Teaching Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders the Skills to Participate in the Development of Their Own IEPs

Abstract

Three students with emotional/behavioral disorders (E/BD) were taught to manage their own simulated IEP staffing using the Self-Directed IEP instructional program (Martin, Marshall, Maxon, & Jerman, 1996a, 1996b). A multiple-baseline design across four specific groups of behaviors was used. Skills taught included introducing the IEP meeting, reviewing past goals, discussing future goals, and closing the IEP meeting. Acquisition of the skills was assessed during simulated IEP meetings before and after the instruction as well as after the completion of each instructional component. Two of the three students showed substantial improvements in the taught skills. Implications for teaching adolescents with E/BD to be active participants in the IEP development process are discussed.

Self-Determination Skills and Opportunities of Transition-Age Youth with Emotional Disturbance and Learning Disabilities

“…Lacking validated interventions, it is not surprising that teachers report feeling ill-equipped to address self-determination and uncertain about the effectiveness or appropriateness of strategies to facilitate self-determination (e.g., Thoma, Nathanson, Baker, & Tamura, 2002;Wehmeyer et al, 2000). Researchers must increase efforts toward designing and evaluating interventions for students with ED (e.g., Houchins, 2002;Martin et al, 2003;Snyder, 2002;Snyder & Shapiro, 1997). Systematic replication of interventions found to be effective with youth with other disability labels would contribute greatly to determining intervention effectiveness with high school students with ED.…”

Increasing Self-Determination: Teaching Students to Plan, Work, Evaluate, and Adjust

“…theory, "Opportunities for gain provoke engagement, engagement affects adjustments, and adjustments determine what is learned" (Mithaug et al, 2003, p. ix). Studies show this to be the case for students with learning and behavior problems Snyder & Shapiro, 1997). For example, when students with challenging behaviors are provided with an opportunity to gain something by changing a circumstance and when they have a self-management (adjustment) strategy to change the circumstance in a favorable direction, they alter their adjustment and their challenging behavior decreases (Kern, Ringdahl, Hilt, & Sterling-Turner, 2001).…”

Secondary Students' Involvement in Their IEP Meetings: Administrators' Perceptions

“…For example, Sweeney (1997) found that students who received instruction in how to participate at their IEP meetings compared to those who did not receive such instruction felt more in charge of their meeting, felt more confident that their IEP goals would be attained, shared more of their dreams for life after high school, and attended more of their meetings. Similarly, Allen, Smith, Test, Flowers, and Wood (2001), Mason, McGahee-Kovac, Johnson, and Stillerman (2002), Snyder (2002), Snyder and Shapiro (1997), Van Reusen and Bos (1994), and Zhang (2001) all have found that when taught IEP participation skills, students became engaged during the meetings, actively participated, and some even led their own IEP meetings.…”