This study investigated the effects of a Direct Instruction (DI) reading comprehension program on the reading comprehension skills of students with autism spectrum disorder or developmental delay. Although the effectiveness of DI programs has been well documented in disability and instructional literature, effectiveness of DI for individuals with…

Literacy skills are fundamental for all learners. For students with significant disabilities, strong literacy skills provide a gateway to generative communication, genuine friendships, improved access to academic opportunities, access to information technology, and future employment opportunities. Unfortunately, many educators lack the knowledge…

The purpose of the current research study was to compare the use of interactive instruction to direct instruction on the acquisition of personal finance skills for high school students. Participants were 45 high school seniors who were divided into a Traditional and an Interactive Instruction group. The 9-week research study measured the impact…

Addressing the reading needs of adolescent learners living in rural areas may create challenges for teachers and administrators in the age of accountability. This study addressed this issue by implementing two explicit instructional approaches with struggling adolescent readers (n = 49) in a rural middle school in the southeastern United States.…

Individuals with disabilities require direct instruction in social skills. The primary purpose of this study was to provide social skills instruction to students with disabilities at the kindergarten through eighth grade level. I worked collaboratively with four other Child Study Team colleagues to develop recruitment, assessment, planning, and…

It is desirable that reasoning, problem-solving and decision-making skills should form an integral part of our private and professional lives. Here we show how these skills can be improved through the use of the ARDESOS program. To test the effect of the program, we have also developed an assessment test (PENCRISAL). Our results are going in the…

A group of fifth-grade students who had persistent problems at lunch and recess were identified and provided with direct instruction in pro-social skills. These skills were taught by the authors in a two-week program that they called the "Alternative to Lunch Program for Students" (ALPS). This action research study measured the impact of…