Access to the General Curriculum of Middle School Students with Mental Retardation: An Observational Study

The IDEA requires participation and progress in the general curriculum by all students. However, there is limited knowledge about the degree to which students with mental retardation have such access. This study examined the degree to which middle school students with mental retardation have access to the general curriculum and the impact of the classroom setting and the student's level of ability on such access. Findings indicated that students with mental retardation were most likely to participate with the general curriculum in the general education classroom and were less likely to engage in activities linked to a standard if they had more severe disabilities. Many students were engaged in activities in the general curriculum, but there was room for improvement in providing curricular modifications to promote access

Access to the General Curriculum for Students with Significant Disabilities: What it Means to Teachers

Posted in application of the KU Faculty's Open Access policy

A National Survey of Teachers' Promotion of Self-Determination and Student-Directed Learning

This article describes the findings of a national survey of teachers' opinions regarding the value of self-determination and issues relating to teaching skills leading to this outcome. Respondents were secondary-level educators serving students with varying types and severity of disabling conditions. Findings indicated that a majority of respondents believed that instruction in self-determination was important, but teachers differed in their responses regarding the strategies taught and the extent and type of instruction provided based on the severity of the student's disability. Implications for educational practice are discussed

Increasing the Problem-Solving Skills of Students with Developmental Disabilities Participating in General Education

Although skill in problem solving is critical to success In school and the community, as well as to promoting student self-determination, problem solving remains a neglected curriculum area for students with developmental disabilities. Using the self-determined learning model, 4 students with mental retardation or developmental disabilities were taught problem-solving skills to achieve self-set goals. A multiple-baseline-across-participants design was used, and the instruction was provided in general education content classes. Target behaviors included Increasing appropriate touching, increasing contributions to class discussion, and increasing direction following. Data revealed immediate and dramatic changes for all participants, with performance levels maintained at 10096. Anecdotal social validation data supported the findings. The implications of these findings in respect to promoting self-determination and inclusive practice are discussed

The Effects of Peer Delivered Self-Monitoring Strategies on the Participation of Students with Severe Disabilities in General Education Classrooms

This study investigated the effects of self-monitoring instruction delivered by peer tutors on the occurrence of academic survival skills displayed by five middle school students with severe disabilities. We employed a multiple baseline across subjects design. Instruction was provided in general education content classes. The students were taught to indicate on a self-recording sheet if they performed each of 11 skills. Data revealed an increase in the percentages of occurrence of survival skills across all students. Also, their general education teachers indicated that they observed a positive change for four of the five students. All students indicated that they believed that they were part of the class and reported an increase in their classroom participation. The implications of these findings are discussed. Copyright 2001 by The Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps

Using Self-Monitoring to Increase Following-Direction Skills of Students with Moderate to Severe Disabilities in General Education

We used two multiple baseline designs to investigate effects of a self-monitoring strategy on following-direction skills of six middle school students with moderate to severe disabilities in general education. Students were instructed to acknowledge a given direction, complete the task, and monitor their performance. Results suggest that all students learned the strategy and maintained their performance at mastery levels for the duration of the maintenance condition. Social validation data obtained from participating general and special educators supported these findings. Implications for promoting student-directed learning and inclusive education are discussed. © Division on Developmental Disabilities