Students frequently encounter stories in the form of urban legends but often fail to analyze them properly. Using urban legends to teach is often a lively and informative method, and deconstructing common persuasive messages can show students the applicability of theory to real life. The author states that her goal as a teacher is to help students…

Increasing diagnoses of autism have led to pressure to improve the quality of educational services for children with autism by incorporating evidence-based practices (EBPs) into school programs. However, this process has been difficult, and both autism researchers and educators report frustration concerning the gap between research and practice.…

Estimates of fidelity of implementation are essential to interpret the effects of educational interventions in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). While random assignment protects against many threats to validity, and therefore provides the best approximation to a true counterfactual condition, it does not ensure that the treatment condition…

Fidelity assessment has received renewed attention in recent years, particularly as distinctions have been made in implementation science between intervention fidelity and implementation fidelity. Considering both types of fidelity has been recommended when developing fidelity instruments. In the present article, we describe development of the…

Fidelity assessment has received renewed attention in recent years, particularly as distinctions have been made in implementation science between intervention fidelity and implementation fidelity. Considering both types of fidelity has been recommended when developing fidelity instruments. In the present article, we describe development of the…

The growing number of Autism Spectrum Disorder cases exceeds the services available for these children. This increase challenges both researchers and service providers to develop systematic, effective dissemination strategies for transporting university research models to community early intervention (EI) programs. The current study developed an…

The University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech) is quite young, having been granted university status in 1995, a mere 19 years ago. Nevertheless, UTech is acutely aware that it is research that sets a university apart from other post-secondary institutions. Driven by this awareness, it has developed, articulated, and implemented a coherent research…

LEAP and TEACCH represent two comprehensive treatment models (CTMs) that have been widely used across several decades to educate young children with autism spectrum disorders. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to compare high fidelity LEAP (n = 22) and TEACCH (n = 25) classrooms to each other and a control condition (n = 28), in…

A single-participant multiple probe design across participants was used to evaluate the effectiveness of verbal rehearsal and graduated guidance to teach youth who were blind how to cross the street. This study replicated intervention procedures across settings along with the staggered entry of participants. Individuals learned to cross one or two…

To illustrate the three-tiered model, Tier I (universal) supports are delivered similarly to all students in all settings, and at least 80% of students are expected to respond to these supports. Beyond universal supports, Tier II (targeted) supports serve 10-15% of students whose behavior does not respond to Tier I supports. A small group of…

Teaching mathematics has long required the use of technology due many powerful affordances. More recently, education technology has been developed to support personalized learning through the use of adaptive learning systems. Through the use of educational technology in online learning, there is great potential for improving students' mathematics…

This article describes the use of "Teacher Impression Journals" during a larger study that examined the efficacy of an intervention program designed to promote kindergarteners' positive attitudes toward peers with disabilities (i.e., the "Special Friends" program). The journals were designed to gather information about…

Research consistently demonstrates that children with developmental disabilities exhibit motor skill deficits, but motor skill interventions can positively affect motor abilities and other areas of development. These findings have particular relevance for children with disabilities in developing countries, where there is limited access to early…

This paper examines the implementation practices of a 6th grade middle school teacher enacting STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) teaching in his classroom after participating in a 45-hour STEAM professional development. Case study is used to detail the process, successes, and challenges. Project-based learning, technology…

This article reports on the findings of a study consisting of two phases. Both phases aimed at investigating how professional development, physical resources and instructional support influenced teachers' responses to curriculum change. Despite more than 90% of Grade R teachers being under-qualified, they have had to implement two radically…