The social story is a pedagogical strategy presented individually, often in print, to primary grade children with autism. Authors examined teachers' perceptions of the effect of a social story song adapted for preschoolers in six inclusive classes. A board certified music therapist composed a social story song set to a familiar melody about waiting, a behavior of significant concern for preschool teachers teaching on a military post. Teachers, trained by the music therapist, implemented the social story song within each of their part-day, multi-age classrooms for five weeks. Results of this pilot suggest teachers perceived the training to be sufficient for immediate use and the song effective in modifying behavior in both exceptionally and typically developing children when either the teacher or children initiated it. Social story songs for preliterate children may be an effective intervention strategy to support behavior change within inclusive preschool settings.
is a distinguished professor emeritus at the University of Kansas. His earliest professional experiences were at the Children's Hospital (Southard School) of the Menninger Clinic, where he served as a recreational therapist, teacher, and director of education. During his career at the University of Kansas and the KU Medical Center, he held an academic appointment in the Department of Psychiatry and was a professor of pediatrics, education, and special education. He also held the administrative posts of chairperson of the Department of Special Education, dean of a Graduate Division, dean of the School of Education, and director of education for the University Affiliated Facility interdisciplinary clinical and research programs at the KU Medical Center. In 1968, Dr. Whelan was appointed to an endowed chair, the Ralph L. Smith Distinguished Professor of Child Development, which he held until retirement from the university. From 1972 to 1974, he served as director of the Division of Personnel Preparation in the Bureau of Education for the Handicapped in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (now Office of Special Education Programs in the U.S. Department of Education). He was also project director of federal grants that provided support for leadership development in special education. His avocation was varied but supportive of his major efforts in developing effective educational programs for children with mental disorders.When the procedural protections of P.L. 94-142 (1975) became effective, Dr. Whelan became a due process hearing officer and hearing officer trainer. During his time in Washington, D.C., he completed mediator training at the Federal Mediation Service. When mediation was added as an option to address special education disputes, he was approved by the Kansas Supreme Court as a mediator and a mediator trainer in core (e.g., special education disputes) and parent-adolescent disputes. During the early 1980s, he chaired a Kansas State Board of Education committee that changed special education teacher certification regulations
Professors Emeriti Mary Kay and Robert Zabel share their reflections on their long and productive careers working with students and teachers. Their respective careers share much of the same history and complement each other. The Zabels share their advice with those entering the field and the challenges they see for the education of students with emotional/behavioral disorders.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.