Martha E. Snell

Conceptualizing Supports and the Support Needs of People With Intellectual Disability

This is the third in a series of perspective articles (Schalock et al., 2007; Wehmeyer et al., 2008) from the Terminology and Classification Committee of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD). The purpose of these articles is to share our thoughts on critical issues associated with terminology, definition, and classification in the field of intellectual disability and to seek input from the field as we prepare the 11th edition of AAIDD’s Diagnosis, Classification, and System of Supports Manual (the working title). In the first article (Schalock et al., 2007), we explained the reasons for shifting from the term mental retardation to intellectual disability. Although the two terms cover the same population of individuals, we concluded that intellectual disability was the better term because it

The Effects of Social Stories on the Social Engagement of Children with Autism

A multiple-probe design across participants was used to evaluate the effects of social stories on the duration of appropriate social engagement and the frequency of 4 social skills in 3 elementary-age students with autism. The social skills were seeking attention, initiating comments, initiating requests, and making contingent responses. Following the intervention, which consisted of reading individualized social stories, answering comprehension questions, and participating in a 10-min play session, the duration of social engagement increased for all 3 students with both a training peer and a novel peer. The number of target social skills displayed during the 10-min play sessions increased after the intervention was introduced. Two students demonstrated generalization to a classroom setting. These findings suggest that the use of social stories without additional social skill interventions may be effective in increasing the duration of social engagement and the frequency of specific social skills.

The Intellectual Disability Construct and Its Relation to Human Functioning

The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities’ (AAIDD) Terminology and Classification Committee has two primary purposes in publishing this Perspective: (a) to share our thinking about the construct underlying the term intellectual disability (henceforth the intellectual disability construct) and its relation to human functioning and (b) to ask for input from the field because the committee is preparing a proposal for the upcoming Definition, Classification and Systems of Supports manual, to be published in 2009 or 2010. The article has three sections. In the first section, we make a distinction between an operational definition, which operationalizes the intellectual disability construct and provides the basis for diagnosis and classification, and a constitutive definition, which explains the underlying construct and provides the basis for theory– model development and planning individualized supports. In the second section, we provide an historical overview of how the construct underlying the term mental retardation (henceforth, the mental retardation construct) differs from the construct underlying intellectual disability. In the third section, we describe the parameters to the proposed AAIDD theoretical framework of human functioning that reflects our current understanding of the multidimensionality of human functioning that underlies the intellectual disability construct and the significant role that individualized supports play in human functioning. The article concludes with a brief discussion of the benefits to the field that accrue from a clear understanding of both the differences between an operational and constitutive definition and the fundamental properties of the intellectual disability construct. Operational Versus Constitutive Definitions

Twenty Years of Communication Intervention Research With Individuals Who Have Severe Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

This literature review was conducted to evaluate the current state of evidence supporting communication interventions for individuals with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities. We reviewed 116 articles published between 1987 and 2007 in refereed journals meeting three criteria: (a) described a communication intervention, (b) involved one or more participants with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities, and (c) addressed one or more areas of communication performance. Many researchers failed to report treatment fidelity or to assess basic aspects of intervention effects, including generalization, maintenance, and social validity. The evidence reviewed indicates that 96% of the studies reported positive changes in some aspects of communication. These findings support the provision of communication intervention to persons with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities. Gaps in the research were reported as were recommendations for future research.

Teaching Augmentative and Alternative Communication to Students with Severe Disabilities: A Review of Intervention Research 1997–2003

This paper provides results of a descriptive analysis of peer-reviewed, single subject design, intervention research on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) for individuals with severe disabilities, from birth to 21 years, published in English between 1997 and 2003. A database of 40 studies was found that met seven specified criteria. The descriptive analysis showed that a variety of antecedent, both adult and child directed, and consequent intervention components, typically used in combination, were effective in improving communication. Most research contexts were rated as less natural. Parents, teachers, and siblings or peers were infrequently involved in intervention. When problem behavior and communication were targeted, functional communication training (FCT) was the method of choice. Treatment integrity was infrequently measured. When measured, generalization and maintenance of treatment effects were good but were reported less than half of the time. Implications for interventionists and researchers are discussed.

Applying Time Delay Procedure to the Instruction of the Severely Handicapped

Research is reviewed that employs delay procedures with the severely handicapped as a means of shifting stimulus control. The parameters of delay procedures are delineated, including prerequisite student and teacher considerations, types of responses, levels of delay, single versus blocked trials, and basic delay methodology. Four special situations are discussed: tasks involving a choice, tasks necessitating an intermix procedure, students with long response latencies, and warm-up trials. Remediation strategies are suggested for handling students who make excessive errors or who fail to anticipate. Finally, techniques are described to encourage maintenance and generalization of learned skills.

Community-Referenced Instruction: Research and Issues

This review addresses some of the more crucial teaching and learning issues that arise when community-referenced instruction is applied to persons with severe disabilities. These issues include environmental assessment, task analysis, trial sequencing, control, empirical and social validity, and measurement. A stimulus set of standards that emerged from the literature reviewed was presented to guide and evaluate future community-referenced research.

Using the milieu approach to increase spontaneous communication book use across environments by an adolescent with autism

The milieu approach to teaching language was implemented to increase the use of a communication book by an adolescent boy with autism and severe mental retardation. A changing criterion within a multiple probe design across four different school and home environments was employed to evaluate the intervention. Once training began in each environment, the frequency of Carls communication book use increased from an average baseline of 7% of all communication opportunities to four successively higher criterion levels. Communication book use continued to improve during maintenance while training was initiated in subsequent environments. After an average of 12 weeks of training in each environment, Carl reached the goal criterion of using his book during 75% of all opportunities. Follow-up data, taken in three of the four environments 2 to 3 months and 12 months after termination of intervention, showed that Carl had consistently maintained or improved his skill in all but the home environment, where performan...

Effects of augmentative and alternative communication on challenging behavior: a meta-analysis.

Abstract The purposes of this review were to (a) use meta-analytic procedures to examine the effectiveness of single-case AAC intervention research on challenging behaviors exhibited by individuals with disabilities, (b) identify study characteristics that moderate intervention effects, and (c) evaluate the quality of research. The authors provided inferential and descriptive analyses of 54 studies representing 111 participants and estimated effect sizes using the Nonoverlap of All Pairs (NAP) method. Overall, AAC interventions were found to be equally effective across a broad spectrum of participants and interventions. AAC interventions were more effective with younger children than with adults. Interventions in which functional behavior assessments (FBA) were used had significantly larger effect sizes than those that did not use FBAs. Further, functional communication training interventions resulted in larger effect sizes than Picture Exchange Communication System interventions. Descriptive analysis revealed that (a) interventions often occurred in atypical environments (e.g., therapy room, experimental room) and with atypical interventionists (e.g., therapists, researchers), and (b) numerous studies did not exhibit quality characteristics of single-case research.

Improving the Sensitivity and Responsivity of Preservice Teachers Toward Young Children with Disabilities

Research in developmental and educational psychology points to the importance of sensitive interactions between adult and children in order to promote childrens social, emotional, and academic learning. Despite this evidence, there are many conceptual and programmatic challenges that have prevented this emphasis in early childhood special education (ECSE). This article provides a definition of and theoretical framework for teacher sensitivity and responsiveness; describes the evidence that supports this focus; and delineates the research, interventions, and challenges that bear upon the enhancement of teacher—child sensitivity and responsivity in ECSE. This article also discusses and critiques a pilot program for facilitating the development of sensitive teacher—child interactions.