Sarah N. Douglas

Teaching Paraeducators to Support the Communication of Young Children with Complex Communication Needs.

Paraeducators are frequent communication partners for young children with complex communication needs (CCN) in early childhood settings. This study examined the impact of instruction to paraeducators in two communication interaction strategies (IPLAN [Identify activities for communication, Provide means for communication, Locate and provide vocabulary, Arrange environment, use iNteraction strategies] and MORE [Model AAC, Offer opportunities for communication, Respond to communication, Extend communication]) on the number of communication opportunities provided by paraeducators during play activities with young children with CCN. Results of the study provide evidence that after 2 hr of one-on-one training, paraeducators increased the number of communication opportunities they provided for children with CCN, and children with CCN took an increased number of communication turns. In addition, paraeducators reported that they found the training beneficial, and the supervising teachers noted improvements in the communication support provided by the paraeducators. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.

Online Training for Paraeducators to Support the Communication of Young Children

Paraeducators are frequent sources of support for young children with disabilities in early childhood settings. However, they typically have limited training in providing communication opportunities for children with complex communication needs (CCN). The impact was investigated of providing training in a communication interaction strategy to three paraeducators working with young children with diagnoses of autism and developmental delay. The training included interactive online components as well as opportunities to use and ask questions about the strategy, and reflection on strategy use. After participating in the training activities, the paraeducators were observed to provide a greater number of appropriate communication opportunities during play interactions with the young children. The children with CCN also showed increases in the number of communication acts performed. In addition, paraeducator responses (including comments on child behaviors) increased. Results of social validity and generalization measures are reported. Limitations of the study are also discussed.

Special Education Teachers’ Experiences Supporting and Supervising Paraeducators Implications for Special and General Education Settings

In recent years, there has been an increase in paraeducator supports, in large part because students with low incidence disabilities are being included more frequently in general education settings. As a result, special education teachers have been given additional supervisory responsibilities related to directing the work of paraeducators in special and general education settings. Many teachers, however, feel unprepared for this supervisory role. Therefore, to gain a better understanding of current practices in paraeducator supervision, the authors interviewed 13 special education teachers who were nominated by district special education administrators as exemplary supervisors of paraeducators. From the interviews, three themes emerged: creating effective teams, ensuring appropriate training and evaluation, and recommendations for the field. Practices for paraeducators working with students with low incidence disabilities in general education settings are noted in the first two themes. Implications for policy, practice, teacher preparation, and future research are also discussed.

A Systematic Review of Paraprofessional Training Materials

Paraprofessional training is essential for high quality special education services. Yet, educators may struggle to select appropriate materials for paraprofessional training. A review was conducted of 26 paraprofessional training materials using a rubric designed to evaluate the alignment with federal legislation and professional standards, and use of research-based adult learning methods. Results indicate many training materials aligned with federal legislation, but varied in their content focus, alignment with paraprofessional standards, and use of adult learning methods. Based on results of the review, three paraprofessional training materials reflected high quality training. Features of paraprofessional training materials, recommendations for practice, suggested improvements to training materials, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.

A Pilot Study to Teach Siblings to Support Children with Complex Communication Needs.

Siblings play an important role in the lives of children with disabilities, especially those with complex communication needs (CCN). However, children with CCN require support to learn social and communication skills. Like other communication partners, typically developing (TD) siblings may struggle to understand how to best interact with a child with CCN and may benefit from training to learn communication strategies. This pilot study evaluated a newly created sibling communication partner training program to help TD siblings learn the strategy Plan, Talk, Wait, and Respond to support the communication of their siblings with CCN. A single-subject multiple probe design was used with three TD siblings and their siblings with CCN. Although results varied for sibling pairs, an increase in communication supports from TD siblings and communication gains for children with CCN were noted with all sibling pairs. Limitations, adjustments to the training, and future research directions are discussed.

Online Communication Training for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Parent training is an essential part of quality programming for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, limited research exists exploring online training approaches to support parents of children with both ASD and complex communication needs (CCN; e.g., limited verbal ability), despite the many benefits that online training might have for these parents and the overall sustainability and scalability of such approaches. This study utilized a single-subject multiple probe design with three parents and their children to explore the impact of online parent training for parents and their children with ASD and CCN. Training included online interactive components to teach parents a communication strategy, as well as live practice sessions during which parents implemented the strategy, had an opportunity to ask questions, and engaged in self-reflection. Results indicated that training increased communication opportunities and responses provided by parents, and communication by the child. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.

An experimental wearable IoT for data-driven management of autism

This paper reports early developments on an wearable IoT system that can be used for collecting quantified data about interactions among children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in classroom settings. The overall objective of the project is to perform data-driven detection, therapy, intervention, and progress monitoring for children with Autism. Early intervention can help support the development of social skills for children with ASD. To perform intervention, teachers monitor the social interaction progress of children with ASD through observational methods, which can often be lengthy and subjective, therefore requiring extensive teacher training to ensure accuracy. Although new technologies have begun to emerge, no existing technologies can provide quantitative and automatically-collected data about peer interactions for children with ASD. We address this critical need through a wearable sensor system that can provide real-time quantitative data about peer interactions in classroom settings. The long-term objective of the project is to use this system for data-driven detection, therapy, intervention, and progress monitoring for children with Autism.

Online Parent Training to Support Children with Complex Communication Needs

Parent training can help support the development of communication skills for young children with complex communication needs (CCN). Online delivery of such training may alleviate some of the burden on families, thereby increasing participation and outcomes. To determine the effectiveness of online parent training in communication partner strategies, a single-subject, multiple-probe design study was conducted with four parents and their children with developmental disabilities and CCN. Parents completed an interactive online training and then participated in live sessions to demonstrate trained skills. Results indicate that online parent training resulted in higher levels of communication opportunities provided by parents to their children with CCN. Increases were also noted for child communication and responses provided by parents to child communication. Results varied for participants. Parent evaluations of the training, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.