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Morphological processing is the use of morphological structure during word reading. This study investigated whether middle school students applied morphological structure automatically when reading words. In addition, this study asked whether students with word reading difficulties (WRD) applied morphological structure in a way that differed from proficient word readers. Participants were seventh- and eighth-grade students (n = 80). Students were divided into two reading ability groups: proficient word readers (n = 55) and students with word reading difficulties (n = 25). Four computer-administered experimental tasks measured automaticity in reading morphologically complex words and morphologically simple words. A backward masking measure assessed whether students were applying morphological structure automatically to support task accuracy. Students were significantly more accurate in masked performance with morphologically complex words than with morphologically simple words on an oral word reading task. Students with WRD benefitted more from morphological structure on this task than proficient readers did. Findings suggest that proficient word readers and students with WRD automatically apply morphological structure when reading words aloud. In addition, middle school students with WRD may rely more on morphological structure than their proficient peers. However, there may be differences in morphological processing based on the nature of word reading tasks.

Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are attending postsecondary programs at unprecedented rates. Transitions are especially challenging for students with ASD, yet little is known about critical transitions during the college experience. Using the College Adjustment Program Evaluation Scales (CAPES), we examined student and parent perspectives across five dimensions: Student Life, Emotional Adjustment, Independent Living Skills, Interpersonal Relationships, and Self-Advocacy. Sixteen participants—eight students and eight parents, completed the CAPES at the end of fall semester of year one and the end of spring semester year two. Student and parent CAPES ratings were uniformly positive with some differences. We found large effect sizes across dimensions and significant differences in Student Life, Independent Living, and Interpersonal Relationships with parent ratings higher than student ratings. An item analysis revealed specific challenges and skills salient to the results. Implications for supports for students with ASD, higher education practices, and transition research are discussed.

Substantial evidence exists suggesting that access to articulatory gestures during instruction improves students’ phonological awareness skills, but researchers have yet to explore the role of articulatory gestures in initial phonics instruction. The purpose of this study was to examine if visual access to articulatory gestures (i.e., mouth cues) of the instructor increases the acquisition and retention of grapheme-phoneme correspondences (GPC). A secondary purpose was to examine if strategic incremental rehearsal (SIR) is an effective method for teaching GPC to preschoolers. A multiple probe across behaviors with an embedded adapted alternating treatments design was used to examine intervention effects. Results provide strong evidence of the importance of students having visual access to their teachers’ articulatory gestures during GPC training.

There is limited available research on the post-high school outcomes of young adults with Down syndrome (DS). The purpose of this study, therefore, was to characterize employment, community-based living, and community engagement outcomes and their correlates among young adults with DS who recently transitioned out of high school. Caregivers (n = 100) of young adults with DS who exited high school within the past 5 years completed an online survey. Approximately half of the individuals with DS were working in some capacity; almost all were living with caregivers. Individuals with DS were engaging in a variety of community activities each week. Adaptive functioning was related to both employment and community engagement. Parent involvement in transition planning was also related to community engagement.

Interventions for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) include positive behavior supports (e.g., parent training, school-based contingency management, behavioral peer interventions), training interventions (e.g., organizational skills training, social skills training, etc.), and other interventions (e.g., academic accommodations/modifications, self-monitoring). There is a need to conduct a comprehensive meta-analysis of psychosocial treatments for ADHD given discrepancies between meta-analyses. The present meta-analysis reports the results of between-group studies that compared a psychosocial treatment to a control condition from 1968 to 2016. In total, 226 studies were identified that met inclusion criteria. Results of the meta-analysis were organized by treatment type, rater, and domain of outcome assessed. Results indicated considerable variability across these parameters, with the strongest effects for proximal outcomes of behavioral parent training (improvements in parenting behaviors yielded a standardized mean difference of 0.70) and improvements in child behavior following implementation of behavioral school intervention (standardized mean difference of 0.66 and 0.72 for teacher ratings of ADHD symptoms and impairment, respectively). Other interventions were not extensively studied as stand-alone approaches. Results are discussed in light of current support for the use of psychosocial interventions for individuals with ADHD.

The current study examined the effectiveness of a reading curriculum of explicit instruction on the letter-sound knowledge of a sample of elementary-aged students with Down syndrome. The procedures were adapted from prior research (King et al., 2020; Lemons et al., 2018; Lemons et al., 2015). Three participants between 9 and 11 years old participated in the study. Participants were provided with five lessons or 5 tiers of data points on letter-sound knowledge, wherein they practiced identifying initial letter-sounds from highly imageable and decodable words. Unique to this study was the addition of explicit instruction procedures in spelling and measurement of improved spelling skills for both taught and untaught words. We used a multiple probe design across intervention lessons. Letter-sound accuracy increased for all three participants. Results for the spelling outcomes were mixed, with most students making minimal progress. Improvements in letter-sound knowledge did not naturally transfer to the spelling outcome, supporting the idea that explicit instruction may be necessary to support the transfer of skills for children with Down syndrome.

Research suggests that students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) struggle to develop writing skills. Paragraph text writing is a component of written expression and refers to the composition of connected text into multiple, related sentences of appropriate semantics, spelling, syntax, and usage (e.g., capitalization and punctuation). In the present study, we investigated the effects of a multicomponent intervention of explicit instruction and fluency practice on the paragraph text-writing skills of four secondary-aged individuals with IDD. We used a multiple-probe across participants design and measured paragraph text-writing with correct and incorrect writing sequences. Visual analysis and effect sizes revealed mixed results: Three participants showed improvement in the accuracy and/or speed of their paragraph text-writing, but one participant showed no improvement. We discuss the results of the study within the context of the writing intervention literature and instructional procedures for developing writing fluency.

Within the US there are over 300 postsecondary education (PSE) programs for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). College students enrolled in PSE programs for students with IDD often require support in using assistive technology (AT) to complete living, learning, and working tasks. To date, there is no systematic review or meta-analysis that examines interventions within these programs that integrate AT to teach these skills. We systematically reviewed 43 intervention studies that targeted 235 students’ use of AT to complete living, learning, and working tasks. The average age of students was 21.5 yrs (R = 18.7 to 27.5). Most studies used mobile devices and applications to target living (44.2%), learning (37.2%), and working (18.6%) skills. Forty-two of 43 studies used visual cues and systematic prompting and/or systematic instruction. On average, interventions were 10 sessions. Eighty-seven percent of studies reported treatment fidelity, 94% reported interobserver agreement, and 67% reported social validity. Most studies used correct number of responses or task analysis steps completed as the dependent variable. The metaanalytic results indicated interventions were overall effective at improving student outcomes. An analysis of moderators revealed a significant difference for study quality but no significant difference for disability type, study duration, and area targeted.

We examined the efficacy of a combined electronic essay writing and editing mnemonic driven strategy with 24 college students in a two-year postsecondary program for students with developmental disabilities. We used a pre-posttest experimental design with random assignment to treatment/control groups. During 26 sessions each consisting of 50 min., students in the treatment group received essay writing and editing mnemonic-driven instruction that included explicit instruction and graphic organizers. Students used PCs and Microsoft Word to analyze essay-test questions, complete pre-writing planning, construct essay responses, and edit their work. Univariate analysis of posttests revealed a significant positive difference for the treatment group in using the essay writing and editing strategy steps, and in constructing essay responses. Following the end of the intervention, students responded to an essay prompt. The treatment group significantly outperformed the control group in applying strategy steps and produced better quality essays for ideas/organization, length, and spelling errors.

The authors in this study used a pre-posttest experimental design with random assignment to treatment or control group to assess the use of an electronic editing cognitive strategy. The participants were 16 college students with intellectual and developmental disabilities enrolled in a 2-year postsecondary program at a Midwestern institute of higher education. Students who were taught the strategy received eight 50-minute lessons once a week for eight weeks. Each strategy lesson was driven by the strategy mnemonic and incorporated an explicit instruction format with modeling, guided practice with feedback, and independent practice. Strategy instruction included students using desktop PCs and Microsoft Word to identify and correct editing errors in electronic passages. Posttests revealed a significant difference in favor of the treatment group for total editing errors corrected and specific error types corrected for spelling, punctuation, and substance. No significant difference was found for overall appearance and capitalization errors. Two weeks following posttest, a maintenance probe revealed that students in the treatment group corrected a significantly higher number of editing errors than those in the control group.