Child maltreatment continues to be a significant problem across the globe. Despite the many negat... more Child maltreatment continues to be a significant problem across the globe. Despite the many negative outcomes of child maltreatment documented in the literature, there is limited research on how school practitioners are prepared for identifying and reporting cases of maltreatment. This study examined school practitioners’ preparedness for reporting and identifying child maltreatment. Participants were a random sample of 141 school practitioners from California and Pennsylvania. Data were collected over a 6-week period via an anonymous internet survey. Overall, results indicate that most school practitioners had mixed perceptions about their ability to identify and report maltreatment. Interpretations of the data are provided with recommendations for collaborative preservice training and in-service training approaches. Implications and recommendations for future research are provided.
The Journal of Special Education Preparation (JOSEP) is an open access, peer-reviewed journal tha... more The Journal of Special Education Preparation (JOSEP) is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that is dedicated to the dissemination of research-informed practices for special education faculty in higher education settings. The peer review process for JOSEP involves a critical examination of submitted manuscripts for quality, organization and conciseness of ideas, novelty of ideas for practitioners, and adherence to APA guidelines. This article describes the review process for JOSEP and offers suggestions on how to write a high-quality review report. Reviewers for JOSEP follow a standard set of procedures when reviewing and providing feedback for submitted manuscripts. The ultimate goal of the review process is to ensure that manuscripts are of high quality and address important topics in special education teacher preparation.
The Journal of Special Education Preparation (JOSEP) is an open access, peer-reviewed journal tha... more The Journal of Special Education Preparation (JOSEP) is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that is dedicated to the dissemination of research-informed practices for special education faculty in higher education settings. The peer review process for JOSEP involves a critical examination of submitted manuscripts for quality, organization and conciseness of ideas, novelty of ideas for practitioners, and adherence to APA guidelines. This article describes the review process for JOSEP and offers suggestions on how to write a high-quality review report. Reviewers for JOSEP follow a standard set of procedures when reviewing and providing feedback for submitted manuscripts. The ultimate goal of the review process is to ensure that manuscripts are of high quality and address important topics in special education teacher preparation.
Journal of International Special Needs Education, 2021
Since challenging behaviors are present in classrooms, it is imperative to understand how teacher... more Since challenging behaviors are present in classrooms, it is imperative to understand how teachers acknowledge and respond to these unwanted actions within their schools. The overarching purpose of this study is to understand schoolteachers' perspectives on the causes of students' unwanted behaviors and their responses in the classroom. The study was also designed to explore schoolteachers' perspectives on the relationship between the students' challenging behavior and disability. A total of 1,056 Ghanaian (n = 502) and Namibian (n = 554) schoolteachers were surveyed to identify their understanding of causes of their students' challenging behavior and how they addressed the behaviors. Results of the study indicated that the teachers perceived challenging behavior as related to discipline and not disability. Most teachers also believed that both home and school environmental factors influenced challenging behavior. Furthermore, most schoolteachers from both countr...
Problem behavior is one of the most pressing issues in today’s classrooms. Problem behavior not o... more Problem behavior is one of the most pressing issues in today’s classrooms. Problem behavior not only interferes with the learning potential of the student exhibiting the behavior but has rippling effects throughout the entire learning environment. Other students who are attempting to engage in the instructional activity may be deprived of that opportunity. Considering the negative consequences of problem behavior, it is crucial for teachers to adopt effective pro-active behavior management practices. The School-wide Positive Behavior Intervention Support model (SWPBIS) is one approach demonstrated to be effective in preventing and reducing the occurrence of problem behavior. The adoption of pro-active behavior management approaches is however, dependent on teacher perceptions of the nature of the problem behavior. The purpose of this study was to examine 29 pre-service teachers’ understanding of the nature and causes of problem behavior. A secondary purpose was to determine their pr...
A component analysis is an approach where two or more independent variables are evaluated as a pa... more A component analysis is an approach where two or more independent variables are evaluated as a package and independently. The approach is used to assess and identify which component of a treatment package is the most effective. The purpose of this review is to document the application of component analyses to improve or mitigate non-academic behaviors with individuals with disabilities. We identified 21 research articles that used a component analysis to evaluate treatment packages with students who were identified as having or at-risk for a disability in classroom and/or alternative settings. Results from reviewing 21 articles (22 cases) indicate that 11 intervention packages had a single component that was critical for successful behavior change. Two articles suggested the entire intervention package was necessary while nine articles did not report a critical component or had variable results pertaining to critical components. The benefits and drawbacks of using component analyses...
Specific phobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by irrational fear and avoidance of specific... more Specific phobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by irrational fear and avoidance of specific things or situations, interfering significantly with the patients' daily life. Treatment for the disorder consists of both pharmacological and psychological approaches, mainly cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Neuroimaging techniques have been used in an attempt to improve our understanding of the neurobiology of SP and of the effects of treatment options available. This review describes the design and results of eight articles investigating the neuroimaging correlates of pharmacological and psychological treatments for SP. The studies show that CBT is effective in SP, leading to a reduction of anxiety symptoms that is accompanied by functional alterations in the brain. The results of pharmacological interventions for SP are less uniform, but suggest that the partial agonist of the NMDA (N-methyl D-aspartate) receptor DCS (D-cycloserine) can be used in combination with psychotherapy techniques for the achievement of quicker treatment response and that DCS modulates the function of structures implicated in the neurobiology of SP. Further research should explore the augmentation of CBT treatment with DCS in controlled trials.
Children with special education needs possess unique learning characteristics which may inhibit t... more Children with special education needs possess unique learning characteristics which may inhibit their effective learning in mainstream, general education classes. Special education practices are therefore designed to address the educational needs of students with disabilities through various strategies including thorough assessments of students’ characteristics, individualized curriculum planning, and provision of essential services and resources to maximize learning. Although there is extensive research on special education in developed countries like the United States of America (USA), literature on its development and practice in Sub Saharan African countries is somewhat scattered and inconclusive. This study reviewed special education policy, special education teacher professional development, and challenges to successful special education practice in five Southern African countries: Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Botswana, and Namibia. An understanding of special education policy de...
Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) exhibit problem behaviors that potentially... more Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) exhibit problem behaviors that potentially result in lower performance in reading and related content areas. Researchers and policy makers have increasingly emphasized the need for evidence-based practices (EBPs) in reading. However, conclusions made regarding the effectiveness of the interventions strongly depend on the rigor of systematic reviews and meta-analyses used to identify intervention research. This article applied a set of established quality indicators to literature reviews of reading instruction for children with EBD. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in refereed journals between 1996 and 2018 were eligible for inclusion. Identified reviews ( n = 17) generally exhibited a range of methodological strengths; however, authors did not consistently describe coding procedures or assess the quality of primary studies. Implications for the identification of EBP follow a discussion of findings.
Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities
Feeding disorders exhibited by children with developmental disabilities, which include limiting f... more Feeding disorders exhibited by children with developmental disabilities, which include limiting food intake or refusing to consume solid foods, often result in poor health consequences. Interventions for feeding disorders vary in terms of their acceptability to children with disabilities and their families. One specific procedure, the high-probability sequence, is a nonrestrictive approach where requests with which a child has a history of compliance are presented prior to requests associated with noncompliance. This article reviewed research concerning the application of high-probability sequencing for feeding disorders among children and adolescents with developmental disabilities. Experimental studies published between 1970 and 2018 in English as either peer-reviewed articles or dissertations were eligible for descriptive review. Identified articles ( N = 15) evaluated high-probability sequencing using various single-case experimental designs. Participants ( N = 21) were generall...
Literature reviews allow education professionals to identify effective interventions and assess t... more Literature reviews allow education professionals to identify effective interventions and assess trends in research and practice. However, issues with transparency and the specific methods used in conducting literature searches have the potential to limit the utility of reviews. This study evaluated the description of article search procedures and selection processes appearing in literature reviews and meta-analyses published in special education journals from 2004 to 2016. Findings reveal a considerable increase in the number of published meta-analyses and systematic reviews over this time period. Nonetheless, the validity of reviews is potentially undermined by incomplete descriptions of methods. Reports of inclusion criteria further suggests the results of many reviews may be biased. A discussion of implications follows a description of findings.
Child maltreatment continues to be a significant problem across the globe. Despite the many negat... more Child maltreatment continues to be a significant problem across the globe. Despite the many negative outcomes of child maltreatment documented in the literature, there is limited research on how school practitioners are prepared for identifying and reporting cases of maltreatment. This study examined school practitioners’ preparedness for reporting and identifying child maltreatment. Participants were a random sample of 141 school practitioners from California and Pennsylvania. Data were collected over a 6-week period via an anonymous internet survey. Overall, results indicate that most school practitioners had mixed perceptions about their ability to identify and report maltreatment. Interpretations of the data are provided with recommendations for collaborative preservice training and in-service training approaches. Implications and recommendations for future research are provided.
The Journal of Special Education Preparation (JOSEP) is an open access, peer-reviewed journal tha... more The Journal of Special Education Preparation (JOSEP) is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that is dedicated to the dissemination of research-informed practices for special education faculty in higher education settings. The peer review process for JOSEP involves a critical examination of submitted manuscripts for quality, organization and conciseness of ideas, novelty of ideas for practitioners, and adherence to APA guidelines. This article describes the review process for JOSEP and offers suggestions on how to write a high-quality review report. Reviewers for JOSEP follow a standard set of procedures when reviewing and providing feedback for submitted manuscripts. The ultimate goal of the review process is to ensure that manuscripts are of high quality and address important topics in special education teacher preparation.
The Journal of Special Education Preparation (JOSEP) is an open access, peer-reviewed journal tha... more The Journal of Special Education Preparation (JOSEP) is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that is dedicated to the dissemination of research-informed practices for special education faculty in higher education settings. The peer review process for JOSEP involves a critical examination of submitted manuscripts for quality, organization and conciseness of ideas, novelty of ideas for practitioners, and adherence to APA guidelines. This article describes the review process for JOSEP and offers suggestions on how to write a high-quality review report. Reviewers for JOSEP follow a standard set of procedures when reviewing and providing feedback for submitted manuscripts. The ultimate goal of the review process is to ensure that manuscripts are of high quality and address important topics in special education teacher preparation.
Journal of International Special Needs Education, 2021
Since challenging behaviors are present in classrooms, it is imperative to understand how teacher... more Since challenging behaviors are present in classrooms, it is imperative to understand how teachers acknowledge and respond to these unwanted actions within their schools. The overarching purpose of this study is to understand schoolteachers' perspectives on the causes of students' unwanted behaviors and their responses in the classroom. The study was also designed to explore schoolteachers' perspectives on the relationship between the students' challenging behavior and disability. A total of 1,056 Ghanaian (n = 502) and Namibian (n = 554) schoolteachers were surveyed to identify their understanding of causes of their students' challenging behavior and how they addressed the behaviors. Results of the study indicated that the teachers perceived challenging behavior as related to discipline and not disability. Most teachers also believed that both home and school environmental factors influenced challenging behavior. Furthermore, most schoolteachers from both countr...
Problem behavior is one of the most pressing issues in today’s classrooms. Problem behavior not o... more Problem behavior is one of the most pressing issues in today’s classrooms. Problem behavior not only interferes with the learning potential of the student exhibiting the behavior but has rippling effects throughout the entire learning environment. Other students who are attempting to engage in the instructional activity may be deprived of that opportunity. Considering the negative consequences of problem behavior, it is crucial for teachers to adopt effective pro-active behavior management practices. The School-wide Positive Behavior Intervention Support model (SWPBIS) is one approach demonstrated to be effective in preventing and reducing the occurrence of problem behavior. The adoption of pro-active behavior management approaches is however, dependent on teacher perceptions of the nature of the problem behavior. The purpose of this study was to examine 29 pre-service teachers’ understanding of the nature and causes of problem behavior. A secondary purpose was to determine their pr...
A component analysis is an approach where two or more independent variables are evaluated as a pa... more A component analysis is an approach where two or more independent variables are evaluated as a package and independently. The approach is used to assess and identify which component of a treatment package is the most effective. The purpose of this review is to document the application of component analyses to improve or mitigate non-academic behaviors with individuals with disabilities. We identified 21 research articles that used a component analysis to evaluate treatment packages with students who were identified as having or at-risk for a disability in classroom and/or alternative settings. Results from reviewing 21 articles (22 cases) indicate that 11 intervention packages had a single component that was critical for successful behavior change. Two articles suggested the entire intervention package was necessary while nine articles did not report a critical component or had variable results pertaining to critical components. The benefits and drawbacks of using component analyses...
Specific phobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by irrational fear and avoidance of specific... more Specific phobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by irrational fear and avoidance of specific things or situations, interfering significantly with the patients' daily life. Treatment for the disorder consists of both pharmacological and psychological approaches, mainly cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Neuroimaging techniques have been used in an attempt to improve our understanding of the neurobiology of SP and of the effects of treatment options available. This review describes the design and results of eight articles investigating the neuroimaging correlates of pharmacological and psychological treatments for SP. The studies show that CBT is effective in SP, leading to a reduction of anxiety symptoms that is accompanied by functional alterations in the brain. The results of pharmacological interventions for SP are less uniform, but suggest that the partial agonist of the NMDA (N-methyl D-aspartate) receptor DCS (D-cycloserine) can be used in combination with psychotherapy techniques for the achievement of quicker treatment response and that DCS modulates the function of structures implicated in the neurobiology of SP. Further research should explore the augmentation of CBT treatment with DCS in controlled trials.
Children with special education needs possess unique learning characteristics which may inhibit t... more Children with special education needs possess unique learning characteristics which may inhibit their effective learning in mainstream, general education classes. Special education practices are therefore designed to address the educational needs of students with disabilities through various strategies including thorough assessments of students’ characteristics, individualized curriculum planning, and provision of essential services and resources to maximize learning. Although there is extensive research on special education in developed countries like the United States of America (USA), literature on its development and practice in Sub Saharan African countries is somewhat scattered and inconclusive. This study reviewed special education policy, special education teacher professional development, and challenges to successful special education practice in five Southern African countries: Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Botswana, and Namibia. An understanding of special education policy de...
Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) exhibit problem behaviors that potentially... more Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) exhibit problem behaviors that potentially result in lower performance in reading and related content areas. Researchers and policy makers have increasingly emphasized the need for evidence-based practices (EBPs) in reading. However, conclusions made regarding the effectiveness of the interventions strongly depend on the rigor of systematic reviews and meta-analyses used to identify intervention research. This article applied a set of established quality indicators to literature reviews of reading instruction for children with EBD. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in refereed journals between 1996 and 2018 were eligible for inclusion. Identified reviews ( n = 17) generally exhibited a range of methodological strengths; however, authors did not consistently describe coding procedures or assess the quality of primary studies. Implications for the identification of EBP follow a discussion of findings.
Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities
Feeding disorders exhibited by children with developmental disabilities, which include limiting f... more Feeding disorders exhibited by children with developmental disabilities, which include limiting food intake or refusing to consume solid foods, often result in poor health consequences. Interventions for feeding disorders vary in terms of their acceptability to children with disabilities and their families. One specific procedure, the high-probability sequence, is a nonrestrictive approach where requests with which a child has a history of compliance are presented prior to requests associated with noncompliance. This article reviewed research concerning the application of high-probability sequencing for feeding disorders among children and adolescents with developmental disabilities. Experimental studies published between 1970 and 2018 in English as either peer-reviewed articles or dissertations were eligible for descriptive review. Identified articles ( N = 15) evaluated high-probability sequencing using various single-case experimental designs. Participants ( N = 21) were generall...
Literature reviews allow education professionals to identify effective interventions and assess t... more Literature reviews allow education professionals to identify effective interventions and assess trends in research and practice. However, issues with transparency and the specific methods used in conducting literature searches have the potential to limit the utility of reviews. This study evaluated the description of article search procedures and selection processes appearing in literature reviews and meta-analyses published in special education journals from 2004 to 2016. Findings reveal a considerable increase in the number of published meta-analyses and systematic reviews over this time period. Nonetheless, the validity of reviews is potentially undermined by incomplete descriptions of methods. Reports of inclusion criteria further suggests the results of many reviews may be biased. A discussion of implications follows a description of findings.
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Papers by Argnue Chitiyo