Separately examines the effectiveness of each of the elements of the pause, prompt, praise technique (the elements are usually part of a three-part process). The tutoring technique is used to help slow learners with their reading. Praise was found to be the most significant factor in improvement. (MJP)

Research is only beginning to show the benefits of the effective use of manipulatives with students who have disabilities. This article highlights how teachers can incorporate three manipulative instructional strategies to help students with high-incidence disabilities.

Studied with 12 teachers of educable mentally retarded students in intermediate and junior high self-contained classrooms and remedial reading students receiving extra reading instruction were the effects of teacher instructions during oral reading on pupil reading strategies. Teachers were given a self-instructional module on prompting skills for…

Verbal prompts, modeling, physical guidance, positive reinforcement, fading, and chaining procedures were used to teach two nonverbal individuals (one severely and one moderately mentally retarded) an interactive signing dialogue in a naturalistic setting. Although clients learned to use signed communication, extensive training was required and…

A growing number of studies have investigated diverse applications of technology-based interventions with children with autism. The purpose of this paper is to review the growing empirical support for the efficacy of technology-based interventions with children with autism and to recommend future directions for research. This review will focus on…

To explore the effectiveness of color coding of visual materials in improving student retention, two sets of black/white and color presentations and evaluative measures were developed and tested on 152 students. Instruction was identical in narrative and visual content, with the only variable the use of color in simple line drawings complementing…

The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities' (AAIDD's) Positive Behavior Support Training Curriculum," Second Edition" ("PBSTC"), is a curriculum for training direct support personnel and their supervisors in the values and practices of Positive Behavior Support. The curriculum is designed for direct support persons and…

Designed to be used by practicing teachers, students who are learning to become teachers, and faculty members who instruct such students, this manual describes how to use attending cues and responses to help children with mild disabilities attend to the important aspects of instructional activities, and how to use attending cues and responses to…

In this author's research, the question of whether it makes sense to think of writing primarily as a generic skill acquired increasing urgency as she gathered qualitative data for a study of the relationship between instructors' expectations in the design of writing assignments and the students' thinking as evidenced both in their essay responses…

Two preservice teachers working with middle school students with severe disabilities participated in this study of the acquisition, generalization, and maintenance of skills relating to use of positive consequences and instructional prompts. Results indicated that immediate feedback was more effective than delayed feedback, skills were maintained…

This article describes a professional development model in which middle-grades teachers focused on algebraic thinking as part of their participation in a mathematics academy.

How do some students extract complex information from advanced reading materials while others struggle to find the meaning of even simple passages? What characteristics do strategic readers exhibit that others don't possess? Unlocking the cognitive strategies of exceptional readers means finding ways to teach every student to read strategically,…

The self-defeating behavior of some students can often make even the most persistent of teachers to feel discouraged. The purpose of this article is to explain and provide a research-based rationale for the use of teacher verbal feedback prompts that convince students of their ability to succeed on a task. He discusses how to understand the…

This guide presents strategies to teach students with mental retardation to request their preferences, protest non-preferred activities, and clarify misunderstandings. The strategies were field tested with more than 200 children and adults in community, residential, vocational, and educational settings. Suggestions are included for instructing…

This set of materials is designed to assist in creating productive, safe, and respectful learning environments for students at risk. The materials are designed around the concepts of treating students with dignity and respect, developing students' skills for success, emphasizing positive interactions, using misbehavior as a teaching opportunity,…