Nora Griffin-Shirley

Beyond Exposure to Collaboration: Preparing General-Education Teacher Candidates for Inclusive Practice

Preparation of new teachers to work effectively in inclusion settings has not kept pace with demands created by recent reforms. General-education candidates typically receive limited exposure to inclusion strategies at the preservice level, and often their only meaningful preparation comes in the practicum setting. The purpose of this article was to examine the manner in which characteristics of cooperating teachers and the practicum settings affected efficacy for teaching students with disabilities. General-education student teachers responded to questionnaires about their collaboration with cooperating teachers, the focus on inclusion instruction in their practicum setting, and their efficacy for providing inclusion instruction. Results from a structural equation model indicated that efficacy is predicted both by focus and by collaboration with the cooperating teacher. Discussion focuses on implications for teacher preparation and directions for future research.

A Review of Picture Exchange Communication Interventions Implemented by Parents and Practitioners

ABSTRACT The picture exchange communication system (PECS) is widely used with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and other developmental disabilities to improve communication skills. Several studies indicate the positive outcomes of PECS on communication skills of children with ASD. We reviewed 13 studies that included training parents and practitioners to implement PECS with individuals with ASD. Results indicate that the parents and practitioners in these studies mastered the PECS stages in which they were trained and implemented the intervention. In addition, in many of the studies individuals with ASD acquired communication skills. The results are discussed and directions for future research are provided.

Teaching Orientation and Mobility Skills to Students with Autism and Vision Impairment in Public Schools: A Data-Based Study

Two students with autism, vision impairment, and intellectual disability participated in an orientation and mobility (O&M) intervention to travel in school settings using their folding canes. A multiple-baseline across participants design to determine the effectiveness of the intervention was used. The dependent variable was time taken to travel the specified route. The independent variable was O&M training. Results indicated that both participants took less time to travel during the intervention compared to the baseline. Students with vision impairment and autism can be trained using systematic O&M training. The O&M specialists working with children with autism and vision impairment should collect data and make data-based decisions while providing O&M instruction.