Department of Special Education
Oral Sessions
iOS Devices as Assistive Technology for Visually Impaired and Blind Students
Jason Michael DeCamillis
Professor Alicia Li
Apple’s iOS devices (iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch) have provided a platform for which versatile and accessible software tools can be made available at a fraction of the cost of other traditional devices. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the usefulness and unique user interface of iOS devices across several academic and daily-living tasks for both totally blind and visually impaired students and professionals. Observations, interviews, and skill-specific data from hands-on use of each system were collected and analyzed to determine overall usability, portability and cost-effectiveness of iOS devices as assistive technology for blind and visually impaired individuals.
Session A – Room 204 – Number 20
The Impact of Practice and Hands-on Experiences on Algebra Learning for Students with Visual Impairments
Victoria Haber
Professor Alicia Li
Research has identified that achievement in mathematics among students with visual impairments is and has been extremely low. Two methods of improving algebraic learning for students with visual impairments are practice and hands-on experiences. With these methods, the skills learned may be stored in short-term memory that may then be transferred to long-term memory for the individual to use when needed. In this presentation, a number of tools designed for students’ hands-on math learning are demonstrated along with the findings on math achievement and learning attitudes of six students with visual impairments after they practiced and engaged in hands-on experiences.
Session A – Room 204 – Number 18
Participation of Adults with Cognitive Impairments in Michigan Parks and Recreation Programs
Karen Martindale
Professor Derrick Fries
This study examines the awareness and participation of young adults ages 18-26 with cognitive and other impairments in community parks and recreation programs based on their responses to a short survey. By learning if they participate, as well as why they do or do not participate, we can begin to research different ways to remove barriers and increase involvement of individuals with special needs in community programs.
Session A – Room 352 – Number 57
iPad and Proloquo2Go in the Clinical Speech and Language Setting
McLaine Catherine (Dury) Mast
Professor Ann Orr
This study, conducted in the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital’s Speech and Language Department, investigates the employment of the augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) iPad application Proloquo2Go. Through field notes, observation and exit interviews of family members and speech language pathologists, both quantitative and qualitative data has been collected on the effectiveness of the application and methods of implementation as it is used in the clinical speech and language setting.
Session B – Room 204 – Number 85
Preservice Teachers’ Knowledge About and Perceived Skills in Addressing K-12 LGBT Bullying
William Milburn II
Professor John Palladino
Teachers are often asked to create a safe and accepting school environment for their students. However, one group consistently is left marginalized and has been ignored when dealing with school bullying. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) students fill schools that are often unsafe and promote negative climates that impact the individual’s social and academic success. Teachers, willing or not, are often looked at as being an ally and advocate for bullied students yet fail to do so effectively. The research conducted looked at preservice teachers at Eastern Michigan University and their overall attitudes and perceived skill set in addressing LGBT bullying in schools, and whether or not they feel prepared to address this growing concern.
Session A – Room 352 – Number 56
Difficult but Possible: A Challenge Faced by Students with Visual Impairments in Learning Biology
Andrew Pedley
Professor Alicia Li
In biology, numerous visual displays/aids are commonly employed to illustrate various concepts, structures and mechanisms. However, pictures, graphs, real objects and minute organisms that can only be seen through a microscope may pose challenges for students who do not have normal functional vision. This presentation first identifies concepts that a teacher typically models through visual aids based on Michigan’s benchmarks for the biology curriculum and then describe different visual aids that may be utilized to facilitate the learning of those concepts. To conclude, a variety of alternatives to accommodate the needs of biology students with visual impairments are shared.
Session A – Room 204 – Number 19
Direct Instruction to Develop the Communication Ability of a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Dianna Marie Synowiec
Professor Myung Koh
Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) commonly demonstrate limited language skills that interfere with their social and academic performance. This study was designed to investigate if direct instruction, specifically the Language for Learning program, can improve the functional and social communication of a child with ASD and limited language skills. This presentation describes the intervention that was implemented for two semesters as well as the obtained positive results.
Session B – Room 204 – Number 84
A Closer Look at the Racial Disparity Rates in Michigan Schools
Victor Manuel Torres III
Professor Sally Burton-Hoyle
Racial disparities have long been a concern in American public education. The United States Department of Education has been collecting data on this issue for over 35 years. According to Wright, Weeks, and McGlaughlin (2000), “Research evidence indicates that those who are at disproportionate risk of exclusion are African-Caribbean boys of both primary and secondary schooling age.” This presentation documents various racial disparities in disciplinary actions taken in public schools on both the national and state (Michigan) levels.
Session C – Room 301 – Number 155
African American English: Dialect Mistaken as an Articulation Disorder
Sade DelCarmen Wilson
Professor Ronald Hoodin
The purpose of this literature review was to discuss the reasons speech-language pathologists (SLPs) often misdiagnose children using African American English (AAE) as having an articulation disorder. There are three common explanations for why this problem occurs: (1) SLPs are unfamiliar with AAE acquisition and its phonological features, (2) SLPs administer norm-referenced tests that are culturally biased, and (3) SLPs often do not realize that AAE speaking children are, in a way, learning a second dialect (Standard American English) in school. This presentation addresses these issues as well as provides recommendations for speech-language pathologists when working with children using African American English.
Session C – Room 302 – Number 157
Posters
Hearing Conservation in Elementary Classrooms
Deborah Aldrich and Carolyn Legare
Professor Lidia Lee
Research indicates 5.2 million (12.5%) of 6-19 year olds in the United States have hearing loss due to excessive exposure to loud noises. This is an increase of 30% over the last 10 years. This hearing loss, however, is preventable. The Michigan elementary curriculum does not include hearing conservation. Primers such as sound are introduced in 3rd grade; if conservation is taught simultaneously, the rapid rates of hearing loss can be minimized. This research focuses on the presence of hearing conservation in elementary classrooms and examines an effective tool to demonstrate the importance of this topic.
Group 1
A Comparison of the Equal Opportunities Provided for Students with Disabilities In and Out of the Classroom
Brianne Noelle Gregware
Professor Linda Polter
This poster addresses the opportunities offered to students with disabilities in extra curricular activities at the college level, and whether they receive adequate care and proper facilitation in order to participate. Another key issue is the environmental setting in which the activity occurs. The support outside of the classroom is compared to the aids provided inside the classroom for students with disabilities in higher education.
Group 2
Unique Therapies for Children Suffering from Childhood Apraxia of Speech
Rachel R. Humberson
Professor Jennifer Desiderio
Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) is a disorder in which individuals have trouble planning and producing the correct movement/actions to speak. There is a disconnection between the processing and formation centers in the brain, however, this is not indicative of the individual’s level of intellect. While there are arguably dozens of effective treatments for this disorder, this poster highlights two unique therapies: Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT) that organizes speech sounds into song-like utterances, and Dynamic and Temporal Tactile Cueing (DTTC), an assistive motor-based strategy that focuses on producing combinations of sounds with instructional shaping tactics.
Group 1
Vaccinations and Autism: Is There a Link?
Olivia Rhoades
Professor Jennifer Desiderio
A growing prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and lack of knowledge of its etiology has led to the hypothesis that thimerosal-containing vaccinations increase the risk of ASD. This assumption is rooted in the fact that in recent years, the number of vaccinations available to children has increased at the same time that cases of autism have increased. An extensive review of scientific literature does not support a significant relationship between thimerosal- containing vaccines and ASD. In this poster, lack of evidence is demonstrated through 1) comparisons over time, 2) studies on regression in ASD, and 3) comparison of people with ASD to typically developing individuals.
Group 2
Learning Together: An Interactive Study on Peer Tutoring in Higher Education
Angela J. Wert
Professor Linda Polter
For several years, peer tutoring has taken on many forms across varying grade levels. Within the last few years, studies have been published in response to peer tutoring in a higher education setting. Peer tutoring has multiple names that may include the following: supplemental instruction, interteaching, reciprocal peer coaching and one-on-one/student initiated. Each of these approaches involve peer-to-peer relationships, and in some cases, a peer-to-instructor connection, as well. Dependent upon the school and the instructor, any variety of peer teaching may be utilized. This poster highlights some of the benefits and drawbacks of the above approaches while focusing solely on higher education.
Group 1
