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• • Supporting Math Learning of Students with Behavioral and Academic Challenges: Case Study of a Pre-Service Teacher

  • This case study presents findings of approaches that one pre-service teacher (PST) used during practicum teaching when providing instruction for a mathematics unit with three fourth-grade students who had behavioral and/or academic challenges. The purpose of this study was to examine the planning, reflections, and decision-making of this unique PST who was able successfully to engage students as they learned about and “proved their thinking” about properties of geometric shapes. The study examined how her approaches aligned with (a) high-leverage practices for students with exceptionalities and (b) classroom conditions that promote an environment for positive student behaviors. The results suggested that this PST was able to focus on the social context of teaching—understanding her students and building a discursive community of learners—to aid students in learning the math concepts. Teacher educators can use this case to help PSTs understand the application of high-leverage practices in the classroom.

• • Effect of Teacher-Mediated Discrete-Trial Training in Improving Communication Skills of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

  • The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of teacher-mediated discrete trial training in improving the communication skills of children with Autism. The research deployed an ABAB research design, ABAB was divided into 4 phases; A1, B1, A2, and B2. A1 was a baseline, B1 was treatment, A2 was the removal of the treatment, and B2 was the treatment resumed following the break, and at last, a follow-up was conducted. In the study, three children with ASD who fulfilled the inclusionary criteria received Discrete-Trial Training from their teachers. In the study, the instruments used for assessment were social communication questionnaire-Lifetime, Autism diagnostic interview-revised, and Vineland -3 Adaptive behavioral scale (communication domain). To examine the intervention effect on each participant, visual analysis, raw score, v-scale score, and standard score comparisons were used. The study result indicated that teachers successfully learned the procedures of DTT and significantly improved the communication skills of students with ASD. This research shows that when DTT intervention is found important for children with ASD, teachers obtain intensive training to learn techniques and deliver interventions with fidelity. Training further allows teachers to improve the skills of children with ASD.