Stephen P. Safran

Positive Behavior Supports: Can Schools Reshape Disciplinary Practices?:

This literature review examines the use of school-based positive behavior support (PBS), an alternative to traditional disciplinary practices that includes databased decision making and team collaboration. First, the role of archival data in planning intervention priorities is examined. Next, efficacy research focusing on the three types of PBS is evaluated: schoolwide (universal), specific setting, and individual student levels. Overall, findings were positive across all types of PBS, validating implementation of these research-based practices. This review concludes with a discussion of directions for future research and implications for practice.

Asperger Syndrome: The Emerging Challenge to Special Education:

This article provides a synthesis of recent literature on Asperger Syndrome (AS), a condition that has received little attention in American special education. The analysis addresses the syndromes history, definition, differential diagnosis from other Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDDs), screening procedures, and emerging educational interventions. Implications for special education practice, including the need for screening students at risk for AS and informing parents about a potential disability, are discussed.

Intervention Assistance Programs and Prereferral Teams Directions for the Twenty-First Century

There has been an unprecedented growth of school prereferral programs and intervention assistance teams since the late 1970s. In this article we discuss their history, rationale, and philosophical perspectives, report on their legal and public policy basis, and evaluate the research base. Several university-initiated model programs and professional development activities have reduced the number of referrals for special education and increased the use of consultation services. However, only research in Mainstream Assistance Teams has directly demonstrated student improvement in learning and behavior. Implications for future research and strategies for serving students who are difficult to teach are discussed.

The First Century of Disability Portrayal in Film: An Analysis of the Literature

Despite high visibility and its potential influence on public attitudes, disability portrayal in film has been only an occasional topic of scholarly inquiry. This paper provides the first interdisciplinary review of the literature by integrating resources from film history, the social sciences, rehabilitation, mass communication, psychology, psychiatry, and education. Several topical areas are evaluated, including history, quantitative investigations, the quality of cinematic representations of disability, and the politics of film. Psychiatric disorders were found to be the most frequently depicted, with many stereotypic depictions of a wide range of disabilities identified. Directions for future research, with recommendations for quantitative investigations and a call for additional interdisciplinary research, are discussed.

Intervention ABCs for Children with Asperger Syndrome.

The number of children identified with Asperger syndrome (AS) is rapidly rising throughout the world. The purpose of this article is to promote understanding of the characteristics and behaviors associated with AS and to introduce a range of school-based interventions. First, a description of the indicators of AS is provided, followed by an overview of screening and diagnostic procedures. Next, the Application ABCs section covers knowledge-based interventions addressing deficits in Academics, Behavior, and Communication. Implications for speech language pathologists and related professionals working with youngsters with this autistic spectrum disorder are addressed.

Elementary Teachers' Tolerance of Problem Behaviors

gally mandated. As a direct consequence, elementary school teachers have increasing responsibility for direct instruction and supervision of learning-disabled (LD) and behavior-disordered (BD) students (Reynolds 1978), but frequently must assume this role without sufficient special educational support services (Peterson, Zabel, Smith, & White 1983). Concurrent with these duties come new demands in behav-

Bridging the Research-to-Practice Gap: Improving Hallway Behavior Using Positive Behavior Supports.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a positive behavior support (PBS) intervention in a rural elementary school. Through this use of clear, consistent behavioral expectations, grade-level assemblies, and complimentary reinforcement, there was a substantial improvement in hallway behavior, with an overall increase of 134.9% for compliance across six positive behaviors. These results demonstrate that, through the implementation of appropriate interventions and consistent reinforcement of established rules and expectations, the use of PBS can be applied in all schools, even those with limited resources. Based on these and related findings, research-validated practices exist to transform schools into safer and more favorable learning environments. The current challenge is for public schools to demonstrate a commitment to preventative practices to help bridge the research-to-practice gap.

Disability Portrayal in Film: Reflecting the Past, Directing the Future:

Going to the movies and viewing videos are very popular forms of entertainment. Cinematic stories and characters influence perceptions and opinions of many viewers. Studying film depictions, therefore, provides a unique perspective on societys views of individuals with disabilities. The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate trends in Academy Award winning films that portray persons with disabilities. Over the decades, there have been an increasing number of awards involving “disability” movies; psychiatric disorders have been most frequently portrayed. Only two of the motion pictures identified presented children or youth with impairments, while none featured learning disabilities. Implications for special education professionals, with particular emphasis on using films for instructional purposes, are discussed.

Why Youngsters With Autistic Spectrum Disorders Remain Underrepresented in Special Education

Although numerous investigations have examined the prevalence of autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) in the general population, have special education identification rates of autism kept pace? From the 1992–1993 to 2001–2002 school years, U.S. Department of Education data indicate an increase from 15,580 to 97,904 students with autism, an expansion of 528% and an annual average growth of 22.69%. The number of students with autism per 10,000 public school enrollees has correspondingly increased from 3.64 to 20.53 during this period. Despite this expansion, there remains a substantial gap between students identified with autism under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act and current prevalence estimates of ASD, in large part due to underidentification of youngsters on the higher functioning end of the spectrum.

A Developmental View of Children's Behavioral Tolerance.

The purpose of this study was to assess childrens tolerance of specific problem behaviors and to determine if differences in grade levels existed. The Childrens Tolerance Scale (CTS) was completed by 469 third to sixth graders. A one-way multivariate analysis of variance yielded significant grade level differences (p < .001), with older children generally the most tolerant. The more outer-directed behaviors (Negative Aggressive and Poor Peer Cooperation) were rated as most disturbing. Implications for mainstreaming behaviorally disordered students and future research are discussed.