Functional Behavior Assesment - Post 8

This article told the story of Jorge, a 4-year old Spanish-speaking preschooler. Jorge was very aggressive, and was therefore recommended for behavioral assessment. At Jorge’s Head Start school, he had a lead teacher who only spoke English and a paraprofessional who spoke Spanish. Jorge was observed being aggressive during all activities in a 1.5-hour session, ranging from whole-group instruction to circle time. Consequences for aggression included removal from group work and individual adult attention in the form of modeling proper classroom behaviors. Jorge was given a range of behavioral assessments, including the ADOS, the Autism Diagnostic Assessment. The authors of the article gave a series of suggestions to both the lead teacher and the paraprofessional to aid in Jorge’s behavioral development. One year after the recommendations were made, the authors observed Jorge having significant behavioral improvement. This was due to the lead teacher making use of the recommended accommodations for Jorge.

The article was written very clearly. They spelled out what the issue was for Jorge, how they assessed him, the recommendations they made, and the results of those recommendations. I have always found case studies to be easy to follow, and this article was no different. The evidence is laid out in a clear way so that a direct causal relationship can be found between the authors’ recommendations and the improved behaviors.

Durán, L. K., Bloom, S. E., & Samaha, A. L. (2013). Adaptations to a Functional Behavior Assessment with a Spanish-Speaking Preschooler: A Data-Based Case Study. Education & Treatment Of Children, 36(1), 73-95.

Transition Planning: Post 7

Assessing the Transition-Related Strengths and Needs of Adolescents with High-incidence Disabilities

This article discusses research surrounding transition assessments in regard to students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders (EBD) or learning disabilities (LD). For students with EBD or LD, certain things are unknown nearing the time of graduation including further education, employment, independent living, community participation, civic involvement, and other areas involving quality of life. Transition planning gives parents and students a platform to discuss future possibilities. As of 2004, the IDEA incorporated new language involving the role of assessment in transition planning. These assessments are designed to provide educational teams with information to align supports and services with the individual needs of youth with disabilities in order to monitor progress toward goals and make educational decisions. At one time transition assessments were focused on employment, but have evolved to include health, postsecondary education and training, community participation, leisure, and other areas that contribute to a higher quality of life.

The article also breaks down that transition assessments should be comprehensive, and strengths based (taking into account the child’s strengths, preferences, and skills), as well as incorporate multiple perspectives of the individuals who know the student well across different contexts. Parents are an especially important part of the planning process considering that postsecondary goals can be decided based on values and beliefs about family, community, adulthood, and disability and may also be associated with cultural identity.

I think this article did a great job of providing information as to why transition planning is important for students with EBD or LD, how parents fit into the planning, and how transitioning is about more than just employment, but instead any route a student may take in order to be successful. 

Carter, E.W., Owens, L., Sun, Y., & Trainor, A. (2009). Assessing the Transition-Related Strengths and Needs of Adolescents with High-incidence Disabilities. Exceptional Children, 76, 74-94.

Adolescents with High Incidence Disabilities: Post 6

Murray, C., & Pianta, R. (2007). The Importance of Teacher-Student Relationships for Adolescents with High Incidence Disabilities. Theory into Practice, 46(2), 105-112. doi:10.1080/00405840701232943

The Importance of Teacher-Student Relationships for Adolescents with High Incidence Disabilities

The article provides research to assist the idea that teacher-student relationships are especially important amongst adolescents with high incidence disabilities because they are at a higher risk of experiencing social, emotional, and mental health problems. Students identified as having high incidence disabilities are known for showing difficulties adjusting to classroom and school environments, and are more likely than students without disabilities to experience depression, anxiety, conduct problems, delinquency, school drop out, incarceration, and poor post-high school outcomes.

The researchers in the article found that ongoing warmth and trust, open communication, instructional support, and positive involvement assist young children in developing relationships with teachers that resemble secure caregiver-child attachments. In order to create more opportunities for building positive student-teacher relationships in smaller settings, high schools have implemented block scheduling; this allows time for students and teachers to work together and get to no one another. These small classroom settings allow teachers more time to develop and sustain meaningful relationships with individual students, and allow students greater opportunity to develop a sense of comfort.

I think the article does a great job in expressing the importance of teacher-student relationships for students both with and without disabilities. As a teacher, I make it a point to try to build relationships with all of my students. I make my students feel welcome in my classroom by giving them a chance to share their voices because I want them to understand that they are a significant piece of the classroom environment.

Autism Spectrum Disorders: Post 4

Bennett, E., & Heaton, P. (2012). Is Talent in Autism Spectrum Disorders Associated with a Specific Cognitive and Behavioural Phenotype? Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 2739-2753. doi:10.1007/s10803-012-1533-9

Is Talent in Autism Spectrum Disorders Associated with a Specific

Cognitive and Behavioural Phenotype?

This article covers the topic of talent in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and provides research linked to a case study focused on identifying differences between those that are skilled and non-skilled in the areas of music, art, and math. The article pointed out that the following specific traits did not predict the existence of special skills: social-communicative impairments, repetitive behaviors, obsessionality, and sensory abnormality. However, skilled individuals did demonstrate a domain-general capacity for highly focused attention. The study also found that individuals with special skills possess outstanding general memory skills, with some limitations on working memory. I think the article did a great job in outlining specific traits of different individuals with ASD and narrowing them down to what may or may not be connected to having talents in math, art, and music. I find this article interesting because the textbook teaches that ASD refers to developmental disabilities that affect communication and socialization, but also points out that a rare few with the disability have unusual talents in music or art, which may have a connection to the fact that individuals with ASD demonstrate repetitive, stereotypical, and ritualistic behaviors.

Music and Art are both areas that people usually improve in through regular practice, which can often become ritualistic, so I can see why individuals with Autism can excel in those areas. Last semester, I had a student with Autism in my art classroom and he happened to be amazing at drawing with such a strong attention to detail. I’ve noticed that a lot of students I’ve had with learning disabilities happen to be the best artists in the class.

Behavior Disorders: Post 3

 Shores, Richard E., Susan L. Jack, Philip L. Gunter, David N. Ellis, Terry J. Debriere, and Joseph H. Wehby. (1993):  Classroom Interactions of Children with Behavior Disorders. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders 1.1 27-39. EBSCOhost. Web. 27 Sept. 2015.

 Classroom Interactions of Children with Behavior Disorders

The article discusses observations of classrooms with students classified as having severe behavior disorders (SBD) and describes the social interactions of students to identify social stimuli that may control the students’ classroom behavior.  I found it interesting that the article looked at students with SBD in both segregated special education classrooms as well as general education classrooms to see if there was a big difference between compliance and noncompliance. The results showed that in the general education classroom, students without disabilities were more compliant than students with severe behavior disorders overall. However, students with SBD in the segregated special education classroom were more likely to engage in noncompliant behavior than those students with SBD in the general education setting. It seems that students in the segregated special education classroom were more noncompliant because it is what they were used to, as opposed to the general education students that had to adapt to certain classroom behavioral norms in order to succeed in that space. This article caused me to think about the differences I’ve seen in students when I substituted in both general education and special education classrooms.  

Many students in the special education classrooms were there for behavior issues, and I noticed that acting out was much more tolerated and not addressed as quickly as what is normally practiced in a general education setting. The article didn’t surprise me because I’ve seen the differences in classroom settings firsthand, so the results were definitely true to me. McKleskey Chapter 6 relates to this article in the way that it outlines that it is necessary to Expect Appropriate Behavior and that teachers should model appropriate behavior for students while remaining poised during stressful and frustrating situations. I believe that teachers should expectations for all students, even those known to have severe behavior disorders, so that they can come to learn the social norms of a general classroom setting.

Intellectual Disabilities: Post 2

Toburen, J., & J. Atkins, B. (1982). Art as a Rehabilitation Counseling Tool for Use with Persons Who are Mentally Retarded. Journal of Rehabilitation, 48(2.3), 53-57. doi:April 1, 1982, Retrieved September 20, 2015, from EBSCOhost

Article Title: Art as a Rehabilitation Counseling Tool for Use With Persons Who are Mentally Retarded

First, please be aware that this article is outdated (written 1982) in its use of the term ‘Mentally Retarded’. In recent years there has been a big push to eliminate the ‘R Word’ because it is considered offensive, so I will continue my response replacing it with Intellectual Disability.

As the title suggests, the article discusses ways of incorporating Art into counseling for individuals with Intellectual Disabilities, and provides a case study that demonstrates how it can work.  In the clinical world, art has been defined as a pictorial representation of an individual’s conscious and unconscious thoughts that is used to facilitate communication, as well as a projection of things that might be or ought to be (Toburen, Atkins 1982). For people with intellectual disabilities, there tends to be difficulty in verbalizing effectively, so many counselors have incorporated art into their counseling programs to allow their clients to draw their feelings, thoughts, and ideas without having to feel held back by their verbal communication abilities.

In the case study, the counselor worked with a young woman named Karen who was a high school graduate displaying inappropriate behaviors including chronic running away, alcohol abuse and physical aggression; she also showed signs of insecurity and lack of self esteem. In counseling, Karen initially refused to talk about her feelings, so by the 5^th session the counselor decided to introduce art by laying out a sketch pad and crayons, and encouraging her to try it out. Next, the counselor remained quiet and only spoke once Karen initiated conversation. The first picture that Karen drew was of her with a sad face, standing on a ground-like area, with nothing else in the picture. The counselor pointed out how isolated Karen looked, and Karen went on to explain why she had drawn it that way.

From the conversation, the counselor learned that over the past weekend Karen had gotten drunk while she was out one night, but was afraid of her parents finding out so she had slept in the woods instead of going home—she was too embarrassed. This conversation allowed the counselor to see that Karen had a sense of awareness about herself and the choices she made. In the next sessions, Karen seemed to open up more and asked to be able to draw each time, and the counselor allowed it. Sometimes Karen would ask to draw in a separate room, and then come back to show the counselor and talk about it—which was also allowed. The counselor gave Karen a lot of freedom in deciding the format of her sessions and she seemed to really benefit from it. By the end, Karen was initiating all conversations about her art and feelings, and would even discuss it as she was drawing.  Her pictures also evolved from images of isolation to more bright, detailed, and happy drawings.

 In choosing articles to discuss in my posts, I’ve really tried researching the connections between the topics and art because that is what I am most passionate about. I really enjoyed reading this article because it gave me ideas to use in my art classroom to better help my students, and get a sense of who they are. My overall theme since I started teaching has been “Reflections of You” and I try to create art lessons that allow students to share a bit of themselves in their work, so I would love to try an activity that allows students to illustrate whatever they are feeling and either share it with the group, or just with me as a journal entry.

The article was useful because it provided background for its purpose, included a case study to provide evidence that their purpose is valid, and then ended with how readers can put this information to use.  I appreciate that this article points out that not all counselors are qualified enough to use art in their sessions, and provides qualifications that professionals should have in order to effectively do so which includes the following: (1) Having an interest in and dedication to effectively use art with clients for the purpose of personal adjustment, (2) Experience and professional traning in art and its techniques, (3)Experience working with art and disabled individuals, (4) Experience and training in art therapy. Overall, this article was very informative and helpful to support the argument of art as a means for rehabilitation for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Learning Disabilities: Post 1

Silver, EdD, ATR, R., & Lavin, PhD, C. (1977). The Role of Art in Developing and Evaluating Cognitive Skills. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 10(7), 416-424. Retrieved September 14, 2015, from EBSCOhost.

The Role of Art in Developing and Evaluating Cognitive Skills

The article discusses how a group of Art Education students in a Masters program worked to teach a group of students with communication disabilities specific cognitive skillls through art procedures without the use of language. The graduate students  worked through a series of tasks to help them prove their hypothesis that art techniques can be used to assist learning disabled children in expressing concepts nonverbally. 

First, the children completed an activity to demonstrate their ability to form groups in drawing from imagination. The children were presented with a group of drawings on index cards; half of the cards had drawings of people on them, while the other half had drawings of objects. The children were asked to create a story inspired by the drawings,  however, they could not copy any of the cards, but were asked to draw from the cards in their own way to demonstrate their individual styles. Emphasis was placed on content, meaningful pictures, and exploratory learning. The children's drawings from imagination were evaluated on their ability to select, combine, represent, and express.

Next the children completed an activity to demonstrate their ability to perceive and represent spatial relationships. The children drew an arrangement of objects placed in the center of the room, and sketched from different points of view.  

Lastly, the children completed an activity to demonstrate their  ability to order and conserve in manipulating objects, modeling clay, and paintings. The children modeled clay from imagination to design solid forms. The children also mixed paint colors to create tints and shades.  Indirect instruction was used during this activity to encourage exploratory learning.

At the end of the study, the Masters students proved their hypothesis that art techniques can be used to assist learning disabled children in expressing concepts nonverbally through visual-motor channels in spite of impaired functioning.

I found a connection between the article's subject matter and my personal work as a high school art teacher. With fine arts, there are always critics who believe that the visual arts do not aid students in skills needed for other classes, but this article clearly outlines that skills learned in an art class helps with necessary cognitive skills. I also found this article interesting because I've use pieces of all 3 art activites listed in my classroom, and I never took the time to look deep enough to see the skills (outside of building art skills) that these activities help to develop. I definitely agree with the content presented in the article and wish more people knew just how significant of a role art can play in strengthening communication skills, especially in students with learning disabilities. One of the strongest points presented in the article is that art can in fact develop and strengthen cognitive skills, and it's amazing to me that the children examined in the article had both language and hearing impairments.