Joe E. Wheaton

Illuminating the relationship between bullying and substance use among middle and high school youth

The increased prevalence and negative impact of bullying and substance use among youth has been established independently in the literature; however, few researchers have examined the association between involvement in bullying and substance use across middle and high school youth. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the self-reported prevalence of bullying and substance use (alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana) among youth in middle and high school. Middle and high school students from 16 school districts across a large metropolitan area (N=78,333) completed a school-based survey. Scales were created to examine involvement in bullying, victimization, and substance use. A link between involvement in bullying and substance use was evident. Youth involved in bullying were more likely than students not involved in bullying to use substances, with bully-victims reporting the greatest levels of substance use. Differences at the school level and across status (i.e., bullies, victims, and bully-victims) are discussed. Implications for practice and prevention and intervention programs are offered. Findings support the need for continued research into risky behaviors, such as substance use, that are correlated with bullying behavior and may contribute to an increase in negative outcomes.

Evaluation of a Computer-Based Program on the Reading Performance of First Grade Students with Potential for Reading Failure

This study investigated the effects of a software-based early reading program on the early reading abilities of first grade students with disabilities or who had potential for reading failure. Balanced reading instruction was the instructional approach because of increasing evidence that effective reading instruction must strike a balance between opportunities to read and write connected text and instruction in word identification (including phonics/decoding instruction). The study included students from inclusive classrooms in six different states and was conducted during the 1998–1999 school year. Students in the experimental group evidenced a wide range of disabilities, but shared a common and identifiable problem with early literacy knowledge and skills. A group of typically-developing students served as the criterion group for the study. The results indicated that all the within-subjects main effects were statistically significant at an alpha of .01, and the test-by-group interactions were statistically significant for all measures except for two subtests. A perspective on the significant gains of the students in the experimental group and the need for additional research of longer duration is discussed.

Ancestry and Severity of Disability: A National Study

The effects of ancestry and severity of disability of vocational rehabilitation consumers (as measured by cost, time in rehabilitation, number of services received, receipt of assistive technology, and disability severity [the Rehabilitation Services Administration definition]) were examined by applying a logistic regression to the RSA-911 national database from 1998. The best model was identified and interpreted. European Americans, individuals with higher costs, and persons who received assistive technology were more likely to be closed rehabilitated. Individuals from other ancestry groups, who were coded severely disabled, or who had been in the system for longer periods of time were less likely to be closed rehabilitated. Model limitations and suggestions for future research are presented.

The Effects of Computer-Assisted Instruction using Kurzweil 3000 on Sight Word Acquisition for Students with Mild Disabilities

This study was designed to examine the effects of a computer-assisted instruction program on the acquisition of sight words for four African American fourth graders with mild disabilities (i.e., learning disabilities, mild intellectual disabilities, and ADHD). Computer-assisted instruction using the Kurzweil 3000 text to speech program included the following practice activities: typing target sight words, highlighting spoken words on the computer screen, reading and saying sight words into a microphone, and completing a cloze passage. A multiple baseline design across word sets demonstrated that computer practice using Kurzweil 3000 was functionally related to increased sight word recognition. All four students mastered the target sight words within two to seven 20 to 25-minute sessions. Additionally, three students demonstrated maintenance of the sight words they acquired up to four weeks after the computer intervention was discontinued.

Using Video Prompting with Different Fading Procedures to Teach Daily Living Skills: A Preliminary Examination.

Two students with developmental disabilities were taught two daily living skills using video prompting with error correction presented on an iPod Touch, and two different fading procedures were implemented. In one fading procedure, individual video clips were merged into multiple larger clips following acquisition of the entire skill. In the second fading procedure, video clips were backward “chunked” during the intervention as individual steps were mastered. A multiple probe across participants design within a reversal design was used. Results showed that video prompting with error correction was effective in teaching both daily living skills. Furthermore, fading the video prompts during the intervention resulted in more rapid learning and higher maintenance and generalization effects than fading after acquisition.

The Career Assessment of Persons With Disabilities: A Review

This article presents a comprehensive career assessment model for working with persons with disabilities. This model includes the use of a comprehensive assessment of aptitudes, achievement, vocational interests, career maturity, and career-related self-efficacy as well as vocationally relevant medical, psychological, and vocational information. Finally, a process to integrate the information for use in career counseling is proposed. This process includes the use of a computerized transferability of skills analysis and job matching system to integrate the information and generate a listing of potential avenues for career exploration.

Improving Reading Skills of Students With Disabilities Using Headsprout Comprehension

Reading comprehension is a critical skill for school success. Struggling readers can benefit from computer-assisted instruction that utilizes components of effective instruction (e.g., frequent practice, immediate feedback). The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Headsprout Comprehension, a computer-assisted reading program, on the reading comprehension of six elementary students with high-incidence disabilities (i.e., learning disabilities, emotional disturbance, and other health impairment–attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (OHI-ADHD). A multiple baseline across participants’ design demonstrated that Headsprout Comprehension was functionally related to substantial increases in reading comprehension for all six participants as measured by Ohio Achievement Assessment (OAA) passage comprehension questions and AIMSweb Maze assessments.

Current Status of Assistive Technology Education in Rehabilitation Counseling Programs.

This article discusses a survey of program coordinators from 88 Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) accredited programs to explore (a) current assistive technology (AT) course offerings, (b) perceptions of the importance of AT education, and (c) perceptions of future changes in AT instruction. Results from returned surveys (n = 47) indicated that AT education was perceived to be important, was largely taught through infusion into the curriculum, and that few programs were planning to change the way AT was taught. Recommendations for infusing AT into the curriculum and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Web Accessibility in Europe and the United States: What We Are Doing to Increase Inclusion.

This paper reviews the accessibility laws and regulations in the United States and selected European countries to provide information on Web accessibility to rehabilitation educators. Readers can use this information to gain an understanding of what is being done to make websites accessible in order to better advocate for persons with disabilities.

Teaching and Evaluating Rehabilitation Case Management Skills Through Computer Simulations: Methodological Considerations

The use of computer simulations in professional rehabilitation counselling training has received considerable attention in recent years. Most notably, computer-based rehabilitation case management simulations have been developed for teaching and evaluating clinical problem solving skills of rehabilitation counselling trainees. However, a major problem confronting the use of computer simulations in professional rehabilitation training is the lack of quantification procedures for measuring performance on computer simulations. A current approach involves the computation of proficiency and efficiency indices as performance feedback measures. The purpose of this paper, however, is to demonstrate the potential problems with using these two indices as feedback mechanisms in computer simulations and to present an alternative quantification procedure for measuring and providing feedback about trainee performance on computer-based case management simulations.