher self‐efficacy than recognition training alone; and (d) recognition training using behavioral cues, rather than life events, was the preferred approach. Noting the important need for training of this type in teacher preparation programs, it was concluded that, if mental health instruction cannot be expanded generally, crisis intervention training should be provided specifically.

Saturday Morning Science programs: a model to increase diversity in the biosciences.

PURPOSE To examine a pathway program for middle and high school students from underrepresented backgrounds designed to foster career interest in the biomedical sciences. In 2002, the Institute of Medicine released a report entitled Unequal Treatment, which examined the racial and ethnic disparities in health and health care within the United States and encouraged the development of a diverse health care workforce as a means to reduce health care disparities. PROCEDURES Saturday Morning Science (SMS) is a program model presented as a pipeline strategy that addresses this specific recommendation. SMS is a 10-week program that emphasized the importance of science and math. Post-SMS evaluations were conducted to assess biomedical career knowledge, attitudes regarding future career plans, and the effectiveness of the program. FINDINGS A total of 87.5% of middle and high school students who were enrolled in SMS completed the program (113 of 130). Seventy percent of SMS participants were underrepresented minorities. Snapshot program evaluation data exposed new ideas about science (strongly agree/agree, 98%; 64 of 65), exposed new ideas about medicine (strongly agree/agree, 97%; 63 of 65, and increased desire to enter science related field (strongly agree/agree 82% (53 of 65). CONCLUSIONS SMS was designed to motivate students of underrepresented ethnic backgrounds from middle through high school to attend college and prepare for careers in the health sciences. SMS students had the opportunity to interact with scientists, physicians, medical and graduate students, and other academicians. They provided direction and guidance to ensure that students had meaningful experiences specifically designed to expose them to opportunities in the biosciences.

Recent Innovations in the Changing Criterion Design Implications for Research and Practice in Special Education

This article illustrates (a) 2 recent innovations in the changing criterion research design, (b) how these innovations apply to research and practice in special education, and (c) how clinical needs influence design features of the changing criterion design. The first innovation, the range-bound changing criterion, is a very simple variation of the classic changing criterion design. The classic version uses a single criterion for each stepwise intervention phase, whereas the range-bound version uses a range criterion—that is, an upper and lower limit for each intervention phase. The second innovation, the distributed criterion, combines elements of the changing criterion, multiple-baseline, and ABAB designs. It is well suited to contexts where students must multitask—that is, allocate, prioritize, and adjust time and effort to complete multiple tasks in response to changing environmental demands. These two innovations expand options available to researchers who use single-case research designs to investigate questions of interest in special education.

A protocol to assess the curricular validity of cases for PBL

Background: The clinical case is the focal point of problem‐based learning (PBL) groups and learning activities revolve around the content of the case. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to create a protocol to assess the curricular validity of PBL cases in an objective and systematic fashion by observing the overlap between the content and the learning objectives. Methods: A qualitative analysis was conducted to create a quantitative tool with a taxonomy of categories to be used in case analysis. Results: The protocol developed uses a content analysis approach, dividing a PBL paper case into its smallest components of information (unitized) and placed into mutually exclusive categories. These units are then compared to the stated case objectives to determine the degree of overlap. Conclusion: This protocol is presented as a tool to determine the curricular validity of a case or effectiveness at meeting educational objectives.

The Effects of Antecedent Cues on Teachers’ and Mental Health Workers’ Perceptions of Students’ Life Event Stressors

This study examined point‐in‐time and point‐of‐view antecedent cue effects on teachers’ and mental health workers’ perceptions of life events’ impact on students. Increased congruence between student and adult perceptions of life events’ impact was demonstrated via systematic variation of cue conditions designed to limit the contribution of historical and personal referents. Implications are discussed in terms of future research and training efforts.