Karen H. Douglas

Is There an App for that

Everyday technologies (e.g., iPods, iPads, and Smart Phones) offer applications (apps) that can serve as supports to students with intellectual and related developmental disabilities. The extent to which apps that are currently on the market are aligned with the support needs of children was evaluated using the subscale framework of the Childrens Supports Intensity Scale (Child-SIS). Recommendations for future research and app development are provided, and implications for how apps influence assistive technology (AT) consideration and the concept of technological abandonment are discussed.

The Effects of a Picture Activity Schedule for Students With Intellectual Disability to Complete a Sequence of Tasks Following Verbal Directions

We investigated instruction of independent creation of picture activity schedules (PASs) and how four middle school students with intellectual disability used them to complete tasks independently. A withdrawal design (A-BC-B-A-B) was used to evaluate whether the intervention had an effect on the dependent variable and to test for generalization to a community setting in a pre/post format. After instruction on the PAS, participants learned to self-manage a strategy that served as a reminder for the tasks they needed to complete. All participants exhibited increased abilities to complete a sequence of three or five tasks following verbal directions when using the PAS as compared with the conditions where no PAS was utilized. In addition, these results generalized to the community setting of a mall food court. Our findings have implications for enhancing the independent functioning of individuals with intellectual disability and reducing reliance on others, with the potential for greater levels of self-determination.

Expanding Literacy for Learners with Intellectual Disabilities: The Role of Supported eText

A series of single-subject experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of presentational, translational, illustrative, instructional, and summarizing supports on the reading and listening comprehension of students with moderate intellectual disabilities. The specific eText supports under investigation included digitized voice and text-to-speech, text highlighting, video summaries, text-linked photographs, and graphic organizers. Two eText supports were found to be effective in supporting text comprehension for this population: reading the text out loud (using either recorded voice or text-to-speech), and graphic organizers. The findings also revealed the importance of providing explicit instruction in how to use eText supports. The article summarizes six studies and discusses the implications of the results for students with moderate intellectual disabilities, their teachers, and their parents.

iPad® or iPod Touch®: Evaluating Self-Created Electronic Photographic Activity Schedules and Student Preferences

Five secondary students with intellectual disability (ID) participated in a withdrawal design (A-B-A-B) study evaluating the effectiveness of a self-created electronic photographic activity schedule (ePAS). After learning to take photos of various activities using an iPod touch® or iPad®, students learned to use the First Then Visual Schedule application to self-manage task directives. The dependent variables included the percentage of tasks independently and correctly completed and the percentage of steps correctly completed when programming the device. Generalization data were collected in a different setting with different tasks and then using a second device. This study replicated Duttlinger, Ayres, Bevill-Davis, and Douglas (2013), which examined using a paper-based PAS. All five students learned to create and use their own ePAS within 7–12 instructional sessions and generalized their skills to a different setting and device. This research supports teaching students self-management skills that not only increase their independence in completing tasks but also decrease their reliance on others to provide self-management supports.

Effects of music on task performance, engagement, and behavior: A literature review

Currently, there is a growing body of empirical research regarding the role of background music in the education of individuals with disabilities. A systematic literature review identified 20 studies between 1970 and 2014 focusing on the role of contingent and noncontingent background music to facilitate task engagement, enhance performance, and alter behavior. Though the research addressing background music has mixed results, there is evidence suggesting that this could be an effective strategy for increasing task engagement and performance and decreasing stimulatory behavior for individuals with developmental disabilities. Since music can be considered inexpensive and may be less intrusive in comparison to other strategies, its use merits additional study to explore how and to what extent music affects behavior.

Mobile Technology as a Prosthesis: Using Mobile Technology to Support Community Engagement and Independence

This chapter begins with an overview of ways mobile technologies have been used in the literature to teach and support individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The attention then narrows to synthesize the literature related to the use of mobile technology as a self-support tool for independence rather than as a teacher-directed instructional tool. The discussion focuses on the use of mobile technology, essentially as a prosthesis to aide an individual in daily living. Evidence from the literature on instructional methods for teaching individuals to use mobile technologies to support and teach themselves is provided. The chapter concludes with some remarks on evolving technologies that may further enhance the ability of mobile devices to serve as supports for individuals with ASD in the natural environment.

Effects of Using an iPod App to Manage Recreation Tasks

A withdrawal design study evaluated the effectiveness of using constant time delay to teach six adults with a developmental disability to program and use an iPod touch® as an electronic photographic activity schedule (ePAS). The ePAS, created with the First Then Visual Schedule app, consisted of photographs of different exercises to complete during their workout time at the recreation facility on their community college campus. Dependent variables included the percent of correct steps programming the device and the percent of exercises completed correctly. All participants learned to program their iPod touch® within six sessions and maintained the skill during the second intervention condition. For generalization, participants programmed self-selected exercises into the device and performed each exercise.

The Effects of Text-to-Speech on Reading Outcomes for Secondary Students With Learning Disabilities

This study investigated the effectiveness of text-to-speech (TTS) on the outcomes of reading comprehension and oral reading fluency (ORF) for four secondary students with learning disabilities. The researchers used a single-case A–B–A–B withdrawal design to evaluate the effectiveness of TTS on reading outcomes. All participants scored higher on reading comprehension after using TTS when reading instructional passages and maintained the skills for 4 weeks. Results on participants’ ORF also indicated an increased level of words read per min at the end of each accommodation condition. Comparison of pre- and posttest achievement on the Lexile assessment showed that two of the four participants increased their reading scores. Major findings are discussed with implications for practice and recommendations for future research to increase the use of TTS in the classroom.

Promoting Literacy With Self-Created Grocery Lists on Mobile Devices:

Four middle school students with a developmental disability participated in a multiple probe design across students and replicated across conditions study to evaluate the effectiveness of constant time delay to teach them to create a grocery list on an iPad or iPod touch. The classroom teacher collected data on the percentage of items independently added to their electronic list and generalization measures to longer lists with novel items and using a different device. In addition, she administered a pre- and posttest on reading the list of items. Students learned to create their grocery list in seven to 16 sessions while generalization data varied. Reading scores increased from 45% to 56% points. Students expressed their device preference at the end of the study.

Effects of Multicomponent Academic Vocabulary Instruction for English Learners with Learning Difficulties.

We provided a multicomponent academic vocabulary intervention to six English learners with learning difficulties in a fifth-grade general education setting. A multiple probe design across word sets and replicated across students evaluated the effects of the intervention on students’ use of expressive language to read and define content-specific academic vocabulary words. After the academic vocabulary intervention, which incorporated English as a Second Language and self-regulation procedures, students improved their abilities to read and define words above baseline levels. Students’ performance on follow-up measures at 1, 3, and 6 months revealed maintenance of positive effects. Evaluations of the intervention reflected high levels of student satisfaction. Implications for practice and further research are discussed.