Behavior state is potentially a major variable that affects the level of alertness and responsiveness of persons with profoundly handicapping conditions. Two studies were conducted involving 50 students with severe, profound, and multiply handicapping conditions who ranged in age from 1 year and 8 months up to 21 years. In Study 1, behavior slate conditions for each student were observed across 20 sessions in classroom settings. Data were analyzed according to profile groups that reflected similarities and differences in behavior state conditions. The analyses also included short and long term measures of state stability. Results indicated that these stability measures further differentiated the profile groups. The data also showed that the students were observed to spend an average of 42% of their classroom time in slate conditions that were not judged optimal for learning. In Study 2, developmental, medical, environmental, and student characteristic data were compared statistically for the profile groups identified in Study 1. These results showed some different characteristics and conditions associated with each of the behavior state profiles. Overall results suggested that behavior state conditions have significant implications for the education and treatment of students with the most profound handicaps.
The purpose of this article is to review pertinent issues addressed in the literature relating to communication of learners who have multiple disabilities, identify progress made in communication research and practice, and propose strategies for partners' interactions with individuals who do not use symbols for communication. This article is particularly directed toward learners who communicate in a preintentional or emerging intentional manner using nonsymbolic expressions. The enhancement of partner skills and the engineering of contexts for enhanced communication are emphasized. Interventions most conducive to establishing an initial communication repertoire and facilitating alert, responsive behavior are presented using the Tri-Focus Framework, which encompasses learner, partner, and environmental context. Discussion of the Tri-Focus Framework synthesizes findings from a diverse extant literature base and suggests a unique, holistic perspective from which one might view intervention for those learners who have multiple disabilities. The framework may offer practitioners new insight into the communicative abilities of learners who have multiple disabilities and do not use symbols for communication.
This paper discusses issues related to concepts of preferences and choice-making among persons with severe disabilities. Included are suggestions for acknowledging preferences, teaching choice as a decision-making process, and the broader implications of choice-making among persons with severe handicaps as an expression of personal autonomy and dignity. Directions for future research are discussed.
Implications of biobehavioral state measures for the assessment of students with profoundly handicapping conditions are discussed in relation to similar behaviors observed in infants and among persons recovering from severe head trauma. Data are presented showing different profiles in biobehavioral states among students with severe and profound disabilities. These profiles are compared with similar descriptions of physical and psychological functioning described in the head-trauma literature, with a discussion of similar education and intervention problems and the need for more exchange of information between special education and rehabilitation therapy for persons with severe neurological impairments. Additionally, biobehavioral state measures among persons with severe and profound disabilities are offered as a potentially valuable assessment tool with important implications for improved intervention strategies and future research directions.
Early childhood intervention specialists need information on practices and procedures that are both helpful and positively perceived by both families and practitioners. This study used nine consumer focus groups to determine preferences for practices. The researchers share principles for early intervention services, preferences for identification of family strengths and needs, and the outcomes that are most desired from program services. These findings suggest a need to rethink how we deliver services and interact with family members.
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