The Journal of Special Education

The purpose of the study was to investigate the trajectories of depressive symptomology and self-concept in adolescents between the ages of 13 and 17 and to determine whether primary school teacher ratings of adaptive and maladaptive behavior predict self-reported depressive symptoms and self-concept in adolescence. This study is part of an ongoing longitudinal study of a school-based sample of students representing a continuum of risk for developing emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD; N = 212). Results indicated a strong relationship between depressive symptoms and self-concept for both initial status and growth over time (i.e., depressive symptoms decreased, whereas self-concept improved). No effect was found for gender on initial status or growth for either construct. However, for self-concept, the growth trajectory indicated a significant effect for risk classification (not at risk, at risk no special education placement, at risk special education placement). Compared with the other classification groups, adolescents in special education at risk for EBD showed a significant decrease in self-concept after age 15, a markedly different trajectory from their peers. Additionally, high internalizing behavior was associated with more depressive symptoms and lower self-concept. Finally, early teacher ratings of adaptive behavior were predictive of both initial status and growth for depressive symptoms, but only initial status for self-concept. Implications for depression prevention and intervention among children and adolescents are discussed.

One area of writing that may be particularly problematic for less skilled writers and writers with learning disabilities is constructing well-formed sentences. In this single-subject design study, sentence-combining practice with a peer-assistance component was used to improve the writing ability of 6 fourth-grade students with and without learning disabilities. The results support the use of sentence-combining practice to increase sentence construction ability. Furthermore, sentence-combining instruction led to gains in story quality and writing complexity.

Addressing federal mandates regarding both the delivery of transition services and access to the general education curriculum has been a challenge for secondary special educators. A practice common to both initiatives, however, has been efforts to promote self-determination. This study examined the impact of promoting self-determination as an instructional strategy to examine (a) the relationship between self-determination and access to the general education curriculum and (b) the impact of promoting self-determination as a curriculum augmentation on access to the general education curriculum for high school students with disabilities. The study implemented a randomized trial control group design in which classroom observations were conducted to determine student access to the general education curriculum before and after the implementation of an instructional model to enable students to self-regulate learning. Analyses were conducted using multilevel model methods. The findings indicated the potential positive impact of promoting self-determination on access to the general education curriculum for students with disabilities as well as the degree to which curriculum modifications and other supports are needed to further access and student progress.

Response to Intervention (RtI) has become an important element of policy, practice, and research since the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. In this article, five metrics recommended by Gresham (2005) were used to evaluate the progress of 127 students who were at risk of developing emotional disturbance and enrolled in a Tier 2 targeted group intervention. Student progress on a daily behavior report card was used to identify responders and nonresponders. Results suggest that percentage of change and effect size were the most useful metrics and identified 67% of the students as responders to the intervention. Additionally, 91% of the responders were not identified for special education, and over 50% reduced their problem behavior ratings on the Social Skills Rating System Teacher Form. These findings suggest that the intervention reduced the student's at-risk status and helped prevent the development of emotional and behavioral disabilities.