Tianlan Wei

Predictors of Access to Sex Education for Children With Intellectual Disabilities in Public Schools

Data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 ( SRI International, 2002 ) were analyzed to identify variables that predicted whether individuals with intellectual disability (ID) received sex education in public schools across the United States. Results suggested that individuals receiving special education services without ID were only slightly more likely to receive sex education than students with mild ID (47.5% and 44.1%, respectively), but the percentage of students with moderate to profound ID that received sex education was significantly lower (16.18%). Analysis of teacher opinions and perceptions of the likelihood of the students benefiting from sex education found that most teachers indicated that students without ID or with mild ID would benefit (60% and 68%, respectively), but the percentage dropped to 25% for students with moderate to profound ID. Finally, across all students, the only significant demographic variable that predicted receipt of sex education was more expressive communication skills. Results are discussed in terms of ensuring equal access to sex education for students with ID in public schools.

A meta-analysis of the social communication questionnaire: Screening for autism spectrum disorder:

The current meta-analysis examines the previous research on the utility of the Social Communication Questionnaire as a screening instrument for autism spectrum disorder. Previously published reports have highlighted the inconsistencies between Social Communication Questionnaire-screening results and formal autism spectrum disorder diagnoses. The variations in accuracy resulted in some researchers questioning the validity of the Social Communication Questionnaire. This study systematically examined the accuracy of the Social Communication Questionnaire as a function of the methodological decisions made by researchers screening for autism spectrum disorder over the last 15 years. Findings from this study suggest that the Social Communication Questionnaire is an acceptable screening instrument for autism spectrum disorder (area under the curve = 0.885). Variations in methodological decisions, however, greatly influenced the accuracy of the Social Communication Questionnaire in screening for autism spectrum disorder. Of these methodological variations, using the Current instead of the Lifetime version of the Social Communication Questionnaire resulted in the largest detrimental effect (d = −3.898), followed by using the Social Communication Questionnaire with individuals younger than 4 years of age (d = −2.924) and relying upon convenience samples (d = −4.828 for clinical samples, −2.734 for convenience samples, and −1.422 for community samples). Directions for future research and implications for using the Social Communication Questionnaire to screen for autism spectrum disorder are discussed.

The Incidence of Potentially Gifted Students Within a Special Education Population

From a sample of 13,176 children with disabilities who were a part of the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study, 330 students achieved a score at the 90th percentile or higher on the Woodcock-Johnson III. These children represent some 9.1% of children who have disabilities nationally and who might be identified as gifted or academically advanced. Only 11.1% of these students were participating in programs for gifted and talented students with African Americans, Hispanics, or females significantly less likely to participate. The discussion considers the reasons behind these results and possible approaches for identifying and serving students within a current response-to-intervention approach.

Stereotyped behaviors predicting self-injurious behavior in individuals with intellectual disabilities

We examined the relation between stereotyped behavior and self-injurious behavior (SIB) for 1871 individuals with intellectual disabilities who had a score of >0 on the Behavior Problem Inventory (BPI-01; Rojahn et al., 2001). We report three main findings: First, structural equation modeling techniques (SEM) revealed that the BPI-01stereotyped behavior subscale scores predicted BPI-01 SIB subscale scores. Second, when stereotyped behavior was modeled as a predictor of SIB, mixture-modeling techniques revealed two groups of individuals: one in which stereotyped behavior was a strong, statistically significant predictor of SIB (69% of the sample), and another one in which stereotyped behavior was not a predictor of SIB (31%). Finally, two specific stereotyped behavior topographies (i.e., body rocking and yelling) were identified that significantly predicted five different SIB topographies (i.e., self-biting, head hitting, body hitting, self-pinching, and hair pulling). Results are discussed in terms of future research needed to identify bio-behavioral variables correlated with cases of SIB that can, and cannot, be predicted by the presence of stereotyped behavior.

Assistive Technology as a Predictor of General or Alternate Assessment Among Elementary-aged Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 specifically mandates that all students participate in the general assessment process or some form of alternate assessment as a measure of school accountability for student academic progress. Although levels of communication difficulties, intellectual impairment, and specific diagnoses such as autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are correlated with increased probability of participating in alternate assessment methods, very little empirical research has focused on identifying predictors for students’ assessment modality. Archival data from the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study (SEELS; 2005) were used to examine variables that predict whether elementary school students with ASD participated in the general or alternate assessment. Results indicated that receptive and expressive communication abilities appear to influence participation in the general vs. alternate assessment in tandem with access to assistive technology. Students with ASDs were approximately 2.71 times more likely to participate in the general assessment when they had access to assistive technology. Next, we performed a second, follow-up analysis for only ASD students with communication problems. The odds ratio value increased to 14.9 indicating that ASD students with communication problems that had access to assistive technology were almost 15 times more likely to participate in the general assessment than students with communication problems without access to assistive technology.

Gender Differences in Mathematics and Reading Trajectories among Children from Kindergarten to Eighth Grade

This study examined childrens trajectories of mathematics and reading achievements from kindergarten to eighth grade along with the gender differences in these trajectories. A total of 8503 participants drawn from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K) formed the sample of the study. The results of the latent growth curve modeling indicate that (a) childrens growth is curvilinear, specially, quadratic for both mathematics and reading achievement, and their growth in reading demonstrate a more complex pattern than that of mathematics; (b) there appear to be positive correlations between the intercept parameter (i.e. initial status) and the slope parameter (i.e. growth rate) in both reading and mathematics trajectories, indicating the ‘Matthew effects’ in education; (c) despite the statistically equivalent initial status in mathematics, boys outperform girls as early as first grade in both achievement score and positive growth rate; (d) for reading trajectories, girls outperform boys in both initial status and positive growth rate starting the baseline measurement. Finally, limitations and recommendations for future studies are discussed.

Evaluating the Mathematics Interest Inventory Using Item Response Theory Differential Item Functioning Across Gender and Ethnicities

As the United States has begun to lag behind other developed countries in performance on mathematics and science, researchers have sought to explain this with theories of teaching, knowledge, and motivation. We expand this examination by further analyzing a measure of interest that has been linked to student performance in mathematics and intention to enroll in advanced mathematics classes. Using Item Response Theory (IRT), the purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Mathematics Interest Inventory (MII). Six hundred sixty-six students (47.6% Hispanic, 48.2% Male) formed the sample. Results revealed minimal differential item functioning (DIF) between genders. Substantial DIF emerged between Hispanic and White students. Implications of the differential functioning and the measurement of interest in mathematics are discussed.

Self-regulation and social interaction skills among children with autism across time

Purpose – In the current study, the purpose of this paper is to examine the self-regulation and social interaction skills of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as compared to children with intellectual disabilities (IDs) across time. Design/methodology/approach – Drawn from the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study (SEELS), our sample consisted of 1,016 children diagnosed with ASD and 597 children diagnosed with ID. The self-regulation and social interaction skills were measured using relevant subscales of the Scales of Independent Behavior-Revised across three time points evenly spaced at two years apart. Findings – Results revealed that children with ASD have significantly worse self-regulation (p<0.01, η2=0.12, Cohens f=0.36) and social interaction skills (p<0.01, η2=0.05, Cohens f=0.21) as compared to children with ID across time. The results of the current study support the results of Bieberich and Morgan (2004) that children with ASD have significantly worse self-regulation and...

Parental perceptions of academic performance and attainment of children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Abstract We examined parental perceptions of academic performance and attainment of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) according to both parent and child gender along with the interaction of parent and child gender. The current study adds to the body of research by examining the perceptions of parents of children with ADHD according to both parent and child gender. The results indicate that fathers, on the whole, seemed less likely to consider ADHD to have negative academic implications for their children as compared with mothers. With regard to child gender, the fathers seemed less likely to consider ADHD to have negative academic implications for their sons over their daughters. The results suggest that interventions for parents of children with ADHD should be targeted to fathers with sons with ADHD.

How Effective Is Honor Code Reporting Over Instructor- Implemented Measures? A Pilot Study

Abstract Honor codes have become increasingly popular at institutions of higher education as a means of reducing violations of academic integrity such as cheating and other academically dishonest acts. Previous research on honor code effectiveness has been limited to correlational research designs that preclude the examination of cause-and-effect relationships, which can be achieved through experimental designs. The purpose of the current experimentally designed study was to examine the effectiveness of honor code reporting of academic integrity violations in view of typical consequences and the institutional context. Results of the current study suggest that the reporting of academic integrity violations according to an honor code may not be effective over and above verbal reprimand and grade penalty, which may be considered as typically faculty-implemented consequences.