Vanessa Hinton

A Comparison of Communication Using the Apple iPad and a Picture-based System

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) interventions have been shown to improve both communication and social skills in children and youth with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities. AAC applications have become available for personal devices such as cell phones, MP3 Players, and personal computer tablets. It is critical that these new forms of AAC are explored and evaluated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the utility of the Apple iPad™ as a communication device by comparing its use to a communication system using picture cards. Five elementary students with autism spectrum disorders and developmental disabilities who used a picture card system participated in the study. The results were mixed; communication behaviors either increased when using the iPad or remained the same as when using picture cards. The implications of these findings are discussed.

The Effects of a Supplemental Explicit Counting Intervention for Preschool Children.

Counting skills are foundational for young children to build number concepts in mathematics. Multitiered instruction that involves core instruction as well as supplemental interventions is implemented to support young children in the learning process and promote early intervention of basic skills. Researchers show that explicit instruction is successful in teaching students in preschool. More research needs to be conducted on brief explicit mathematic interventions that target the skill of counting and are supplemental to preschool mathematics core instruction. In this study, researchers examine the effects of using explicit instruction as an intervention to teach counting skills for four children who were at risk for mathematics difficulties or who received special education services for developmental delay in an inclusive preschool setting. The researchers find a functional relation for a 15-minute supplemental explicit intervention and counting skills. Implications of these findings are also discussed.

Teaching Language Skills to Preschool Students with Developmental Delays and Autism Spectrum Disorder Using Language for Learning.

Language intervention using Direct Instruction (DI) has shown positive results. There is a growing body of investigation of Language for Learning (LL), a DI program, on the performance of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and students with developmental delays (DD). There is need for replication and extension of research to include rural settings and students with ASD and DD. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of LL on the language of students with DD and ASD in a rural preschool classroom. Four preschool students with DD and ASD participated in 12 weeks of instruction, resulting in improved language skills.

Using Positive Behavior Support in Physical Education

Physical educators are constantly seeking ways to improve their teaching effectiveness and to manage the ever-increasing challenges they face, such as large classes, inadequate equipment, lack of support for children with special needs, and more. Teachers in special education and general education were introduced to Response to Intervention (RTI) and the use of Positive Behavior Support (PBS) just a few years ago as ways to improve student achievement and independence, and to manage student behavior. Such strategies are not limited to the classroom and can be very effective tools to use in physical education. This article provides a brief description of RTI and PBS and discusses how to utilize PBS in physical education.

Emerging Adulthood: Resilience and Support.

Purpose: This article provides an overview of emerging adulthood, recentering, and resilience of youth with disabilities. Emerging adulthood is a developmental period during which individuals experience delays in attainment of adult roles and social expectations. Recentering is a process that emerging adults experience as they make distinct shifts from adolescence to adulthood. Successful recentering is a result of supports, opportunities, and available choices. In addition, resilience is a psychological construct that manifests when positive experiences come out of adverse situations and is a key factor in one’s ability to recenter. This article also provides an overview of identified aspects of resilience within the emerging adulthood framework. Method: A computer search of ERIC and PsycINFO was used to locate studies published between 1990 and 2013. This timeframe was selected because the genesis of emerging adulthood came about in the early 1990s (Arnett, 2006). Results: The authors explored various factors such as social supports, self-determination, agency, adaptation, and coping that are linked to resilience and an emerging adult’s ability to recenter. Conclusions: Important connections with evidence-based practices and considerations for professional development are discussed in assisting consumers who are emerging adults in the recentering process. There is great diversity among individuals’ supports, opportunities, and choices, and there is a need for research investigating emerging adulthood and individuals with disabilities.

Teaching Fraction Concepts Using the Concrete-Representational-Abstract Sequence

Understanding related to fraction concepts is a critical prerequisite for advanced study in mathematics such as algebra. Therefore, it is important that elementary students form conceptual and procedural understanding of fractional numbers, allowing for advancement in mathematics. The concrete-representational-abstract (CRA) instructional sequence of instruction has been shown to be an effective means of teaching conceptual understanding of fractional numbers. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of CRA with remedial multitiered systems of support (MTSS) Tier 2 instruction for teaching fraction concepts. Thirty-one fifth-grade students participated in two different Tier 2 interventions; one group received typical Tier 2 instruction with their general education teachers and the other received CRA instruction with the researchers. The researchers measured student performance using a pretest and posttest and found significant differences in progress favoring the CRA group. Results and implications are discussed.

A Case Study Using CRA to Teach Students with Disabilities to Count Using Flexible Numbers: Applying Skip Counting to Multiplication.

ABSTRACT Children who struggle in mathematics have a limited understanding of the foundational processes of mathematics. A lack of conceptual understanding causes students to fall behind as they progress through the core curriculum. Children at high risk for developing mathematics disabilities fail to gain numeracy knowledge. The purpose of this case study was to investigate the effects of an explicit mathematics intervention using concrete-representational-abstract sequence to teach students to count in flexible ways and use skip counting as a strategy for multiplication for students with mathematics difficulties. Students were able to learn skip counting and improved in their multiplication abilities. Implications are also discussed.

Positive Behavior Interventions and Support in a Physical Activity Summer Camp

This purpose of this study was to investigate the implementation of positive behavior interventions and support (PBIS) in a summer camp. The camp provided physical activity opportunities to underserved children attending a summer program at a local, rural public school. Certified physical education teachers led activity stations. Participants in the study were 25 boys and girls aged 9 to 12. Teachers at one activity station implemented PBIS (i.e., Station 1), and teachers at a second activity station (i.e., Station 2) did not for the duration of the study. The dependent variable was the behavior marks documented by the teachers and the independent variable was PBIS instruction. Results indicate a significant difference between Station 1 where PBIS was implemented versus Station 2 where it was not. Implications are discussed.

A Case Study in Using Explicit Instruction to Teach Young Children Counting Skills.

Abstract Number sense is one’s ability to understand what numbers mean, perform mental mathematics, and look at the world and make comparisons. Researchers show instruction that teaches children how to classify numbers, put numbers in sequence, conserve numbers effectively, and count builds their number sense skills. Targeted instruction that teaches children to count in a flexible manner increases number knowledge, therefore improves number sense. A common manner of providing targeted instruction for children who have mathematics difficulties is called explicit instruction. Explicit instruction that utilizes objects and pictures teaches conceptual and procedural knowledge for specific mathematical skills. Researchers show explicit instruction improves mathematical skills which range from place value to algebra equations for students who have mathematic difficulties. The purpose of this case study was to explore and investigate if further research should be conducted on the use of explicit instruction to teach young children counting skills that lead to flexibility with numbers. Results and implications are discussed.