Individuals with intellectual developmental disorder (IDD) demonstrate deficits in adaptive skills that are often intervened upon to support increased independence and improved life outcomes (Burns et al., 2019). The recent global pandemic highlighted the need for better, more effective supports for individuals with IDD that improve health outcomes specifically (Taggart et al., 2022). Furthermore, the pandemic emphasized the need for interventions that can be delivered in accessible ways, including via telehealth platforms (Sivaraman et al., 2020). This study will examine the effects of coaching a parent on the implementation of a handwashing intervention with their child. The intervention will be delivered via a telehealth platform. It is hypothesized that this intervention will result in increased handwashing skills for the child that will generalize to other settings, leading to increased independence for the child.

The purpose of the current study was to examine the effect of restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) on the relationship between sleep problems and externalizing behaviors in young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Sixty-six participants with ASD and a mean age of 4 years and their parents participated in the study. Parents reported on their child’s sleep, ASD symptoms, and externalizing behavior during a one-time lab visit. Bivariate correlations and a mediation analysis were conducted to assess the associations between sleep problems, externalizing behavior, and RRB. Results suggested that children with higher scores in measures of RRB had higher scores in sleep problems and externalizing behavior. Results also suggested that RRB partially mediated the relationship between sleep problems and externalizing behavior. Implications for the early identification of sleep and behavior problems, as well as ASD symptoms, are discussed.

Mental health concerns are rising among adolescents and have intensified since the COVID-19 pandemic (APA, 2020). Specifically, externalizing behavior challenges perceived by adults as ‘aggressive’ place adolescents at an increased risk for negative outcomes, including poor academic achievement and involvement with the juvenile justice system (Skiba et al., 2014). Schools have a responsibility to respond to the mental health needs of adolescent students through the implementation of evidence-based intervention (Domitrovich et al., 2010). One program that has demonstrated effectiveness towards improving these outcomes is the seven-session Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment (COPE) Teen program, a cognitive-behavioral skills-building intervention. In this study, the COPE program was delivered virtually, through a culturally responsive lens, to three high school students with ongoing aggressive behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was hypothesized that the frequency and intensity of the aggressive behavior would decrease for each participant as a function of the COPE program. The behavior was operationally defined for each student and measured through direct observation by parents in the home setting. A single case multiple-baseline design was implemented. Visual analysis of data suggest that the frequency and intensity of aggressive behavior did not decrease as a function of the COPE program, indicating no intervention effect. Supplementary statistical analyses (e.g., log-response ratios) found varied intervention effects among students, ranging from no effects to small effects. Further, participants reported the COPE program as a helpful way to manage stress and would recommend it to their peers. The study results, limitations, and implications for future research are discussed.

Since children with ADHD are commonly faced with academic and classroom behavioral challenges (e.g., DuPaul et al., 2004), it is vital to provide effective interventions and support to these students. Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) is a structured, class-wide peer-tutoring program that has been found to have a potentially positive effect on students’ reading performance (e.g., phonics; What Works Clearinghouse Report, 2012). Previous research results indicated that PALS Math had positive effects on children/adolescents’ performance across performance levels and educational needs (e.g., Fuchs, Fuchs, Phillips, Hamlett, & Karns, 1995). Due to limited evidence supporting the use of PALS Math on students with ADHD and none supporting its effect on classroom engagement, the current study will examine whether the implementation of PALS Math can result in an increase in on-task behavior, a decrease in off-task behavior, and an improvement of math performance among students with ADHD. Both an ABAB design and a multiple baseline design are proposed for the current study. Further information about procedures, measures, and data analysis plan are provided in this research proposal.

Schools are held accountable for creating and maintaining safe learning environments for all students. The prevalence of behavior and conduct disorders, specifically aggression, remain problematic for school campuses. When a child’s aggressive behaviors persist over time, the development of established patterns of violence become harder to modify later in life. Further, aggressive behaviors may be comorbid with symptoms of anxiety and depression. Thus, there is a need to implement effective and feasible school-based interventions in order to ameliorate these problems. One such program that has demonstrated effectiveness is Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment (COPE), an individually-administered intervention based in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) principles. COPE promotes self-regulation and the development of coping skills for managing stress. In order to evaluate the COPE program, a single-case design study will be implemented for three adolescents with a history of aggressive behaviors. This study aims to assess the effects of COPE on aggression, anxiety, and depression. It is hypothesized that the COPE program will (a) reduce aggressive behavior and (b) improve depression and anxiety symptoms among students.

There are a range of educational web-based resources available for use by education professionals. Although widely available, such web resources vary in terms of usability. As of 2022, there was no way to assess whether these web resources are useful for educators in terms of identifying new classroom interventions to implement. In response, the Usage Rating Profile-Web Resource (URP-WR) was designed to measure the usability of educational web resources. Given this intended use of the URP-WR, this dissertation evaluates how potential users actually use information from the URP-WR to make decisions about an intervention web resource. Two groups of potential users were included in this study: pre-service teachers (n = 37) and doctoral students (n = 33) to allow for comparisons of decisions of use. First, participants were asked if they would be willing to implement a new intervention designed to improve their teaching. Participants were then asked to rank the factors that they prioritized from 1-5 with 1 being most influential and 5 being least influential to their decision making. Participants were provided these questions five times accompanying five presentations of data (i.e., Scenarios). The five scenarios were designed to represent five possible website types that participants may encounter: (a) high on all five factors of the URP-WR, (b) low on all five factors, (c) medium on all five factors, (d) high on credibility, low on appearance, accessibility, feasibility, and system support (e) low on credibility, high on appearance, accessibility, feasibility, and system support. Participants were asked to respond narratively to the question “Thinking back to all five scenarios, why did you rank the factors in the way that you did?” Results suggest that pre-service teachers are more likely than doctoral students to endorse intervention uptake in situations where data do not support usefulness of factors as well as when data support all factors but credibility. Participants largely agreed that credibility information from the URP-WR was most influential to their decision to use the web resource intervention, while appearance and system support were least influential. Implications, limitations, and future directions of the URP-WR are discussed.

Studies have shown that mental health issues in students often impact their educational performance. Internalizing problems, such as behaviors related to depression and anxiety, are less likely to be referred for school support. However, only 12-13% of schools screen for mental health risks, and current screening tools for mental health may be burdensome to school districts due to costs and lengthy administration times. The present study evaluated the criterion-related validity and screening accuracy of data derived from Direct Behavior Rating Single Item Scales (DBR-SIS) to evaluate its use as an efficient screener for depression and anxiety in schools. The study included 6 middle school teachers who completed DBR-SIS, and 114 seventh and eighth grade students who completed self-report rating scales for depression and anxiety. Results showed adequate coefficients in support of criterion validity of DBR-SIS. Additionally, results included preliminary support for the use of DBR-SIS in screening for depression and anxiety.

This proposed study aims to investigate the effectiveness of ClassDojo compared to a paper-pencil token economy method among students identified with emotional and behavioral disorders. Token economies are reinforcement procedures that can be implemented using a variety of modalities; thus, the purpose of this proposed study is to investigate the use of ClassDojo as a token economy, a free online program that is widely used in the classroom setting. An ABAB design will be used to measure the rate of reinforced social and academic behavior, academic engagement, and off-task behavior. In addition, the adherence and quality of administering the token economy (i.e., treatment integrity), and social validity will be measured. It is hypothesized that the use of ClassDojo will produce: higher rates of reinforcement for social and academic behavior, higher rates of academically engaged behavior, lower rates of off-task behavior, and the teacher, staff, and students will rate ClassDojo more favorably compared to the paper-pencil method.

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an evidence-based practice that has shown effectiveness in treating child disruptive behaviors. However, there is limited evidence regarding the predictive role of child and caregiver characteristics on PCIT outcomes, particularly for Spanish-speaking families. The purpose of this study was to explore the predictive role of child and caregiver characteristics on child behavior intensity and behavior problems after PCIT treatment with Spanish- and English-speaking families and contribute to the existing research on PCIT when delivered in the family's preferred language. The outcome variables were the post-intervention caregiver-perceived “intensity” and “problem” scores for child disruptive behaviors as measured using the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI). Predictor variables were child age, child gender, child maltreatment history, presence of a neurodevelopmental diagnosis, caregiver-preferred treatment language, and caregiver ethnicity. Pre-test outcome scores were also controlled for. Results from linear regression models suggested that child prenatal exposure to drugs or alcohol was predictive of higher ECBI intensity and problem scores at post-test while being of Latinx ethnicity was predictive of lower intensity scores at post-test after controlling for all other predictors. Implications and future directions for treatment and research are discussed.

Teacher-student relationships (TSRs) have largely been found to significantly impact student performance and achievement (Roorda, Koomen, Spilt, & Oort, 2011). The purpose of this investigation was to identify differences between the TSRs experienced by students in special education (SPED) and their typically developing peers, and analyze how these differences impacted academics (i.e., math achievement). Secondary analysis of data from the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project indicated no statistical or practical differences between the TSRs reported by SPED students and their peers in general education. Furthermore, teacher caring was found to predict math achievement for non-SPED students. However, student-perceived TSRs were not found to be related to math achievement for SPED students. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Keywords: teacher-student relationships, math, special education