Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities

More documents

Recommendations

Info

da’s participation in general education and meaningful functional activities within general education contexts with classmates who did not have disabilities, she demonstrated a higher level of self-assurance and self-confidence. Melinda also responded to both instructional and social cues available from her classmates, resulting in more appropriate behavior and appearance. Throughout her inclusive educational experiences Melinda developed skills that allowed her to independently access the community-at-large through local, national, and international travel. Finally, Melinda developed the ability to use coping skills to compensate for her disabilities and to use good judgment when making decisions. Differences in Phillip’s Engagement over Time There also were several ways in which differences were evident in Phillip’s experiences and performance over time. First, in relation to appearance, Phillip initially was described in a manner that was consistent with that of his peers without disabilities (e.g., clothing, posture, speech, interaction style, confidence level). As he remained in a self-contained special education class over time, however, Phillip increasingly became disheveled, wore mismatched clothing, and was described as having low self-esteem. Second, when observed initially Phillip was attentive and compliant during both instructional and non-instructional activities. Through the remainder of his educational experiences and beginning of his adult life, however, Phillip was anxious, fearful of mistakes, and in need of constant reassurance. Third, when observed initially Phillip was described as needing a “moderate level of supervision” during unstructured times. Over time, however, he increasingly required constant supervision at work (i.e., in sheltered workshop), he lost several jobs in the community, he was involved in several problematic situations in the community, and he continued to live with his parents. Fourth, when observed initially Phillip appeared to be developing additional academic skills due to his attention and compliant behavior in school (e.g., reading, writing, math). Over time, however, it became apparent that his skill level was not increasing and he required encouragement to use his academic skills and constant reinforcement across contexts. Finally, Phillip initially had numerous peers without disabilities with whom he interacted during school and school-sponsored activities. As an adult, however, Phillip’s natural support network included only family members and paid individuals. As his relationship with Melinda developed, Phillip accessed members of Melinda’s natural support network, instead of developing his own network. His inappropriate interactions with members of Melinda’s natural support network led to their decreased interactions with both Phillip and Melinda. When initially observed, Phillip’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) focused on the development of academic skills to the “next grade level” (e.g., from the 2 nd grade 3 rd month level to the 2 nd grade 4 th month level). Over time, however, Phillip’s IEP increasingly focused on appropriate behavior, following rules, and working with less supervision. His records consistently predicted and focused on preparing Phillip to enter a sheltered workshop and a congregate care living facility. Overall, as Phillip continued in self-contained special education classes, he demonstrated a lower level of self-assurance and a higher level of anxiety across contexts. Phillip also increasingly required approval and reinforcement for the slightest behavior, resulting in more inappropriate behavior and interactions. Phillip developed skills that allowed him to independently access frequently used contexts in his community, but he did not develop the skills required to independently access other contexts in local, state, or international communities. Finally, Phillip’s coping skills and poor judgment frequently resulted in negative outcomes, such as losing jobs, getting into trouble in the community, or alienating members of Melinda’s natural support network. Discussion Providing special education services in inclusive general education contexts has had multiple goals for students with significant disabilities. First, it has been considered a practice that is consistent with civil rights, focusing on equal access to educational content, highly qualified teachers, instructional activities, and overall contexts for students with significant Long-term Outcomes / 335
disabilities. Second, it has promoted the modification of educational services so that they emphasize (a) facilitating the students’ access to general education curriculum and contexts, (b) supporting the students’ participation in district and state accountability systems, (c) fostering the students’ valued membership in peer groups, and (d) facilitating friendships between same-aged peers with and without disabilities that may lead to stronger and broader natural support networks. Third, it has been considered a way to alleviate the shortcomings of self-contained special education services, as well as the negative longterm outcomes revealed by follow-up studies. This descriptive study examined how two individuals with significant disabilities functioned across settings over time when, after receiving services together in a self-contained special education class in middle school, one remained in self-contained classes for the remaining six years of educational services, and the other changed to educational services in general education contexts. Melinda, the student who received services in inclusive general education settings, demonstrated more skills that were critical to interacting and functioning across contexts in her life, including at school, at home, at work, and in the community. As she became a young adult, she developed and maintained a life that more closely matched society’s perceptions of a satisfying and high quality life, even though her IQ and achievement test scores were lower in comparison to many individuals served in self-contained special education settings. Melinda achieved more positive outcomes than Phillip in relation to her use of knowledge and skills in meaningful contexts, interactions and relationships with peers without disabilities, and access to and use of the various natural environments in her community. In conjunction with studies reported by Fisher and Meyer (2002) and Ryndak et al. (1999), this demonstration of better long-term outcomes adds support for the field’s current focus on the provision of educational services in inclusive general education settings. It must be considered, however, that the comparison of outcomes for the two participants addressed in this study was based on events that occurred naturally in their lives. That is, no effort was made to control for other variables that might have accounted for differences between the two individuals’ adult outcomes. For instance, limited information was gathered in relation to either the specific services provided in either the self-contained special education classes or the inclusive general education settings, or any activities completed by their school district to influence the quality, type, or amount of those services. It is possible, therefore, that the services provided at any point during the students’ educational experiences in either setting were either exemplary or less than exemplary. Further research is needed to determine any differences in adult outcomes that might result from variations in quality, type, or amount of special education and related services across settings. Similarly, no effort was made to control for the availability or quality of the adult services for Melinda and Phillip in their home communities. The same adult services were available for both, since geographically they lived in the same community. Although differences in services they were utilizing as adults were evident, these differences could not be interpreted as related to differences in their home community, county, or state. It might be argued that the presence of a deeply involved parent advocate who was knowledgeable about inclusive education and the rights of students with disabilities could have accounted for differences between the educational experiences and progress made by Melinda and Phillip. In his classic study of adults with disabilities who had moved from institutional to community living environments, Edgerton (1967) discussed the influence of a “benefactor” on the lives of those individuals. The results of this study appear to support his concept. Undoubtedly, the ongoing involvement of parents and other advocates who ensure that special education, related, and adult services provided for individuals with significant disabilities reflect individual needs and preferences and assist individuals in acquiring and maintaining a high quality of life is critical. Additional research is required to understand the influence of the presence or absence of a “benefactor” in lives of individuals with significant disabilities. Another variable that might have influenced the outcomes achieved by the individ- 336 / Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities-September 2010
Page 1 and 2: Education and Training in Autism an
Page 5 and 6: Manuscripts Accepted for Future Pub
Page 7 and 8: dents in classes that included stud
Page 9 and 10: TABLE 1 Summary Descriptors of Meli
Page 11 and 12: tions were conducted at their work
Page 13 and 14: her function more independently wit
Page 15 and 16: eluctant to engage in interactions.
Page 17: ehaviors were consistent with Phill
Page 21 and 22: youth with severe disabilities. Min
Page 23 and 24: parents of students with intellectu
Page 25 and 26: tributed to such PSE program compon
Page 27 and 28: TABLE 2 Mean Scores of the 7 PSE Pr
Page 29 and 30: that educators’ and parents’ po
Page 31 and 32: gan, 1997). Despite the challenges
Page 33 and 34: ing the total score of the Family A
Page 35 and 36: with the identified factors being r
Page 37 and 38: of a positive outlook has been docu
Page 41 and 42: TABLE 1 Demographic Characteristics
Page 43 and 44: ways in the same interviews where s
Page 45 and 46: In a number of comments, respondent
Page 47 and 48: practitioners assigned both issues
Page 51 and 52: eliability (r .92) and good inter-
Page 53 and 54: TABLE 2 EQCA Adaptive Behaviors: Me
Page 55 and 56: TABLE 5 ERDCP: Means, SDs, and t Te
Page 57 and 58: teen of these studies (90%) reveale
Page 59 and 60: practice may have had an influence
Page 63 and 64: ing to questions, (c) the learner f
Page 65 and 66: around a small instructional table
Page 67 and 68: TABLE 2 (Continued) 9. Guide studen
Page 69 and 70:
TABLE 3 (Continued) Student Steps B
Page 71 and 72:
TABLE 3 (Continued) Student Steps D
Page 73 and 74:
esponding to errors by interrupting
Page 75 and 76:
Figure 1. Teacher’s number of ste
Page 77 and 78:
Figure 2. Number of inquiry skills
Page 79 and 80:
TABLE 4 Results of Parent Survey It
Page 81 and 82:
data was not simply an artifact of
Page 83 and 84:
Education and Training in Autism an
Page 85 and 86:
TABLE 1 Students’ Description Sub
Page 87 and 88:
served a communicative function. In
Page 89 and 90:
Descriptive Analysis The first rese
Page 91 and 92:
eakdown whenever it is the case. He
Page 93 and 94:
Page 95 and 96:
stood attribution when two consecut
Page 97 and 98:
within easy reach. The instructiona
Page 99 and 100:
and provided Takao a pen with thin
Page 101 and 102:
Figure 3. Percentages of correct re
Page 103 and 104:
teacher whether we should fully hon
Page 105 and 106:
Page 107 and 108:
components to be effective promptin
Page 109 and 110:
ability (IQ 44, Stanford-Binet Inte
Page 111 and 112:
TABLE 1 Task Analysis for Cooking R
Page 113 and 114:
pographic); and (c) no response, ch
Page 115 and 116:
Figure 2. Percentage of steps perfo
Page 117 and 118:
Figure 4. Percentage of steps perfo
Page 119 and 120:
ture audio feature of the PDA, but
Page 121 and 122:
M. (1992). The effects of self oper
Page 123 and 124:
Page 125 and 126:
TABLE 1 Stages of The Halliwick’s
Page 127 and 128:
plete other steps (Tekin & Kɹrcaal
Page 129 and 130:
Figure 1. Percentage of correct res
Page 131 and 132:
Martin, J. (1981). The Halliwick Me
Page 133 and 134:
systematic instruction to teach fou
Page 135 and 136:
also extremely low with a standard
Page 137 and 138:
Procedural reliability probes measu
Page 139 and 140:
Discussion The purpose of this stud
Page 141 and 142:
(1986). Stanford-Binet Intelligence
Page 143 and 144:
focus on the important adults in th
Page 145 and 146:
cording to the current environment
Page 147 and 148:
that “she felt very inadequate in
Page 149:
tive research. (2 nd Ed.). New Jers
Page 152:
Search the entire archives of Educa
show all

Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?