Sandra Alper

Assistive Technology for Individuals with Disabilities: A Review and Synthesis of the Literature.

Despite the emphasis on technology and the rapid proliferation of assistive technology devices, little is known about the specific uses of assistive technology with persons who vary in disability type, severity, and age. The present study conducted a comprehensive review and a systematic analysis of published reports of assistive technology and skill acquisition of persons with disabilities. Uses of assistive technology, its benefits and obstacles, are reviewed. The results provide indications why technology is often abandoned. Implications for practitioners and researchers are discussed.

Effects of using a photographic cueing package during routine school transitions with a child who has autism.

Making successful transitions from one activity to another is difficult for many children, particularly those who have cognitive, language, or behavioral disabilities. Appropriately terminating one activity and initiating another in a timely fashion is a skill important for young children to learn prior to entering kindergarten. The efficacy of teaching a young child labeled as having autism to make successful transitions in daily routines in three different school settings through the use of photographic cue package was examined. A multiple baseline across-settings design was used to evaluate the efficacy of the intervention. Implications for the use of photographic cue packages in teaching a variety of activities to young children are discussed.

Educating Students with Severe Handicaps in Regular Classes

Many students with mild to moderate handicaps have been integrated into regular educational settings since the passage of Public Law 94-142. Students with severe handicaps, however, remain the most segregated group in American public schools. In this article we review the growing philosophical, legal, and empirical support for allowing students with severe handicaps to attend regular classes with their chronological-age peers. Advantages of integration for students with and without handicaps are presented. We assert that the resources and instructional technology needed to integrate students with severe handicaps effectively are currently available. Further, these resources could aid large numbers of nonhandicapped students who are failing in the current educational system. Examples including alternative teacher roles, flexible options for grouping students, peer tutoring, special-friends systems, and computer-assisted instruction are provided.

Teaching a Young Child to Appropriately Gain Attention of Peers Using a Social Story Intervention

The purpose of this study Was to assess the effectiveness of a Social Story™ intervention in teaching a young child With hyperlexia to appropriately obtain the attention of his peers. The Social Story intervention consisted of verbal and visual cues incorporated into an age-appropriate storybook format. Attempting to obtain the attention of a peer Was defined as either saying a peers name or looking at the face of a peer While talking. A multiple baseline across settings design Was used to evaluate the efficacy of the intervention. The results of the study indicated that the Social Story Was effective in increasing the tWo target behaviors across three settings Within an inclusive school. Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed.

Curriculum and Instruction in General Education: Implications for Service Delivery and Teacher Preparation

Despite the many reports describing the benefits of inclusive education, there is a lack of information on the instructional strategies and behavior change procedures that general educators use to facilitate skills development. Also, there is not much information on the procedures used to analyze student performance data. Additionally, limited information has been reported on the curricular domains and skills that educators value for instructing students with severe and other disabilities. With this information, better implementation of effective instructional practices in general education may be achieved. To address this issue, survey input from samples of general and special educators across two states was obtained. The findings suggested that general education teachers reported using many, but not all, behavior analytic instructional strategies considered to be best practice. In addition, special educators regarded social interactions and friendships and self-determination skills the most important skills for successful inclusion.

Families of Children with Disabilities in Elementary and Middle School: Advocacy Models and Strategies

During the elementary and middle school years, the needs of the child with disabilities center on acquiring appropriate academic, social, community access, and self-management skills. Family members must work together with a wide array of educational and related services personnel on behalf of their child with a disability and, at the same time, care for the needs of all members of the family. This article describes models and methods of advocacy, including self-advocacy, social support advocacy, interpersonal advocacy, and legal advocacy. Particular emphasis is placed on advocacy strategies for individual family members of the child with disabilities during the elementary and middle school years.

Acquisition and Generalization of Functional Words in Community Grocery Stores Using Videotaped Instruction

The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of videotaped instruction for acquisition and generalization of functional sight words used in a community grocery store. The participants were three young adults with mental retardation who attended a public high school. The young adults were taught sight words using videotaped instruction in school. Generalization and maintenance were assessed in a community grocery store. Using a multiple baseline across participants design, the intervention was demonstrated to be effective in fostering acquisition of functional words in the classroom, as well as generalization to the community site. Results were maintained after a 5-month follow-up period. Advantages of videotaped instruction for practitioners were discussed and include (a) more efficient use of teacher time, (b) increased opportunities to review and practice, (c) bringing the natural setting into the classroom, and (d) reliability of training. Future research needs include replications in a variety of other community settings, across types and degrees of disabilities, and across skill areas. The need to explore the efficacy of videotaped instruction for teaching comprehension of functional sight words is also discussed.