We suggest a new framework for conducting research in the field of special education. This framework is inspired by the ecological risk assessment frameworks of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (1995) and G.W. Suter (1993), which are primarily used in ecotoxicology and environmental toxicology. The framework includes three phases by which an ecological risk assessment can be performed: problem formulation, measurement, and risk characterization. By outlining each of its phases, this article defines, illustrates, and explains the possible applications of an ecological risk assessment framework to the field of special education. For practical reasons, we provide an example of this first application based on persons with intellectual disabilities. ... [more]

The ‘Intensive Early Intervention Program for Children with Autism’ (IEIP) is a program funded by the province of Ontario. It is used to teach/treat young children who have been formally identified as having an autistic spectrum disorder. Intensive Behavioural Intervention (IBI) services are provided to these children, aged 2 to 5 years, who meet specific program requirements. The program was designed taking into consideration the central tenets of Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA), which is a widely recognized and accepted method for teaching functional skills to children with autism. In this paper, we review the effectiveness of Intensive Behavioural Intervention for teaching/treating young children with autism. The effects of age, duration of therapy, and number of hours of therapy are examined in an effort to determine whether or not there would be an increase in the participants’ IQ, adaptive functioning, and language abilities after receiving intensive services from the program. With reference to this, data on three children with autism are presented in an attempt to isolate and more thoroughly examine outcomes. Overall, the data suggests that the program does indeed work for some young children with autism, however, unfortunately, not for all. More specifically, two of the children demonstrated some gain in the areas evaluated, including IQ, adaptive functioning, and language ability, whereas, the third child did not appear to make any significant progress in any of the formally assessed areas. Interestingly, the participants’ age, the duration of therapy, and the number of hours of therapy did not appear to conclusively influence overall treatment outcome. In a review of the literature, and, as is demonstrated by our own study, Intensive Behavioural Intervention has been used with varying degrees of success to treat young children with autism, however, it appears that the effectiveness of this treatment is dependent on factors that perhaps have not yet been discovered, or yet fully explored ... [more]

Identifying effective interventions to help children with autism reach their potential has been a source of disagreement among professionals and parents for decades. The complexities of the challenges that face children with autism, and uncertainty about best practices, have delayed progress. This article identifies seven critical program components that address some of the challenges associated with providing effective and efficient autism intervention programs. The results for children who participate in these programs encourage belief in the ability of children with autism to respond with positive change to appropriately designed and implemented interventions. ... [more]

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of using re-reading as a consequence for failing to read passages rapidly with zero errors using the Direct Instruction approach with Corrective Reading, Skills Applications: Decoding C (Engelmann, Meyer, Johnson, & Carnine, 1988). The participant was a 16-year-old high school student who read at a 7.2 grade level at the beginning of the study. During reading, he read slowly, made few errors and had close to perfect comprehension at the 7th grade level. The number of words read correctly, the number of errors made during an oral reading, and the number of times the student had to re-read the passage in order to correctly read the materials in 1 minute and 20 seconds was measured. An AB single case design was implemented to examine the effectiveness of Direct Instruction and the re-reading contingency. The results indicated that Direct Instruction and the re-reading contingency were effective in improving the rate of correct words read. The combined use of the re-reading and Direct Instruction is discussed. ... [more]

The use of medication therapy for the treatment of ADHD in children has been cited as the most frequent course of treatment for children diagnosed with this condition with an estimated 3% of school-aged children being prescribed stimulant medication (Kirk, 1999). One issue that is frequently cited when using medication to treat this condition is that of medication compliance. Medication compliance is defined as the actual dosing history with the prescribed drug regimen (Urquhardt, 1994). This paper examines factors that affect the challenges associated with medication compliance among children and families affected by ADHD and the implications that medication compliance has on the educational outcomes experienced by children diagnosed with this condition. ... [more]

The purpose of this study was to examine teachers’ knowledge and skills in phonological awareness (PA). The sample included 145 teachers teaching first to 3rd grade elementary public schools in United Arab Emirates (UAE). A valid and reliable instrument was developed together the data. The instrument included to major sections; knowledge and skills. Each section included 18 items relevant to PA. Results of this study showed that teachers, unfortunately, are not prepared adequately in this important subject matter i.e. PA. In general, teachers demonstrated low levels of knowledge and skills in phonological skills regardless of their training and whether they teach regular or special needs students. ... [more]

This paper reports a small-scale study conducted with 34 primary-school teachers in Hong Kong to determine how they meet the personal and academic learning needs of students officially identified with specific learning disability (SpLD) in their classes. Information was collected from the teachers via a structured questionnaire listing possible strategies for classroom use, and via an open-ended request for additional information from the teachers concerning their current practices. Results indicated that the teachers make relatively few adaptations to meet the SpLD students’ needs, and rely mainly on other students in the class to provide peer assistance They sometimes also allow extra time for the students to complete work, and provide some individual help when possible during the lesson. Teachers rarely (if ever) adapt curriculum content, modify instructional resources, or design special learning activities for the students with SpLD. The paper also discusses briefly the contemporary theoretical perspectives on inclusion for SpLD students, differentiated teaching as a possible solution, and the difficulties encountered in implementing such a model. ... [more]

There are various views among academics and researchers about the best type of educational provision for children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. In the present study parents and professionals were interviewed to get a better insight into their perceptions regarding the various educational provisions on the specialist to mainstream continuum. Parents seem to be of the view that whatever the educational provision, teachers should have adequate autism-specific training. If all teachers were trained in this way, parents see advantage in the child being in mainstream settings. More importantly, whatever the provision, the quality of delivery, staff attitude and curriculum modification play an important part in creating an inclusive environment. ... [more]

This research review examines various barriers that affect the retention and attrition of special education teachers. The purpose of this examination is to look at various problems associated with maintaining and attracting new teachers to the field of education. Retention and attrition will be vital components in addressing teacher shortages in special education. Research obtained for this topic will include various recommendations and suggestions for increasing the numbers of teachers in special education. The review of literature will also discuss teacher preparation programs that prepare teachers in special education. Findings in this paper will assist in solving the problem of special education teacher shortages. ... [more]

Pregnancy among all teenagers is a major challenge facing the United States. A literature review indicated little research on the incidences of pregnancy and parenting among teenagers with disabilities, similarities and differences in their educational needs when compared to their non-disabled peers, and how programs address their specific educational needs regarding pregnancy and parenting. Our investigation includes a review of literature related to teen pregnancy, pregnant and parenting youth with disabilities, and programs designed to assist teen parents. It also alerts professionals to the lack of information regarding teens with disabilities who are pregnant or parenting and serves as a foundation for future research on the occurrences and educational needs of pregnant and parenting youth with disabilities. ... [more]

BOOK REVIEW Teaching Visually Impaired Children by Virginia Bishop, 3rd edition ... [more]