01.08.2013 Views

etadd_47(3) - Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities

etadd_47(3) - Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities

etadd_47(3) - Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

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

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

Educati<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> Training in <strong>Autism</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Developmental</strong> <strong>Disabilities</strong>, 2012, <str<strong>on</strong>g>47</str<strong>on</strong>g>(3), 280–292<br />

© <str<strong>on</strong>g>Divisi<strong>on</strong></str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong> <strong>Autism</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Developmental</strong> <strong>Disabilities</strong><br />

Comparing Teacher-Directed <strong>and</strong> Computer-Assisted<br />

C<strong>on</strong>stant Time Delay for Teaching Functi<strong>on</strong>al Sight Words to<br />

Students with Moderate Intellectual Disability<br />

Mari Beth Coleman<br />

University of Tennessee<br />

David F. Cihak<br />

University of Tennessee<br />

Kevin J. Hurley<br />

Knox County Schools<br />

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness <strong>and</strong> efficiency of teacher-directed <strong>and</strong><br />

computer-assisted c<strong>on</strong>stant time delay strategies for teaching three students with moderate intellectual disability<br />

to read functi<strong>on</strong>al sight words. Target words were those found in recipes <strong>and</strong> were taught via teacher-delivered<br />

c<strong>on</strong>stant time delay or through a PowerPoint presentati<strong>on</strong> set up with a delay interval followed by a c<strong>on</strong>trolling<br />

prompt. These c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>s were compared using an alternating treatments design. For the purposes of generalizati<strong>on</strong>,<br />

students were given the task of following recipes for snacks c<strong>on</strong>taining previously targeted sight words.<br />

Results indicated both strategies were effective; however, the teacher-directed strategy was slightly more efficient<br />

in terms of trials to criteri<strong>on</strong>. The findings are encouraging given that students with moderate intellectual<br />

disability often depend <strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong>e-<strong>on</strong>-<strong>on</strong>e instructi<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> may benefit from instructi<strong>on</strong> with PowerPoint software.<br />

Literacy may open doors to independence<br />

<strong>and</strong> employment not available through other<br />

modalities for individuals with intellectual disability.<br />

Often, however, individuals with moderate<br />

<strong>and</strong> severe intellectual disability are<br />

faced with disadvantages with regard to acquiring<br />

literacy skills (Snell & Brown, 2006).<br />

Often, students with moderate intellectual disability<br />

have difficulty with attenti<strong>on</strong> including<br />

shorter attenti<strong>on</strong> span, loss of attenti<strong>on</strong>, distractibility<br />

<strong>and</strong> difficulty in attending to relevant<br />

stimuli (Westling & Fox, 2004). Problems<br />

with memory may be present including difficulties<br />

with storage <strong>and</strong> retrieval of informati<strong>on</strong><br />

stored in short <strong>and</strong> l<strong>on</strong>g-term memory.<br />

This results in an individual’s inability to generalize<br />

<strong>and</strong> maintain skills due to a lack of<br />

adequate opportunity to practice a new skill<br />

(Westling & Fox). These learning characteristics<br />

often lend themselves to the student hav-<br />

Corresp<strong>on</strong>dence c<strong>on</strong>cerning this article should<br />

be addressed to Mari Beth Coleman, A416 Jane <strong>and</strong><br />

David Bailey Educati<strong>on</strong> Complex, 1122 Volunteer<br />

Boulevard, Knoxville, TN 37996-3442. Email:<br />

mbc@utk.edu<br />

ing higher rates of success with functi<strong>on</strong>al<br />

rather than traditi<strong>on</strong>al literacy skills.<br />

Functi<strong>on</strong>al literacy, or the ability to perform<br />

reading <strong>and</strong> communicative tasks necessary to<br />

perform daily routines in various envir<strong>on</strong>ments<br />

(Alberto, Frederick, Hughes, McIntosh,<br />

& Cihak, 2007), may provide an individual<br />

with an intellectual disability the ability to<br />

have c<strong>on</strong>trol over choices in his life. Teaching<br />

literacy skills that are part of a functi<strong>on</strong>al<br />

curriculum allows students to participate in<br />

learning skills that can be used to enhance<br />

independence in their home, school <strong>and</strong> community<br />

(Brown et al., 1979).<br />

With increasing focus <strong>on</strong> st<strong>and</strong>ards-based<br />

educati<strong>on</strong> being set forth by the No Child<br />

Left Behind (NCLB) Act <strong>and</strong> the Individuals<br />

With <strong>Disabilities</strong> Educati<strong>on</strong> Improvement Act<br />

(IDEA), individualized educati<strong>on</strong> programs<br />

(IEP) are emphasizing goals <strong>and</strong> objectives<br />

directed towards teaching individuals with disabilities<br />

to perform chr<strong>on</strong>ological-age-appropriate<br />

functi<strong>on</strong>al skills in natural envir<strong>on</strong>ments<br />

(Brown et al., 1980). Therefore, special<br />

educati<strong>on</strong> teachers require a need for instructi<strong>on</strong>al<br />

approaches that ensure students with<br />

disabilities dem<strong>on</strong>strate annual yearly prog-<br />

280 / Educati<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> Training in <strong>Autism</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Developmental</strong> <strong>Disabilities</strong>-September 2012

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!