Clifford thornton spe_600_research_project_final

By Clifford M. ThorntonFor

Special Education 600Prof. Lowery

Fall 2016

GIFTED LEARNERS VS. AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER LEARNERS: EVALUATIONS,

ASSESSMENTS & TEACHING STRATEGIESConsiderations for Applicable Ethnic Minority

Students – Shortfalls & Strategies for Improvement

“Giftedness, intelligence, and talent are fluid concepts and may look different in different contexts and cultures. Even within schools you will find a range of beliefs about the word "gifted," which has become a term with multiple meanings and much nuance.”

“Gifted individuals are those who demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude (defined as an exceptional ability to reason and learn) or competence (documented performance or achievement in top 10% or rarer) in one or more domains. Domains include any structured area of activity with its own symbol system (e.g., mathematics, music, language) and/or set of sensorimotor skills (e.g., painting, dance, sports).”

Source: National Association of Gifted Children, Link: http://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources/definitions-giftedness

What is Giftedness?

Gifted student—

(i) A student who is exceptional under section 1371 of the School Code (24 P. S. § 13-1371) because the student meets the definition of ‘‘mentally gifted’’ in this section, and needs specially designed instruction beyond that required in Chapter 4 (relating to academic standards and assessment).

(ii) The term applies only to students who are of ‘‘school age’’ as defined under § 11.12 (relating to school age).

Source: PA Code, Link: http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/022/chapter16/s16.1.html

Pennsylvania Code Definition of Giftedness

“Among many theoretical conceptions of giftedness are those of Francoys Gagné and Joseph Renzulli. Others include Robert Sternberg’s Theory of Successful Intelligence and Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences.

Gagné: The Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent proposes a clear distinction between giftedness and talent. In his model, the term giftedness designates the possession and use of untrained and spontaneously expressed natural abilities (called aptitudes or gifts) in at least one ability domain to a degree that places a child among the top 10% of his or her age peers. By contrast, the term talent designates the superior mastery of systematically developed abilities (or skills) and knowledge in at least one field of human activity to a degree that places a child's achievement within the upper 10% of age-peers who are active in that field or fields. His model presents five aptitude domains: intellectual, creative, socioaffective, sensorimotor and "others" (e.g. extrasensory perception). These natural abilities, which have a clear genetic substratum, can be observed in every task children are confronted with in the course of their schooling.”

Source: Gagné, F. (1985). Giftedness and talent: Reexamining a reexamination of the definitions. Gifted Child Quarterly, 29, 103-112, Link: http://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources/definitions-giftedness

Renzulli: Gifted behavior occurs when there is an interaction among three basic clusters of human traits: above-average general and/or specific abilities, high levels of task commitment (motivation), and high levels of creativity. Gifted and talented children are those who possess or are capable of developing this composite of traits and applying them to any potentially valuable area of human performance. As noted in the Schoolwide Enrichment Model, gifted behaviors can be found "in certain people (not all people), at certain times (not all the time), and under certain circumstances (not all circumstances)."

Source: Renzulli, J. S. (1978). What makes giftedness? Re-examining a definition. Phi Delta Kappa, 60, 180-181, Link:http://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources/definitions-giftedness

Prominent Theories of Giftedness

GIFTED STUDENTS – DEVELOPMENT“It can be evident in young children as exceptional performance on tests and/or other measures of ability or as a rapid rate of learning, compared to other students of the same age, or in actual achievement in a domain. As individuals mature through childhood to adolescence, however, achievement and high levels of motivation in the domain become the primary characteristics of their giftedness.”

ASYNCHRONOUS DEVELOPMENT IN GIFTED STUDENTS“Giftedness is asynchronous development in which advanced cognitive abilities and heightened intensity combine to create inner experiences and awareness that are qualitatively different from the norm. This asynchrony increases with higher intellectual capacity. The uniqueness of the gifted renders them particularly vulnerable and requires modifications in parenting, teaching, and counseling in order for them to develop optimally.”

Source: Webb et al, 2007; The Columbus Group, 1991.

GIFTED LEARNERS - DEVELOPMENT

GIFTED STUDENTS – EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIES“Beginning in early childhood, their optimal development requires differentiated educational experiences, both of a general nature and, increasingly over time, targeting those domains in which they demonstrate the capacity for high levels of performance. Such differentiated educational experiences consist of adjustments in the level, depth, and pacing of curriculum and outside-of-school programs to match their current levels of achievement and learning rates. Marked differences among gifted learners sometimes require additional and unusual interventions. Additional support services include more comprehensive assessment, counseling, parent education, and specially designed programs, including those typically afforded older students.”

Source: Redefining Giftedness for a New Century: Shifting the Paradigm – Position Statement, National Association for Gifted Children, Link: http://www.nagc.org/sites/default/files/Position%20Statement/Redefining%20Giftedness%20for%20a%20New%20Century.pdf

GIFTED LEARNERS - DEVELOPMENT

“Academically gifted and talented students in this country make up approximately six to ten percent of the total student population (three to five million students).” Source: National Association for Gifted Children, Gifted Education in the U.S., Link: http://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources/gifted-education-us

GIFTED EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES

•“Early reading and/or quick mastery of reading•Learns new things quickly and easily •Has extensive vocabulary, background knowledge in a particular area, or memory of detail•Grasps math concepts quickly; solves problems involving critical thinking; is intuitive; enjoys logic and puzzles•Interested in some things in depth. Grasps Big Picture, concepts, and forms connections.•Has a more intense energy level, activity level, or ability to concentrate; talks fast•Extremely sensitive and/or introverted •Thinks differently; is creative •Great sense of humor •Curious, observant; Perfectionistic •Displays interest in complex games, fantasy, non-fiction•Likes to observe before participating •Sensitive to environment •Demonstrates leadership potential •May have different friends in different activities or venues”

Source: Guiding Students with High Abilities: Social and Emotional Considerations 2nd Edition, Indiana Department of Education, Link: http://www.doe.in.gov/sites/default/files/highability/guiding-students-high-abilities-social-and-emotional-considerations.pdf

GIFTED LEARNERS - CHARACTERISTICS

•“Poses unforeseen questions•Is curious•Generates complex, abstract ideas•Knows without working hard•Ponders with depth and multiple perspectives•Is beyond the group•Already knows•Need 1-3 repetitions to master•Prefers the company of intellectual peers•Creates complex, abstract humor•Infers and connects the meaning•Initiates projects and extensions of assignments•Is intense•Enjoy self-directed learning•Manipulates information•Is an expert; abstracting beyond the field•Guesses and infers well•Is self-critical•May not be motivated by grades•Is intellectual”

Source: Kingore, B. (2004). Excerpts from Differentiation: Simplified, realistic and effective. Austin, TX: Professiona l Associates Publishing.

GIFTED LEARNERS – CHARACTERISTICS (CONTINUED)

“Assessment. It’s important for the child to have a comprehensive pediatric neuropsychological evaluation that assesses the functioning of the whole brain. Also important is assessing a child’s hearing and vision.Education. Parents and teachers need to learn about the brain as well as work at understanding the gifted child’s behavior. It’s important to keep track of what does and does not work with a child.Medication. In some situations, medications such as stimulants or anti-anxiety medications are appropriate. However, they should never be used alone. Children need help in learning new behaviors. Stimulants may put a child at the doorway of inhibition, but they still need to be taught proper behavior.Cognitive Rehabilitation Therapy. This type of therapy takes a brain-injury approach to addressing behavior problems. It helps a child learn new ways of doing things – ways to compensate for or work around weaknesses. It also is a means of evaluating the child’s environment and accommodating that environment for structure, routine, and consistency.Psychotherapy. A psychotherapist won’t be able to fix a brain-based disorder. However, this type of professional can work on healing the emotional damage that these types of problems can do to a child’s self-esteem.”Source: Behavioral Management Of Gifted Children: A Neuropsychological Approach, Gifted Home Schoolers Forum, Paul Beljan, PsyD, ABPdN, Link: http://giftedhomeschoolers.org/resources/parent-and-professional-resources/articles/issues-in-gifted-education/beans/

GIFTED LEARNERS – BEHAVIORAL STRATEGIES

•”Plan ahead. Establish daily routines and be consistent about following them. Routines reduce the opportunity for failure.•Anticipate. As you enter new environments, be a step ahead of the child in regard to transitions, disruptions of routine, and explaining your expectations for behavior.•Develop a bag of tricks. Offer soothing techniques, distraction, etc. Give alternatives to undesirable behavior.•Preview events. Anticipate the next developmental milestone and provide appropriate space in which to achieve the milestone, without the opportunity for catastrophic failure.•Make pre-emptive strikes Interrupt behavior before it passes the “point of no return.” The trick is to catch the child before he/she is in trouble, which requires knowing what situations trigger problematic behavior (for example, “meltdowns”).•Intervention.When problematic behavior occurs, interventions should be short and frequent. They should take place without anger, and they should be soothing to the child. Remember the idea is to soothe the back of the brain in order to allow the front of the brain to regain control. Here’s a five-step intervention process to follow: Prime. Prepare the child for how you will discipline by explaining that it’s a way to help him/her get back into control. Spend days discussing the disciplinary process and get the child to buy into it. If he/she knows what’s coming, it won’t over stimulate the child’s back of the brain and thereby flood the frontal system with undue stimulus.”

Source: Behavioral Management Of Gifted Children: A Neuropsychological Approach, Gifted Home Schoolers Forum, Paul Beljan, PsyD, ABPdN, Link: http://giftedhomeschoolers.org/resources/parent-and-professional-resources/articles/issues-in-gifted-education/beans/

GIFTED LEARNERS – BEHAVIORAL STRATEGIES (CONTINUED)

•”Preview. Be in sync with the child so that you can better anticipate what his/her next logical move or behavior will be and know what situations trigger unwanted behavior. This knowledge helps you avoid pitfalls and plan for disruptions to routine.•Pre-empt. Interrupt behavior before it passes the point of no return. Identify when the child is “perking” (over stimulated) and on the verge of losing control.•Disengage. Remove the child from a situation and engage him/her in an intervention aimed at helping the child calm down or self-soothe.•Rectify. Once the child is soothed, return him/her to the situation from which the child was removed in order to rectify the behavior that led to the removal. You might ask the child to apologize or clean up after a tantrum.”

Source: Behavioral Management Of Gifted Children: A Neuropsychological Approach, Gifted Home Schoolers Forum, Paul Beljan, PsyD, ABPdN, Link: http://giftedhomeschoolers.org/resources/parent-and-professional-resources/articles/issues-in-gifted-education/beans/


1.”Start early by helping the child talk about his or her emotions. Trust me, they may not want to – but taking the emotions from some raw feeling to a tangible thing that can be defined is an important first step in learning to control the behavior. Further, the development of an emotional vocabulary can assist in providing a common language with which to discuss emotions and behavior.2.Help the child discover his or her unique escalation cycle. Likewise, know your own. Gifted kids have considerable talent for pushing a teacher’s or parent’s buttons. Knowing the things that push you over the edge will enable you to remain calm during emotional outbursts, whatever form they may take. Further, helping children discover their escalation pattern will give them a chance to learn to manage and redirect their feelings and emotions before they become too overwhelming.3.Once the child can identify his or her pattern of escalation, work with the child to make a plan for what to do when he or she is overwhelmed – when life becomes too intense. This plan should include a way to relax and redirect his or her energy away from the emotional throngs of intensity.4.Should the explosion happen anyway, it is important to remain calm and create a distance between your emotions and the child’s. Anger and frustration always beget more anger and frustration, so it is really important for the adults working with the child to stay emotionally neutral.”

Source: GT Kids and Behavior: Seven Strategies to Help Kids (and Parents) Cope, Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted, Christine Fonseca, Dec 29, 2011, Link: http://sengifted.org/gt-kids-and-behavior-seven-strategies-to-help-kids-and-parents-cope/


5.Take a breather. This goes for the child and the adults. The best way to create the distance I talked about above is to remember to take a break and calm down.6.Remember to focus on the good behavior you want to see. All too often, we get into a pattern of responding to the negative behaviors strongly (because these behaviors emotionally hook us) and not responding enough, to the positive behaviors. The result – more negative behaviors. So, do a mental inventory and make sure to focus your time and energy on the positive behaviors.7.Behavioral outbursts, whether internal or external, are teachable moments. Yes, they are frustrating and annoying, maybe even infuriating. But they are still teachable moments. Take the time to redirect the behavior, focusing on teaching the GT child how to understand and redirect the behavior.

Source: Source: GT Kids and Behavior: Seven Strategies to Help Kids (and Parents) Cope, Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted, Christine Fonseca, Dec 29, 2011, Link: http://sengifted.org/gt-kids-and-behavior-seven-strategies-to-help-kids-and-parents-cope/


•”Developing out of order - Because autism is a disorder, language development can actually happen out of chronological order. For instance, an 18-month-old child may use more than 15 words but struggle with imitating the inflection of regular speech. A five-year-old may speak in long sentences but never ask questions or communicate her needs to others. A speech pathologist can help create a program for a child that targets the specific areas of challenge.•Echolalia - Many children with autism go through a stage in their language development where they repeat phrases they have heard from others or on television. This is called "echolalia," and it is not as common in neurotypical children. According to Communication in Autism by Joanne Arciuli and Jon Brock, echolalia may help children with ASD learn how words go together in typical speech. In many cases, when they have learned this skill, they stop the repetitive language. In other cases, they may continue to use it as a form of verbal self-stimulation.•Delayed development - Although some children on the spectrum have a mild delay, many are farther behind their peers. Some are severely delayed and are still completely non-verbal by the age of four years. The medical community once saw this as a sign that a child would never talk; however, a 2013 study published in the journal Pediatrics found that many of these severely-delayed children went on to speak fluently after the age of four. In most cases, intensive speech therapy can help children make huge progress in their language development, and many go on to catch up to their peers.”

Source: Autism Developmental Stages, lovetoknow, Kate Miller-Wilson, Link: http://autism.lovetoknow.com/diagnosing-autism/autism-developmental-stages

ASD – TYPICAL DEVELOPMENT

•”Gradually improving Theory of Mind - Theory of Mind refers to the ability to understand that others have a different perspective on the world and to comprehend how this perspective may affect others' behavior. This can be a huge challenge for kids on the spectrum, but according to Indiana University Bloomington, they can develop some aspects of Theory of Mind with appropriate therapy and intervention. They may begin by learning about what others see from a different physical perspective and gradually expand to learning about others' feelings and predicted behaviors in various situations.•”Learning about reciprocity - Reciprocity, or the basic back-and-forth that happens during a social interaction, is a challenging area for many kids with ASD, according to Autism Speaks. Turn-taking in all forms can be challenging, but with therapy, kids can begin to polish this skill. Often, this starts with taking turns with toys and games. Later, the child may be able to expand to taking turns in conversations and social situations.•Establishing sensory self-regulation - According to the Interdisciplinary Council on Development and Learning, one of the most basic stages of development that can challenge kids on the spectrum is self-regulation. Establishing self-regulation allows them to become interested in the world and people around them. Many kids on the spectrum struggle with sensory processing disorders, meaning they have too much or too little sensory information coming in. Working with an occupational therapist and learning about a child's sensory needs can help a lot. Gradually, the child will find new ways to satisfy those sensory needs and still pay attention to people around her.”


ASD – TYPICAL DEVELOPMENT (CONTINUED)

•”Proximal-to-distal development - According to Motor Control: Theories, Experiments, and Applications by Frederic Danion, PhD and Mark Latash, PhD, a child must first be able to control the larger muscles and movements before moving on to finer motions. This is called proximal-to-distal development, and it applies to the developmental progress of children with autism. If a child struggles with core weakness and tasks like sitting up or standing, she will also struggle with fine motor tasks like drawing a circle. A physical therapist or occupational therapist can work with the child to strengthen the larger muscle groups needed for these finer tasks.•Restricted physical activity - Repeating behaviors and following routines is something that is reassuring to many kids with ASD, and according to a 2014 study in the journal Autism, it can affect their physical development. The study found that although kids with ASD got the same amount of physical activity as neurotypical children, they performed fewer types of activities. You can expand a child's skills by working on establishing a greater variety of physical activities she will try.•Extended head lag - When a baby is lying on his back and you pull his arms to help him sit, you may notice that his head lags behind the rest of his body. This is perfectly normal in young infants, but according to the Kennedy Krieger Institute, 90 percent of children with autism displayed this head lag after six months of age. As they age, children with and without autism usually grow out of this stage, but testing the head lag at six months can be a helpful predictor to determine which kids are at risk for autism.”



“Things to Remember About Autism and DevelopmentSeeing a child miss milestones can be worrisome, but it's important to remember that kids with autism develop at their unique rate. Keep the following tips in mind as you work with your child:•Because autism is a developmental disorder, children on the spectrum frequently develop in a way that is outside the typical order of things. Expect the child to reach milestones at different times and maybe not in the progression you see on most checklists.•Just as you can't compare an ASD child's development to a neurotypical peer, you also can't compare her to another child on the spectrum. No two children with autism are the same. Unfortunately, you can't look at the development of a friend's child and see what your child will be doing next.•Expect uneven progress. Sometimes, a child will seem to catch up on several milestones at once. Other times, he will appear to stall in a developmental stage. Remember that he may be making progress you can't see at this moment.•At the same time, if your instincts tell you that a child has not been progressing for a while, talk to his or her pediatrician and school IEP team. You may need to come up with new IEP goals or begin working with a different type of therapist.•Remember that in many cases, a delay is just a delay. The child will usually reach that milestone at her own pace. For instance, she may play turn-taking games three years later than her peers, but she will play them eventually.”



“Compared with children with non-autistic developmental delays, children with autism have been described as less likely to demonstrate early social-communicative behaviours such as making eye contact,15 looking at others,16 greeting others,15 offering and giving objects,15 showing and pointing to objects,15-17 raising arms to be picked up,15 imitating,15-17 and using non-verbal vocalizations communicatively.15 They are also described as less likely to understand or respond to the communication of others, such as following the point of an adult to an object,15,16 or responding to their names being called.16 Parents of children with autism also reported that their infants were less likely to play with them during lap games or turn-taking games,15,16 were less responsive to parents’ attempts to join in their play,15,16 and were more likely to prefer to be alone16,17 than children with non-autistic delays. Finally, parents reported that infants with autism were less likely to smile at others16,17 and more likely to exhibit an expressionless face than non-autistic infants.16”Source: The Impact of Autism on Child Development, Vanderbilt Centre for Child Development, USA, Wendy L. Stone, PhD, Lauren Turner, PhD, August 2005, Link: http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/autism/according-experts/impact-autism-child-development


“Screening for ASD includes broadband screeners designed to detect developmental delays in the general pediatric population and autism-specific screening tools designed for either the general population or high-risk populations, such as children referred to the early intervention system. Any screening tool should have strong psychometric features to support its accuracy and be culturally and linguistically appropriate.Screening typically includes• norm-referenced parent and teacher report measures,• competency-based tools, such as interviews and observations,• hearing screening to rule out hearing loss as a contributing factor to communication

and behavior difficulties.”

Source: Autism, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), Link: http://www.asha.org/PRPSpecificTopic.aspx?folderid=8589935303&section=Assessment#Screening

ASD - SCREENING

Screening procedures evaluate the main characteristics that differentiate ASD from other developmental disorders, including difficulties in•eye gaze,•orienting to one's name,•pointing to or showing objects of interest,•pretend play,•imitation,•nonverbal communication,•language development.Social communication norms vary across cultures. When screening is conducted for non-linguistic aspects of communication, it is important to recognize when differences are related to cultural variances rather than secondary to a communication disorder. See cultural competence.Loss of language or social skills at any age should be considered grounds for screening. In cases where children are being raised in a bilingual environment, consider whether language loss is attributable to language attrition.


ASD - SCREENING

“Comprehensive AssessmentIndividuals suspected of having ASD based on screening results are referred to an SLP, and other professionals as needed, for a comprehensive assessment. Assessment of social communication skills should be culturally sensitive, functional, and sensitive to the wide range of acceptable social norms that exist within and across communities; and involve the collaborative efforts of families, caregivers, classroom teachers, SLPs, special educators, and psychologists as needed.The SLP's role includes incorporating a family perspective into the assessment, effectively eliciting information from families about their concerns, beliefs, skills, and knowledge in relation to the individual being assessed. It is important to convey information to families clearly and empathetically, with an understanding that the assessment and diagnosis process is likely to be stressful and emotion-laden for family members”

Source: Marcus, Kunce, & Schopler, 2005

ASD - ASSESSMENT

“The diagnostic evaluation for individuals at risk for ASD typically includes:•relevant case history, including information related to the child's health, developmental and behavioral history, and current medical status;•a medical evaluation, including general physical and neurodevelopmental examination, as well as hearing and vision testing;•medical and mental health history of the family;•a comprehensive speech and language assessment.In addition, diagnostic evaluation may include•genetic testing, particularly if there is a family history of intellectual disability or genetic conditions associated with ASD (e.g., fragile X, tuberous sclerosis) or if the child exhibits physical features suggestive of a possible genetic syndrome;•metabolic testing, if the child exhibits symptoms such as lethargy, cyclic vomiting, pica, or seizures.


ASD – ASSESSMENT CONTINUED

“Speech and Language AssessmentDepending on the individual's age and abilities, the SLP typically assesses•receptive language;•expressive language, including sound and word production and the frequency and function of verbal (vocalizations/verbalizations) and nonverbal (e.g., gestures) communication;•literacy skills;•social communication (See social communication disorders and social communication benchmarks[PDF]), including: use of gaze, ojoint attention, initiation of communication, social reciprocity and the range of communicative functions, sharing affect, play behaviors, use of gestures;•conversational skills, including topic management (initiating, maintaining, and terminating relevant, shared topics); turn-taking; providing appropriate amounts of information in conversational contexts;•speech prosody.”



“Comprehensive assessment for ASD typically includes the following.Standardized Assessment—an empirically developed evaluation tool with established reliability and validity. Formal testing may be useful for assessing the structure and form of language, but may not provide an accurate assessment of an individual's use of language (i.e., pragmatics). Standardized tests should be culturally and linguistically appropriate, and standard scores should not be determined if the norming sample is not representative of the individual assessed.Parent/Teacher/Self-Report Measures—rating scales, checklists, and/or inventories completed by the family member(s)/caregiver, teacher, and/or individual. Findings from multiple sources (e.g., family vs. teacher vs. self-report) may be compared to obtain a comprehensive profile of communication skills. When possible, parent checklists should be provided in their native language to obtain the most accurate information.Ethnographic Interviewing—an interview technique that uses open-ended questions, restatement, summarizing for clarification, and avoidance of leading questions and "why" questions in order to develop an understanding of the individual's and the family's perceptions, views, desires, and expectations. See cultural competence.”



“Analog Task(s)—observation of the individual in simulated or staged communication contexts that mimic real-world events, including peer-group activities and simulated workplace interactions.Naturalistic Observation—observation of the individual in everyday social settings with others. Criterion-referenced assessments may be used during naturalistic observations to document an individual's functional use of language across social situations.Dynamic Assessment—a method that seeks to identify an individual's skills as well as his or her learning potential. Dynamic assessment is highly interactive and emphasizes the learning process over time. It can be used in conjunction with standardized assessments and for ongoing assessment following the diagnosis of ASD.”Source: Autism, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), Link: http://www.asha.org/PRPSpecificTopic.aspx?folderid=8589935303&section=Assessment#Screening


“Need For Ongoing AssessmentFollowing a diagnosis of ASD, ongoing assessment focusing on the skills most essential for social and communication development is conducted to•determine an individual's current profile of social communication skills,•identify priority learning objectives within natural communication contexts,•examine the influence of the communication partner and the environment on communication competence.As part of the ongoing assessment process, dynamic assessment procedures can be used to identify the skills that an individual has achieved, those that may be emerging, and the contextual supports that enhance communication skills (e.g., AAC or modeling). See intervention goals associated with core challenges.”


ASD – ONGOING ASSESSMENT

“Special Considerations: Audiologic AssessmentIndividuals with hearing loss may present with symptoms similar to those of ASD, particularly within the communication and socialization domains. For example, in the case of children with significant hearing loss or deafness,•when compared to peers with normal hearing, their speech may differ, and they may rely more heavily on gestures (Worley, Matson, & Kozlowski, 2011);•the inability to hear may limit social interaction with peers and lead to the kind of deficits in social skills often seen in children with ASD.It is also possible for an individual to have both ASD and hearing impairment (Easterbrooks & Handley, 2005; Malandraki & Okalidou, 2007; Szymanski & Brice, 2008). The similarities in communication and socialization symptoms between hearing impairment and ASD populations, along with the possibility of dual diagnosis, can present challenges for differential diagnosis. An audiologic assessment is conducted when hearing loss and/or ASD are suspected.”Source: Autism, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), Link: http://www.asha.org/PRPSpecificTopic.aspx?folderid=8589935303&section=Assessment#Screening

ASD – AUDIOLOGIC ASSESSMENT

1. “Use Task Analysis –very specific, tasks in sequential order.2. Always keep your language simple and concrete. Get your point across in as few words as possible. Typically, it’s far more effective to say “Pens down, close your journal and line up to go outside” than “It looks so nice outside. Let’s do our science lesson now. As soon as you’ve finished your writing, close your books and line up at the door. We’re going to study plants outdoors today”.3. Teach specific social rules/skills, such as turn-taking and social distance.4. Give fewer choices. If a child is asked to pick a color, say red, only give him two to three choices to pick from. The more choices, the more confused an autistic child will become.5. If you ask a question or give an instruction and are greeted with a blank stare, reword your sentence. Asking a student what you just said helps clarify that you’ve been understood.6. Avoid using sarcasm. If a student accidentally knocks all your papers on the floor and you say “Great!” you will be taken literally and this action might be repeated on a regular basis.7. Avoid using idioms. “Put your thinking caps on”, “Open your ears” and “Zipper your lips” will leave a student completely mystified and wondering how to do that.”

Source: 22 Tips for Teaching Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Teaching Community, Monster.com, Pat Hensley, Link: http://teaching.monster.com/benefits/articles/8761-22-tips-for-teaching-students-with-autism-spectrum-disorders

ASD – TEACHING STRATEGIES

8. “Give very clear choices and try not to leave choices open ended. You’re bound to get a better result by asking “Do you want to read or draw?” than by asking “What do you want to do now?”9. Repeat instructions and checking understanding. Using short sentences to ensure clarity of instructions.10. Providing a very clear structure and a set daily routine including time for play).11. Teaching what “finished” means and helping the student to identify when something has finished and something different has started. Take a photo of what you want the finished product to look like and show the student. If you want the room cleaned up, take a picture of how you want it to look some time when it is clean. The students can use this for a reference.12. Providing warning of any impending change of routine, or switch of activity.13. Addressing the pupil individually at all times (for example, the pupil may not realize that an instruction given to the whole class also includes him/her. Calling the pupil’s name and saying “I need you to listen to this as this is something for you to do” can sometimes work; other times the pupil will need to be addressed individually).14. Using various means of presentation – visual, physical guidance, peer modeling, etc.15. Recognizing that some change in manner or behavior may reflect anxiety (which may be triggered by a [minor] change to routine).”


ASD – TEACHING STRATEGIES CONTINUED

16. “Not taking apparently rude or aggressive behavior personally; and recognizing that the target for the pupil’s anger may be unrelated to the source of that anger.17. Avoid overstimulation. Minimizing/removal of distracters, or providing access to an individual work area or booth, when a task involving concentration is set. Colorful wall displays can be distracting for some pupils, others may find noise very difficult to cope with.18. Seeking to link work to the pupil’s particular interests.19. Exploring word-processing, and computer-based learning for literacy.20. Protecting the pupil from teasing at free times, and providing peers with some awareness of his/her particular needs.21. Allowing the pupil to avoid certain activities (such as sports and games) which s/he may not understand or like; and supporting the pupil in open-ended and group tasks.22. Allowing some access to obsessive behavior as a reward for positive efforts.Source: 22 Tips for Teaching Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Teaching Community, Monster.com, Pat Hensley, Link: http://teaching.monster.com/benefits/articles/8761-22-tips-for-teaching-students-with-autism-spectrum-disorders “


ASD – TEACHING STRATEGIES CONTINUED

“Clarity: Information about the plan, expectations and procedures are clear to the individual, family, staff and any other team members.

Strategy Focus/ Overall Strategy

•Consistency: Team and family members are on the same page with interventions and approaches, and strive to apply the same expectations and rewards.•Simplicity: Supports are simple, practical and accessible so that everyone on the team, including the family, can be successful in making it happen. If you don’t understand or cannot manage a complicated proposed behavior intervention plan, speak up!•Continuation: Even as behavior improves, it is important to keep the teaching and the positive supports in place to continue to help your loved one develop good habits and more adaptive skills.”

Source: What are the Positive Strategies for Supporting Behavior Improvement?, Autism Speaks, Inc., Link: http://www.autismspeaks.org/sites/default/files/section_5.pdf

ASD – BEHAVIOR STRATEGIES

Adapt the Environment

•Organize and provide structure: Provide clear and consistent visual schedules, calendars, consistent routines, etc. so that the person knows what is coming next.•Inform transitions and changes: Recognize that changes can be extremely unsettling, especially when they are unexpected. Refer to a schedule, use countdown timers, give warnings about upcoming changes, etc.•Use Visual Supports: Pictures, text, video modeling and other visuals are best for visual learners, but they are also critical because they provide information that stays. The ATN Visual Supports Tool Kit provides a step-by-step, easy-to-understand introduction to visual supports.•Provide a safe place and teach when to use it: A calming room or corner, and/or objects or activities that help to calm (e.g. bean bag) provide opportunities to regroup and can be helpful in teaching self-control.•Remove or dampen distracting or disturbing stimuli: Replace flickering fluorescent lights, use headphones to help block noise, avoid high traffic times, etc.•Pair companions or staff appropriately for challenging activities or times: Some people are more calming than others in certain situations. If going to the store with dad works better than with mom, focus on that and celebrate successes.•Consider structural changes to your home or yard: These changes might address some of the specifics of your situation to increase independence or reduce the risks when outbursts occur. Making Homes that Work includes a range of potential changes that can be made to reduce property damage, improve safety, and increase choice and independence.”



“Use Positive Behavior Supports•Celebrate and build strengths and successes•Respect and listen to him•Validate his concerns and emotions •Provide clear expectations of behavior•Set him up for success: Provide accommodations. •Ignore the challenging behavior•Alternate tasks•Teach and interact at your child’s or loved one’s learning level•Give choices, but within parameters•Provide access to breaks•Promote the use of a safe, calm-down place•Set up reinforcement systems•Allow times and places for him to do what he wants•Reward flexibility and self control•Pick your battles: Strive for balance•Use positive/proactive language”



“Teach Skills and Replacement Behaviors•Develop and expand functional communication

More information and possible resources:

•The National Professional Development Center’s Functional Communication Training•Functional Communication Traininghttp://www.autismspeaks.org/sites/default/files/challenging_behaviors_caregiver_manual.pdf•Severe Behavior Problems: A Functional Communication Training Approach (Treatment Manuals for Practitioners), by V. Mark Durand•Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) and Associated Apps•Other Autism Apps, such as Proloquo”



“Develop a Voice•Teach Social Skills•Create Activity Schedules•Picture Activity Schedules, from Do2Learn•Activity Schedules for Children With Autism, Second Edition: Teaching Independent Behavior, by Lynn E. McClannahan and Patricia Krantz•Other Autism Apps, such as ReDo•Teach Self-Regulation and De-escalation Strategies”



“OTHER BEHAVIORAL STRATEGIES

•Use The Incredible 5-Point Scale to teach social awareness and emotions •Teach recognition of arousal levels•Employ Behavioral Relaxation Training (BRT) •Teach self control and behavioral targets using Social Stories or Cognitive Picture Rehearsal.•Teach the individual to recognize the triggers for his behavior, and ways to avoid or cope with these when they occur. •Find ways to arouse and ways to calm your child, which can vary from person to person, and teach him to do these when he needs to. •Review additional tips and hundreds of sample behavior charts and targets, including feeling charts. •Find providers who use Cognitive Behavior Therapy or teach cause and effect, self-reflection, and social understanding through tools such as the Social Autopsy. •Teach Self-Management Skills•Promote Exercise•Address Hormones and Sexuality Considerations”



“Positive, reinforcement-based strategies

•Ignoring the behavior (extinction) is often used when the behavior is used for attention, and is mild or not threatening.•Redirection, often supported with visuals, may involve redirection to an appropriate behavior or response and is often paired with positive strategies.•Removal from a situation or reinforcement through a time out is often used for calming down opportunities.”



•”Lack of or delay in spoken language•Repetitive use of language•Little or no eye contact•Lack of interest in other children•Lack of spontaneous or make-believe play•Persistent fixation on parts of objects•Poor response to his/her name•Fails to imitate caregivers•Motor mannerisms (e.g., hand-flapping)•Fails to point or show joint attention”

Source: Evidence-Based Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorders, Iowa Department of Human Services by the Center for Disabilities and Development of the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, Scott Lindgren, Ph.D., Alissa Doobay, Ph.D., May 2011, Link: http://www.interventionsunlimited.com/editoruploads/files/Iowa%20DHS%20Autism%20Interventions%206-10-11.pdf

ASD – ASSESSMENT

o “Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)•Discrete Trial Training (DTT)•Functional Communication Training (FCT) •Pivotal Response Training (PRT)•Antecedent-Based Interventions•Social Skills Training•Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy•Medication•Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)•Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)•Modeling•Visual Supports•Computer-Aided Instruction•Parent-Implemented Intervention”


ASD – BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS

“ASD – Interventions with Emerging Evidence

•Developmental Relationship-Based Treatment•Play Therapy•Supportive Therapies”


ASD – BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS

“The gifted learner is traditionally identified with a higher-than-average score on an Intelligence Quotient (IQ) test. Krause et al. (2003) report that the gifted learner is typically within the top 2% of standardized IQ scores – in other words, possesses an IQ of approximately 130+. Langrehr (2006) rejects the intelligence quotient method, proposing a series of tests that measure what he terms ‘multiple-answer thinking.”

“Gifted children have special learning needs, which if not met, can lead to frustration, a loss of self-esteem, boredom, laziness and underachievement (Crocker, 2004; after Knight & Becker (2000).”

“If the gifted student is not identified, they quickly surpass their non-gifted classmates and become accustomed to a relaxed approach to learning, which can create serious learning difficulties when confronted with difficult and complex material in higher studies (Diezmann & Watters, 2006).”

“Diezmann, Watters and Fox (2001:3) claim that gifted children experience: “socio-emotional problems that include difficulty with social relationships, isolation from peers, pressures to conform, resistance towards authority, refusal to complete routine and repetitious work, and frustration with every day life (after Davis & Rimm, 1998).”

Source: Page, S.. Challenges Faced By “Gifted Learners” in School and Beyond. Inquiries Journal. (2010). Vol. 2. No. 11., Link: www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/330/challenges-faced-by-gifted-learners-in-school-and-beyond

CHALLENGES FACED BY GIFTED LEARNERS

“’A student’s level of social and emotional maturation may not keep pace with his or her advanced intellectual development’ (Berger, 2006: 150) – it is this social experience, attained through peer contact that many primary and secondary Gifted and Talented programs neglect or overlook.”

“Teachers of gifted and talented students need to not only create a social relationship, but also quasi-professional academic relationship with their students.”

“Gifted students, by virtue of their advanced intellectual capabilities may be even more dependent upon the teacher to provide for their specific academic needs.”

“The tendency for gifted students to display multi-potentiality and the tendency for perfectionism can be combated through teaching study skills and academic planning in gifted and talented programs, alongside course content (See Berger, 1989; Diezmann et al., 2006’ Crocker, 2004).”

“It is an unfortunate paradox that the gifted child is often considered at a disadvantage to their non-gifted peers, and this essay holds that it is a failing of the educational system to identify, educate and support these students in a suitable fashion.”

Source: Page, S.. Challenges Faced By “Gifted Learners” in School and Beyond. Inquiries Journal. (2010). Vol. 2. No. 11., Link: www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/330/challenges-faced-by-gifted-learners-in-school-and-beyond

CHALLENGES FACED BY GIFTED LEARNERS

“Historically, students of color or those who are not native English speakers have been seriously underrepresented in gifted programs (Elhoweris, Mutua, Alsheikh, Holloway, 2005; Ferri & Connor, 2005; Harris, Brown, Ford, &Richardson, 2004; Loveless, 2009; Patton, 1998; Plucker, Burroughs, & Song,2009; Skiba, Poloni-Staudinger, Gallini, Simmons, & Feggins-Azziz, 2006). In arecent review Ford (2012) noted that Hispanic students are underrepresented ingifted programs nationally by 40% and argued that teachers lack diversity and cultural competence and hold low expectations for these students.”

“Given the level of underrepresentation of nonwhite students in gifted programs and estimates of the increasing diversity of the student body nationally, increasing teacher understanding is crucial (Briggs, Reis,& Sullivan, 2008; Esquierdo & Arreguin-Anderson, 2012).”

“It is estimated that by between 2000 and 2050, the Hispanic student population will double, from 12.5% to 24.4%, and in some districts will result in White, non-Hispanic students becoming the minority group (Esquierdo &Arreguin-Anderson, 2012; Natriello, McDill, & Pallas, 1989).”

“In this way, whether a primary grade student receives support to develop his or her talents, and how his or her talents are developed will depend in large measure on how that student’s teacher conceptualizes giftedness in young children, including those from diverse backgrounds (p. 449).”

Source: Szymanski, Toni and Shaff, Thomas (2013) "Teacher Perspectives Regarding Gifted Diverse Students," Gifted Children: Vol. 6: Iss. 1, Article 1. Available at: http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/giftedchildren/vol6/iss1/1

TEACHERS PERSPECTIVES REGARDING GIFTED DIVERSE STUDENTS

“In this qualitative study, we investigated teachers’ perceptions of their training for teaching in multicultural settings and for working with gifted Hispanic children.”

“However, both current and pre-service teachers typically receive little training in the learning needs of gifted students, especially in how to tailor academic instruction to meet such needs (Pierce, Adams, Neumeister, Cassady, Dixon & Cross, 2007).”

“The authors concluded that answers to survey questions by teacherswithout training suggested a negative attitude towards gifted students and a viewof high intelligence as a threat to social order (Geake & Gross, 2008).”

“Moon and Brighton (2008) found that “the majority of respondents seemed unable to consider as gifted students who deviate from textbook indicators of giftedness.”

“A nationwide study of policies for identifying gifted students noted that in 40 of 50 states in the U.S., teacher recommendations are the most frequently cited source for screening students forgifted programming (Coleman & Gallagher, 1992).”



“One area found to be lacking in pre-service teacher preparation programsis the identification and understanding of gifted learners. This lack of training canimpact teachers’ perceptions of gifted students and their recognition ofcharacteristic behaviors that would help them identify gifted students.”

“Teacher perceptions of minority students, which are frequently stereotyped, influence instructional practices” (Townsend, 2002, p. 730).”

“Ford and colleagues reported that pre-service teachers do not receiveadequate training in multiculturalism and the understanding of diverse students(Ford & Harmon, 2001; Ford, Howard, Harris, & Tyson, 2000; Ford et al., 2001).Given that the majority of elementary school teachers are White, middle-classfemales, the racial/cultural differences between students and teachers may beresponsible for inadequate understanding regarding communication, expectations,or performance.”



“These multicultural skills and understandings are rarely specifically addressed in educational texts for educating gifted children (Ford et al., 2001). Likewise, multicultural education courses that focus on developing competencies for working with culturally, linguistically, and ethnically diverse students rarely mention the needs of gifted students.”

“Some describe an individual’s orientation to diverse learners, while others recognize multicultural education as a sociopolitical tool that may be used to reverse issues of power, privilege, and inequity (Gorski, 2009).”

“Gorski’s analysis found that only 29% of the multicultural teacher education courses focused on developing the required skills for working with diverse students.”

“More telling is evidence that non-white childrenare aware of being stigmatized by negative expectations at a much younger ageand that such awareness affects their ability to learn (McKown & Weinstein,2003, 2008).”



“Teachers who hold a cultural deficit model for racially diverse students may not believe that these students are capable of high academic achievement (Ford et al., 2001). Similarly, teachers who do not understand the cognitive, social, and emotional needs of gifted students may not believe that services arenecessary to help these students develop their potential.”

“You know it is terrible, but I don’t remember anything that I have had, any lectures or training. I don’t think Ihad any” (Interview 2-2, 11/24/2010, p. 1).”

“I don’t think we really do much training for those gifted students. I think it almost tendsto be that’s Ms. Patrick’s (TAG teacher) job to do that” (Interview 3-3, 1/22/2011,p. 5).”

“However, five of the six participants had not received multicultural educational classes saying they had“grown with the district” as its demographics shifted from a White, non-Hispanicmajority to a Hispanic majority.”



“All the time. Everyday. That’s probably all we do. I mean it’s just all of our in-services are based on diversity.” Ms. Robinson added, “We’ve had to learn techniques on how to make sure that the students were learning and that we were teaching so that they could learn” (Interview 3-3,1/22/2011, p. 4).”

“Using personal experience as a yardstick by which to measure giftedness could create barriers for identifying and serving diverse gifted students.”

“I don’t know the process to identify gifted students here in this school…I don’t know what the whole process is since we don’t actually identify them in second grade” (Interview, 2-2, 11/24/2010, p. 1).”

“For a child to be identified as gifted earlier than third grade, a teacher in this district would have to recognize outstanding abilities in the classroom.”

“I cannot even tell you the name of the class where we talked about gifted” (Interview 2-2, 11/24/2010, p. 1).”



“Three of the five teachers expressed the idea of a student being truly gifted and reported that they had seen only two or three truly gifted students in 15 to 20 years of teaching.”

“Responses from the third-grade teachers consistently used the phrases thinking differently and requiring challenge to describe students. Ms. James summed up her description with, “I think a gifted child stands way above and beyond others in just areas of where they’re gifted. Like you’ll just see somethingcompletely different and very inquisitive and probably even can almost be sort of obstinate at times” (Interview 3-3, 1/22/2011, p. 3).”

“Ms. James indicated that she felt she did not have enough training on accommodating gifted learners: “I don’t feel like I’m doing a very good job of being a facilitator for those kids that that’s all theyneed versus the ones that really need to be taught how to think” (Interview 3-3,1/22/2011, p. 5).”



“The teachers expressed the feeling that the lack of familiarity with the English language was keeping diverse learners from being identified for gifted programming.”

“Three of the five teachers stated poverty was a large barrier to students participation in gifted programming.”

“Certification requires “completion of the exceptional learner program, which must include preparation that contributes to the education of individuals with disabilities and the gifted and talented” (IC 282-13.18(3)). This requirement is often accomplished by one or two sessions on gifted learners within a course on exceptional students that focuses primarily on students with disabilities.”

“Ms. Patrick expressed her concern about having no time to plan for lessons and wondering how long she can keep up the pace of “just going,” from group to group.”



“Teachers working within a system and acting on their own experiences and beliefs in the absence of training may influence the opportunities presented to racially and culturally diverse, gifted students.”

“Moon and Brighton (2008) reported that greater than 30% of their participants indicated that the potential for academic giftedness is not present in all socioeconomic groups. This may preclude teachers from looking for indications of giftedness in students who are economically disadvantaged. By denying students their racial and cultural diversity, teachers are denying the history and experiences of minority studentsliving in a country that historically has been dominated by White non-Hispanics.”

“Lack of understanding of the unique needs of gifted learners may prevent teachers from identifying these needs in their students. Racially and culturally diverse students may pose an even bigger dilemma for teachers because language or cultural differences may mask the characteristics that an untrained professional may associate with giftedness.”

“By including some aspects of culturally diverse gifted students in ELL training it will highlight the need forteachers to actively search for signs of advanced ability.”


TEACHERS PERSPECTIVES REGARDING GIFTED DIVERSE STUDENTS- CONCLUSION

Most educational programs typically define gifted children as those who express the following characteristics: "intellectual, creative, artistic, leadership, capacity and specific academic achievement" (Brown 159). According to Gallagher and Gallagher there is little agreement about how giftedness should be defined. Resenick and Goodman indicated that as to 'giftedness' itself, there is no tight definition, no single agreed-on meaning. It is a flexible construct which is part of the debate over culture and policy" (109).”

“Federal law defines gifted and talented children as those who demonstrate "high performance capability in such areas as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity or in specific academic fields and require services or activities nor ordinarily provided by the school... To develop such capabilities fully" Hallahan and Kauffman 455). The U. S. Department of Education definition also states: "Outstanding talents are present in children and youth from all cultural groups, across all economic strata, and in all areas of human endeavors" (2).”

“According to the U.S. Department of Education, giftedness can be exhibited among childrenwith high performance capacity in intellectual, creative, and/or artistic areas, and unusual leadership capacity, or excel in specific academic field (2).”

Source: Dillard, John and Brazil, Nettye R. (2002) "Improving the Selection Process for Identifying Gifted Ethnic Minority Children," Trotter Review: Vol. 14: Iss. 1, Article 4. Available at: http://scholarworks.umb.edu/trotter_review/vol14/iss1/4

DEFINING GIFTEDNESS

“Individual assessment instruments, such as the Stanford-Binet, do not accurately measure the full potential of ethnic minority students (Brown; Ford). Further, many of the objectives items are biased againstAfrican Americans since they are related to differences in values, inner city experience compared to suburban and other life styles, differences in ethnic and cultural experiences, and differences in language usage indigenous to group culture (Brown 1997).”

“For example, group I.Q. tests are commonly used to select students rather thanscreen them for additional identification procedures, even though group tests are too crude for selection purposes.”

“"[a] traditional identification paradigm, which relies on teacher nomination and requires performance scores on test of intelligence and achievement, has been a serious barrier to the participation of more ethnic/minority children in programs for the gifted“ (5). The ongoing yet outmoded focus on the intelligence measures as the evaluation instrument of giftedness is indeed a very real barrier toequity in gifted programs.”


IMPROVING THE SELECTION PROCESS FOR IDENTIFYING GIFTED ETHNIC MINORITY CHILDREN- TESTING METHODS

“Often, African American and other ethnic minority students are omitted or passed over simply as a result of teachers' and administrators' attitudes towards and perceptions of these students, forexample, Schafer (1998) states, Discrimination and classism within the race based on darkness ofskin,haircut, quality of clothes andpossessions, and socioeconomicfactor divide students. Rural students are dismissed by the urban 'elite' despite their academic qualifications. Teachers often have lower expectationsfor their African American pupils, and inflexible, irrelevant curriculumrestricts pupils (58-59).”

“Further, some researchers (Frasier and Passow; Frasier, Garcia, and Passow; Kornhaber) contendthat teachers refer disproportionately fewer African Americans, American Indians, and Hispanic youngsters to gifted and talented education programs.”


IMPROVING THE SELECTION PROCESS FOR IDENTIFYING GIFTED ETHNIC MINORITY CHILDREN- TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS

“Schafer (1998) contends that "Talented African American students suffer and endure humiliation and trauma [from peers] as they become aware that it is often dangerous to succeed. For instance, peerpressure has equated education with success and the rejection of African American culture for Caucasian values.”

CONCERNS ABOUT TRADITIONAL METHODS FOR IDENTIFYING GIFTED CHILDREN

“According to Kornhaber, most states require schools and districts to have gifted identification screening. Traditional criteria for screening include intelligence (or I.Q.) test results and teacherendorsements (Brown).”


IMPROVING THE SELECTION PROCESS FOR IDENTIFYING GIFTED ETHNIC MINORITY CHILDREN- SOCIAL PRESSURES

“It is clear that teachers' perceptions of students are often culturally based (Ford and Grantham) which can lessen potentially gifted, ethnic minority students‘ chances of being selected.”

“This section will discuss three general areas pertaining to training teachers: 1) assessing AfricanAmericans' learning styles, 2) identifying African Americans according to the new criteria for identifying gifted students, and 3) involving parents in the identification of giftedness.”


IMPROVING THE SELECTION PROCESS FOR IDENTIFYING GIFTED ETHNIC MINORITY CHILDREN- STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING THE SELECTION PROCESS

“Both Bonner and Rhodes argue that most teachers fail to receive professional training, in college or elsewhere, for recognizing potential gifted behaviors among ethnic minority youngsters.”

“Obvious attributes of gifted behavior exhibited by ethnic minorities often elude teachers because their backgrounds, experiences, and learning styles are vastly different (Bell; Ford).”

“Cultural insensitivity to gifted behavior can be offset or eliminated through culturally based training.”

“Ethnic minority students seem to prefer field dependent and sensitive learning approaches which include cooperative learning and hands-on activities as opposed to the field independent, experimental analytical learning style (Bell; Graybill; Griggs and Dunn).”

“Teachers must provide flexible learning opportunities such as cooperative groups, demonstrations, open-ended tasks and hands-on activities (Renzulli and Purcell).”


IMPROVING THE SELECTION PROCESS FOR IDENTIFYING GIFTED ETHNIC MINORITY CHILDREN-ACCURATE STUDENT ASSESSMENTS

“The new paradigm shift in gifted education calls for a new and dramatically different approach to identifying giftedness (Passow and Frasier). The focus is on a technique that encompasses a widerspectrum of behaviors, including potential gifted traits.”

“It is imperative that teachers are aware of the new criteria for identifying and selectingstudents who quality for gifted education.”

“Forsbach and Pierce found that teachers increased their ability to identify attributes of gifted behavior through staff development and the use of multiple criteria. Subsequently, the number of African Americans referred to the gifted program increased.”

“Other methods that teachers have used to identify talent among ethnic minorities are biographical selfidentification inventories (Schwartz) and tryouts in programs of interest (Fishkin and Johnson).”


IMPROVING THE SELECTION PROCESS FOR IDENTIFYING GIFTED ETHNIC MINORITY CHILDREN- RECOGNIZING GIFTED MINORITIES

“Professionals should consider the definition of "giftedness" as one that is broad enough to include children of all cultures and ethnic groups.”

“Another significant aspect of improving the selection process is the training of teachers regarding ethnic minority students' culture, learning styles, and how to identify talented and gifted behaviors.”


IMPROVING THE SELECTION PROCESS FOR IDENTIFYING GIFTED ETHNIC MINORITY CHILDREN- CONCLUSION

“People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) vary substantially in their functioning levels. Some individuals with ASD are less affected and can more readily communicate and interact in ways consistent with social demands. Other individuals may be unable to speak, experience limitedgains in communication skills, and exhibit frequent and intense behaviors.”

“In this framework, disability is seen as a result of an interaction between a person (with ahealth condition) and the environmental and personal (i.e., contextual) factors.”

Source: West, E., Travers, J.C., Kemper, T., Liberty, L., Cote, D., McCollow, M., Brusnahan, L.. Racial and Ethnic Diversity of Participants in Research Supporting Evidence-Based Practices for Learners With Autism Spectrum Disorder. (2016). The Journal of Special Education, Vol. 50(3) 151-163. DOI: 10.1177/0022466916632495

RACIAL AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY OF STUDENTS INVOLVED IN RESEARCH SUPPORTING LEARNERS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER - OVERVIEW

“In this framework, disability is seen as a result of an interaction between a person (with ahealth condition) and the environmental and personal (i.e., contextual) factors.”

“Unless the participants are clearly identified, it is impossible to connect an interventionwith an individual who might benefit from it. This is especially important with ASD since no twoindividuals are alike, complicating the selection process” (West, McCollow, Umbarger, Kidwell, & Cote, 2013, p. 448).”

“Arranging environmental conditions consistent with learner needs is the essence of effective teaching.”

“This means special education professionals must develop and refine relationships with students and families in ways that enhance teacher ability to arrange effective instructional conditions (Odom & Wolery, 2003; Simpson, Mundschenk, & Heflin, 2011).”


RACIAL AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY OF STUDENTS INVOLVED IN RESEARCH SUPPORTING LEARNERS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER – CONTEXTUAL FACTORS

“These factors can include family primary language, family orientation style, economicstatus, ethnicity, acculturation status, religious beliefs, access to community services and supports, food/nutrition status, homelessness, parent/caregiver mental illness or addiction status, parent educational attainment, parent disciplinary style and beliefs, and access to pediatric care.”

“Special educators must align curriculum, methods, strategies, and supports with the culture, primary language, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, biological and physiological factors, and individual histories of their students.”


RACIAL AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY OF STUDENTS INVOLVED IN RESEARCH SUPPORTING LEARNERS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER – CONTEXTUAL FACTORS

“Ethnically and linguistically diverse children with ASD and their families have long been underrepresented in ASD research (Hilton et al., 2010; Kistner & Robbins, 1986; Pierce et al., 2014; Tek & Landa, 2012). Wong et al. (2014) discussed the limited diversity of participants as a limitation of their review. Specifically, these authors pointed out they did not collect demographic information on the gender, race, and ethnicity of the participants in the studies.”

“Pierce et al. examined the research published in three leading ASD-related journals in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010 for reports of participant ethnicity. They found 72% of articles did not include descriptors of race or ethnicity for participants.”

“However, individuals with ASD are a relatively small population who vary substantially in functioningdue to unique experiences and impact of their disability.”


RACIAL AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY OF STUDENTS INVOLVED IN RESEARCH SUPPORTING LEARNERS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER – ASD, DIVERSITY, AND INTERVENTION RESEARCH

“Despite this, confusion exists among special education researchers as to the extent to which participant characteristics are relevant to single subject research, and this confusion appearsrelated to the influence of group research design in education (Wolery, 2013).”

“According to CEC Standards for EBPs (Cook et al., 2014), researchers have to providesufficient information about the participants, including gender, age, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and language ability.”


RACIAL AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY OF STUDENTS INVOLVED IN RESEARCH SUPPORTING LEARNERS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER – SINGLE SUBJECT RESEARCH DESIGNS

“If group studies include and sufficiently describe samples of participants with particular cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and economic backgrounds, then Bconfidence in the generality of an EBP supported by such studies to similarly diverse students may be increased. Relatedly, if studies using single subject research designs incorporate detailed descriptions of diverse participants, then confidence in the potential replication of effect on other learners with similar profiles may be enhanced.”


RACIAL AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY OF STUDENTS INVOLVED IN RESEARCH SUPPORTING LEARNERS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER – PARTICIPANT DIVERSITY in EBPs

“We grouped REN into seven categories according to geographic regions for illustrativepurposes: White, Asian, Black, Hispanic/Latino, Middle Eastern, multiracial, and Native American. Of the 770 total participants whose REN was reported, 489 (63.5%) were White. Multiracial participants comprised 159 (20.6%) of the total reported. Black participants and Asian participants were represented with 52 (6.8%) and 40 (5.2%), respectively. There were 18 (2.5%) Hispanic/Latinoparticipants, 10 (1.3%) Middle Eastern participants, and 1 (0.1%) Native American participant in the 770 participants whose REN were reported.”

“Of the 2,489 participants, 1,848 (74%) were male, 361 (15%) were female, and 280 (11%) were unreported.”


RACIAL AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY OF STUDENTS INVOLVED IN RESEARCH SUPPORTING LEARNERS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER - RESULTS

“When REN was reported, White participants represented a significant majority in research studies that met the minimum design criteria.”

“Researchers, therefore, may not have had sufficient access to diverse participants and may have instead relied on convenience sampling rather than engaging in novel or replication research to better understand the efficacy of these interventions for students from diverse backgrounds.Another factor related to recent findings suggests ASD is diagnosed differently, with Whites generally being identified at rates significantly higher than Asian, Black, Hispanic/ Latino, Middle Eastern, multiracial, and Native American populations (Travers, Krezmien, Mulcahy, & Tincani, 2014;Travers, Tincani, & Krezmien, 2013).”


RACIAL AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY OF STUDENTS INVOLVED IN RESEARCH SUPPORTING LEARNERS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER – REPRESENTATION OF PARTICIPANTS BY REN

“It is imperative interventions are selected that rely on practitioner wisdom and a valuing of family andcommunity priorities. Practitioners and families must choose the most appropriate interventions that meet the unique needs of the child and family. Choice is necessary and highly valued by families because proposed EBP treatments may conflict with a family’s beliefs, may have been tried and failed, or a family may know that a proposed treatment will not work for their child.”

“Second, practitioners should seek ways to deliver EBPs consistent with intervention protocols while incorporating student strengths, interests, and preferences, as well as accounting for the priorities of individualized education program (IEP) team members.”

“Rather, this finding highlights why professionals should adopt a meticulous, data-based approach tointervention delivery and evaluation (CEC Interdivisional Research Group, 2014).”


RACIAL AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY OF STUDENTS INVOLVED IN RESEARCH SUPPORTING LEARNERS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER – IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

“Our findings of extremely limited diversity among participants in the most rigorous intervention research further underscore these concerns.”

“Indeed, researchers and agencies that fund ASD intervention research should take steps to encourage recruitment of participants with ASD from various races, ethnicities,ages, and socioeconomic statuses.”

IMPORTANT POINT!!

“be identified with ASD than White children (Travers et al., 2013, 2014). Given the nuances associated with culture, language, and behavior, researchers may consider conducting qualitative research to obtain details about factors related to race, ethnicity, language, gender, and socioeconomic status that may affect intervention generality (La Roche & Christopher, 2009).”


RACIAL AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY OF STUDENTS INVOLVED IN RESEARCH SUPPORTING LEARNERS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER – IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

“Qualitative research can support evidence-based special education by providing ways to (a) substantiate promising practices, (b) understand the implementation of EBPs, and (c) determine howand why EBPs work for certain individuals or groups and not well for others (Odom et al., 2005).”

WHY DON’T STUDENTS OF ETHNICALLY DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS PARTICIPATE IN ASD STUDIES MORE FREQUENTLY?

“Qualitative and mixed-methods research targeted at understanding why parents and caregivers from diverse backgrounds are reluctant to participate may help researchers design studies and interventions that encourage their participation.”


RACIAL AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY OF STUDENTS INVOLVED IN RESEARCH SUPPORTING LEARNERS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER – IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

Problems exist in identifying both Gifted & Talented minority or ethnically diverse students and those who are ethnically diverse and fall into the Autism Spectrum Disorder Category.

Some of these underlying issues are: Gifted tests which are not sensitive to minority or ethnic-based cultures A large proportion of teachers are not trained to identify unique characteristics of ethnically

diverse gifted & talented students or aware of these unique characteristics Existing Talented & Gifted tests and assessments are rigid and do not account for different types

of intelligence, such as interpersonal or social intelligence or emotional intelligence Ingrained assumptions or believes many teachers still hold regarding minority or ethnically

diverse students; this psychologically prevents them from examining gifted & talented traits in these students

For minority ASD students, one of the underlying problems is a reliable framework does not exist for identifying ethnically diverse students who can be categorized as having ASD; the reason for this is, these students’ parents are reluctant to participate in related studies

Teachers may have a hard time differentiating language communication problems (i.e. ESL) from ASD characteristics, therefore one problem may be “masking” the other

In certain neighborhoods, adequate ASD programs and resources may not exist to support these students in terms of identification and administration

Missing data in ASD studies, especially data indicating participants’ race or ethnicity; this makes is very difficult to build specific educational strategies for minority ASD students

FINAL CONCLUSIONS

National Association of Gifted Children, Link: http://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources/definitions-giftedness PA Code, Link: http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/022/chapter16/s16.1.html

Renzulli, J. S. (1978). What makes giftedness? Re-examining a definition. Phi Delta Kappa, 60, 180-181, Link: http://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources/definitions-giftedness

Webb et al, 2007; The Columbus Group, 1991. Redefining Giftedness for a New Century: Shifting the Paradigm – Position Statement, National Association for Gifted Children, Link: http://www.nagc.org/sites/default/files/Position%20Statement/Redefining%20Giftedness%20for%20a%20New%20Century.pdf

National Association for Gifted Children, Gifted Education in the U.S., Link: http://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources/gifted-education-us

Guiding Students with High Abilities: Social and Emotional Considerations 2nd Edition, Indiana Department of Education, Link: http://www.doe.in.gov/sites/default/files/highability/guiding-students-high-abilities-social-and-emotional-considerations.pdf

Kingore, B. (2004). Excerpts from Differentiation: Simplified, realistic and effective. Austin, TX: Professiona l Associates Publishing.

Behavioral Management Of Gifted Children: A Neuropsychological Approach, Gifted Home Schoolers Forum, Paul Beljan, PsyD, ABPdN, Link: http://giftedhomeschoolers.org/resources/parent-and-professional-resources/articles/issues-in-gifted-education/beans/

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources/gifted-education-us



GT Kids and Behavior: Seven Strategies to Help Kids (and Parents) Cope, Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted, Christine Fonseca, Dec 29, 2011, Link: http://sengifted.org/gt-kids-and-behavior-seven-strategies-to-help-kids-and-parents-cope/

Autism Developmental Stages, lovetoknow, Kate Miller-Wilson, Link: http://autism.lovetoknow.com/diagnosing-autism/autism-developmental-stages

The Impact of Autism on Child Development, Vanderbilt Centre for Child Development, USA, Wendy L. Stone, PhD, Lauren Turner, PhD, August 2005, Link: http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/autism/according-experts/impact-autism-child-development

Autism, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), Link: http://www.asha.org/PRPSpecificTopic.aspx?folderid=8589935303&section=Assessment#Screening

Marcus, Kunce, & Schopler, 2005

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Autism, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), Link: http://www.asha.org/PRPSpecificTopic.aspx?folderid=8589935303&section=Assessment#Screening

22 Tips for Teaching Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Teaching Community, Monster.com, Pat Hensley, Link: http://teaching.monster.com/benefits/articles/8761-22-tips-for-teaching-students-with-autism-spectrum-disorders

What are the Positive Strategies for Supporting Behavior Improvement?, Autism Speaks, Inc., Link: http://www.autismspeaks.org/sites/default/files/section_5.pdf

Evidence-Based Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorders, Iowa Department of Human Services by the Center for Disabilities and Development of the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, Scott Lindgren, Ph.D., Alissa Doobay, Ph.D., May 2011, Link: http://www.interventionsunlimited.com/editoruploads/files/Iowa%20DHS%20Autism%20Interventions%206-10-11.pdf

Page, S.. Challenges Faced By “Gifted Learners” in School and Beyond. Inquiries Journal. (2010). Vol. 2. No. 11., Link: www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/330/challenges-faced-by-gifted-learners-in-school-and-beyond

Szymanski, Toni and Shaff, Thomas (2013) "Teacher Perspectives Regarding Gifted Diverse Students," Gifted Children: Vol. 6: Iss. 1, Article 1. Available at: http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/giftedchildren/vol6/iss1/1

Dillard, John and Brazil, Nettye R. (2002) "Improving the Selection Process for Identifying Gifted Ethnic Minority Children," Trotter Review: Vol. 14: Iss. 1, Article 4. Available at: http://scholarworks.umb.edu/trotter_review/vol14/iss1/4

West, E., Travers, J.C., Kemper, T., Liberty, L., Cote, D., McCollow, M., Brusnahan, L.. Racial and Ethnic Diversity of Participants in Research Supporting Evidence-Based Practices for Learners With Autism Spectrum Disorder. (2016). The Journal of Special Education, Vol. 50(3) 151-163. DOI: 10.1177/0022466916632495

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Date post:	11-Apr-2017
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