EBD

Approaches to students with Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (SEBD) are frequently the subject individual interventions in schools that range from disciplinarian to medical model in flavour.  The presumption is that challenging behaviour is foremost a pathology.  It is rare for schools and educators to lean towards an ecological lens on SEBD, and even when these are considered ineffective pedagogy is rarely considered with conviction as a cause for behavioural challenges.  This chapter examines how the design of instruction and assessment is in fact a tool that is capable of addressing SEBD by creating meaningful engagement of the students in question within the classroom.  Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in particular provides teachers with simple, user-friendly principles to consider how to rethink engagement for the full spectrum of diverse learners.

This review examined classroom science instruction for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). A total
of 11 group and single-subject studies were analyzed. Across all group studies, a conservatively calculated mean effect size
of .471 was obtained indicating the interventions as a whole had at least a small to moderate impact on students’ with EBD
achievement. Findings were further analyzed by student characteristics, intervention type, dependent measures utilized,
and study variables. A significant result of these subanalyses indicates that while additional research is needed, students
with EBD may benefit from inquiry approaches provided the method implemented includes enough structure to ensure
student engagement. Results also suggest that mnemonic instruction is highly effective at increasing students’ with EBD
knowledge and retention of science facts.

"In a causal relationship, there is a direct connection with the stimulating factors and the student’s response to the stimuli; this can be both intrinsic and extrinsic, as the vantages can change according to the conditions of the environment" (Lyde, 2012, p. 2)

An Ethnographic Case Study of a Savant: Implications for Special Education and Music Education of Children with Special Needs
Suad Sakalli Gumus, PhD., Special Education Faculty, Saint Mary of the Woods College, USA
Sezgin Suna, MS., Music Instructor, Mustafa Kemal University Atakya State Conservatory, TR
This ethnographic case study of a musical savant with high functioning Autism aimed to analyze the experiences of the individual and his family in terms of development, education, and social functioning with the hope to shed light on implications related to raising and educating individuals with special needs.
Music education has high prospects for students with special needs as it offers engaging and different modes of expression, links the universal language of notes with speech, as it is compelling and captivating for all living beings, and it is a multi-sensory experience (Adamek &Darrow, 2010; Bilgehan, 2014). However, research-based practices in this field are scarce and the situation warrants more systematic qualitative and quantitative research. Though the scholarly research on the Savant Syndrome is very informative and important, to place that research in context, it is necessary to look at specific cases of individuals with the syndrome (Dennis, 20010). The goal of this study is to contribute to the field by documenting and sharing the scrutinized experiences of a savant, his family, and some of his educators.
Interviews were conducted with the individual, his parents, and the two music educators who are working with the individual. Semi-structured interview questions were prepared by a special educator and interviews were conducted by one of the music educators who work closely with the family. Each interview lasted around 1-1,5 hours and was recorded for transcription. After transcription, the second round of member check interviews was conducted to clarify information and to further elaborate on the information. Data were read and re-read simultaneously by both educators/researchers to be coded. Throughout the process of data coding, both educators consulted with each other to ensure the reliability of the procedure. After the coding process was exhausted, the two investigators held a meeting to discuss the themes until they reached a hundred percent agreement in order to meet the requirements for inter-rater reliability. The agreed-upon themes were collapsed into broader categories based on commonalities and findings of the study were presented under these four overarching themes: The developmental dilemma and family life, What is the right Education, Common misconceptions, and Lessons Learned.
This presentation will share the findings of this study under the aforementioned themes and provide the much-needed platform for discussion of implications with practitioners and parents for future practices.

Previously in this series, I have given an overview of the main types of study design and the techniques used to minimise the likelihood of obtaining biased results. In this article I describe more fully randomised controlled trials, their uses, advantages and limitations.

In most, if not all, studies we collect data to obtain information about an area of research in which we have an interest. For example, we might want to know the level of dental caries in our area. In order to discover this we might need to observe a number of different variables, which could include, age, sex, number of teeth, cavities, fillings, extraction, pain, sepsis and quality of life. This information or data is normally obtained from a sample of the population which can then be summarised, analysed and conclusions drawn. This collection, summarising and analysis of data are what statistics and statistical technique are all about.

The goal of this study was to evaluate the
effects of increasingly demanding versions
of function-based behavior intervention
plans (BIPs) on students´ disruptive
behavior. Participants were four male students
from two schools in Iceland´s capital,
where school-wide positive behavior
support was being implemented. The
participants were 7 to 8 years old and had
reportedly exhibited behavior problems
for 5 to 7 years. Three participants had attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder, and
one of them also had oppositional defiant
disorder, autism spectrum disorder, generalized
anxiety disorder and Tourette´s
syndrome. They attended 2nd or 3rd grade
general education classrooms with varying
degree of support from a special education
teacher.
Various primary and secondary prevention
efforts had proved unsuccessful.
Thus, functional assessments were conducted
through interviews with teachers,
participants and their parents, as well as
direct observations to detect variables influencing
participants´ disruptive behavior.
Based on the results of the functional
assessments, BIPs were created for each
participant through a team-based approach
involving their general education
teachers, a special education teacher and a
behavioral consultant. The BIPs consisted
of four components: setting event strategies,
antecedent modifications, teaching of
alternative skills and differential reinforcement
of appropriate behavior. Differential
reinforcement was carried out through
an individualized token system with frequent
positive feedback, but also warnings
in the case of disruptive behavior.
Four to seven versions of token systems
with gradually increasing demands were
created for each participant to increase
their self-control step by step.
The effects of increasingly demanding
versions of BIPs were evaluated with
a multiple baseline design across participants.
Results showed a decrease in frequency
of disruptive behavior for three
of the four participants. No effects were
observed for the fourth participant, possibly
due to lack of treatment integrity, factors
at home or changes in medication. For
the other three participants frequency of
disruptive behavior decreased by an average
of 89% during intervention compared
to baseline. Also, variability in disruptive
behavior decreased substantially during
intervention compared to baseline.
Adjusted effect sizes were calculated
based on means of the last three measures
of baseline and intervention phases using
Rosenthal’s (1994) formula, taking into account
the autocorrelation between repeated
measures, to put it on the same scale as
Cohen’s d (Riley-Tillman & Burns, 2009).
For the three participants who responded
to the BIPs, adjusted effect sizes ranged
from d = 1.9 to 2.6 which are considered
large effects based on Cohen´s (1988)
widely accepted guidelines.
Findings indicate that chronic behavior
problems of students can be reduced in
general education settings through function-
based BIPs and active collaboration of
students and teachers. The findings are in
agreement with previous research showing
positive effects of function-based interventions
on students´ problem behaviour.
Moreover, the findings extend the current
literature base to show positive effects of
increasingly demanding versions of BIPs
and that students with chronic behaviour
problems continue to show low levels of
disruptive behaviour when token systems
have been systematically faded. Anecdotal
reports of teachers and participants suggest
further positive effects of the BIPs.
The limitations of this study include the
small number of participants and lack of
progress of one participant. Thus, direct
and systematic replication of this study
is needed to establish greater generalizability
of the findings. Also, further investigations
are needed to explore long-term
robustness of the observed improvements
in behaviour over time. Although the current
findings are preliminary in nature,
they offer a demonstration of the positive
effects of BIPs within regular education
classrooms on students’ chronic behavior
problems.

Os Dez Mandamentos ‫הדברות(‬ ‫עשרת‬ aseret hadibrot) ou "Pronunciamentos". ‫הצהרות(‬ hatsahot.) ‫לאלוהים‬ ‫כבוד‬ ‫כל‬ kol hakavod Helohim. Toda honra a Deus. Amigos leitores, seminaristas, professores de EBD (escola bíblica dominical). Iremos falar algo que para alguns parece novo, já para outros é conhecido. Caso você já conheça, tenha paciência-Iremos aprender acerca dos dez mandamentos pela perspectiva do hebraico bíblico, ou seja, uma lente ampliada, portanto, solte o cinto e se disponha a novos aprendizados. Quando oportuno estarei mostrando à luz do idioma santo-hebraico, alguns termos traduzidos nas nossas bíblias.

Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) and Behavior Support Plans (BSP) are evidence-based practices recommended for addressing severe behavior problems of students by professional associations and part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act from 1997 and 2004 in the United States. Decades of research have shown FBA and BSPs to be effective procedures for reducing behavior problems and increasing on-task behavior of students with chronic behavior problems. Staff training in these procedures has been found to be effective in increasing school personnel´s knowledge of FBA, but only a few studies have included measures of students´ behavior. Research is also lacking on the effects of college courses for educators on the behavior of students in preschools, elementary or secondary schools that the educators work with.
In Iceland, training in FBA and BSPs had until recently only been offered through in-service training for school personnel, with undocumented results. Since 2009, such training has been part of an elective course on emotional and behavioral disorders in the School of Education at the University of Iceland. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of FBAs and BSPs conducted by graduate students on the behavior problems of preschool, elementary and secondary students they worked with. Participants were 49 students (45 boys and five girls), aged 3–20 years, with a reported history of 1–18 years of behavior problems. The course consisted of 11 hours of lectures on emotional and behavioral disorders and 12 hours of lectures on applied behavior analysis. Graduate students also had access to a variety of assessment and intervention materials on the website of the course. Graduate students formed 2–4 member teams, each working with one student with behavior problems in mainstream preschool, elementary or secondary school. Teams conducted FBAs and BSPs following detailed guidelines in six steps, wrote a brief report on each step and received written feedback from the author before moving on to the next stage.
To evaluate the effects of BSPs on the target behaviors of students, teams conducted repeated measures with direct observation using a total of 70 AB single-subject designs. The author combined the collected data and calculated descriptive statistics for baseline and intervention phases to compare students´ behavior before and after BSPs. Single group pretest-posttest designs were used to evaluate the effects of function-based BSPs on the behavior problems of students. Nonparametric Wilcoxon tests for related samples (matched-pair signed-rank) were conducted to compare medians of means for each group before and after intervention. Comparing medians of means, disruptive behavior decreased by 75%, aggressive behaviors decreased by 88% and active engagement increased by 92% after BSPs were implemented. Wilcoxon tests showed statistically significant changes in the medians of means for all groups with sufficient sample sizes. Adjusted effect sizes were calculated based on means of the last three measures of baseline and intervention phases using Rosenthal's (1994) formula, taking into account the autocorrelation between repeated measures, to put it on the same scale as Cohen's d (Riley-Tillman & Burns, 2009). Adjusted effect sizes ranged from d= 0,9 to 2,5 which reflect large effects (Cohen, 1988) of function-based BSPs.
The findings are in agreement with previous research showing positive effects of function-based interventions on students´ problem behaviors. Moreover, the findings extend the current literature base to show positive effects of a university course on chronic behavior problems of students in mainstream schools. Informal reports of graduate students implementing the FBAs and BSPs suggest that the use of the procedures decreased the need for segregated placements and use of punishment. Future research could address methodological weaknesses of the current research and further investigate the use of FBAs and BSPs with secondary students and with internalizing problems.

Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Medline, Embase, ISI Web of Science, LILACS. In addition, Pro-Quest Dissertation and Thesis database and Pro-Quest Science Journals. Hand searches were also carried out in American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Angle Orthodontist, European Journal of Orthodontics and Journal of Orthodontics. Two reviewers independently selected studies, and randomised, quasi-randomised (RCTs) and controlled clinical trials (CCTs) were considered. Studies with at least six months follow-up were included. Data extraction and risk of bias assessment were carried out independently by two reviewers. A narrative summary was presented as a meta-analysis could not be performed. Seven studies were included (five RCTs, two CCTs). Three were considered to be at low risk of bias, three at moderate risk and one at high risk. There was some evidence to suggest that no difference exists to distinguish between the HRs and VFRs with respect to changes in intercanine and intermolar widths after orthodontic retention. There was insufficient evidence to support the use of VFRs over HRs in relation to occlusal contacts, cost effectiveness, patient satisfaction and survival time. This systematic review suggests that further high-quality RCTs regarding the differences between HRs and VFRs during orthodontic retention are necessary to determine which retainer is the better selection for orthodontists.

Students’ behavior problems not only present some of the biggest challenges to teachers but also adversely affect students’ academic and social outcomes (Bradley, Renee & Bartolotta, 2008). Many students with behavior problems feel that their needs are not being met at school and resent the use of punishment which they rate as “unhelpful” (Costenbader & Markson, 1998). Functional behavioral assessment and behavior support plans have been shown to effectively decrease behavior problems (Anna-Lind Pétursdóttir, 2011; Lane, Umbreit og Beebe-Frankenberger, 1999; O’Neill og Stephenson, 2009). However, research is lacking on how students perceive these strategies. Exploring students’ perception is important, especially since negative school experiences can increase the risk of drop out (Vitaro, Larocque, Janosz og Tremblay, 2001). In this study, six students were interviewed to determine their perceptions of functional behavioral assessment and behavior support plans that had been implemented to decrease their persistent behavior problems in school. The four younger participants were 7 to 8 year old boys, three of whom had diagnoses of ADHD, two of oppositional defiant disorder, one of autism spectrum disorder, and two of learning disabilities in addition to other difficulties. The two older participants were 15 to 16 year old boys, one diagnosed with ADHD. All participants had been exhibiting behavior problems for 5 to 9 years.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with younger participants before and after implementation of the function-based behavior support plan. Older participants were interviewed three years after the intervention and therefore could report on long-term effects. Interviews were recorded and analyzed into themes with Nvivo 2.0 software. All participants described negative school experiences prior to implementation of the function-based behavior support plan. A common theme was that they felt as if their difficulties and special needs had not been properly addressed in their respective schools. The participants all perceived loud scolding and suspensions as negative and useless and wished to be treated with more respect and understanding.
Functional behavioral assessments were conducted through interviews with students, their parents and teachers, and direct observations to determine the environmental factors influencing participants’ problem behavior. Participants expressed that they liked being asked about their points of view and to influence the behavior support plan. Comprehensive behavior support plans were consequently constructed with strategies targeting the setting events, antecedents, and consequences determined to influence participants’ problem behavior. The plans were implemented by their teachers under the supervision of the authors. Participants all reported that procedures of the functional behavioral assessment and behavior support plan better met their needs. Through the function-based behavior support plans, participants’ persistent behavior problems substantially decreased, as described in previous research articles (Anna-Lind Pétursdóttir, 2010; Guðrún Björg Ragnarsdóttir & Anna-Lind Pétursdóttir, 2012, in press). All participants except one expressed positive effects of the intervention on their behavior, academic engagement and well-being at school. The older students wished that these procedures had been implemented sooner in their schooling and recommended that teachers should get more training in this area. Findings are in accordance with previous research describing negative school experiences of students with behavior problems, but add to the literature a detailed description of student perceptions of functional behavioral assessment and behavior support plans.

Searches using the Medline, Cochrane and Embase databases and 'citation mining' (identifying references from included studies) were carried out. In addition, experts' recommendations for data sources were followed, and the table of contents of every issue of the most recent 2 years of a given list of dental journals were reviewed, the latter representing half of the total number of original research articles in English from the past 5 years on implant-supported crown (ISC), fixed partial dentures (FPD) and root canal (RC) therapy. Publication language was limited to English and grey literature was excluded, namely proceedings of conferences not listed in Medline, Cochrane or Embase databases, meetings and lectures. Comparative or noncomparative, prospective or retrospective longitudinal data were selected that related to clinical, biological, psychological and economic outcomes, as well as beneficial or harmful effects, of saving teeth by root canal treatment and/or alte...

Sources used were Medline, Embase, the Education Resources Information Centre , Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, Health Technology Assessment database, Best Evidence, Best Evidence Medical Education and Science Citation Index, along with reference lists of known systematic reviews. Studies were chosen for inclusion if they evaluated the effects of postgraduate evidence-based medicine (EBM) or critical appraisal teaching in comparison with a control group or baseline before teaching, using a measure of participants' learning achievements or patients' health gains as outcomes. Articles were graded as either level 1 (randomised controlled trials (RCT)) or level 2 (non-randomised studies that either had a comparison with a control group), or a before and after comparison without a control group. Learning achievement was assessed separately for knowledge, critical appraisal skills, attit...

In March 2009, the American Dental Association (ADA) launched a new evidence-based dentistry (EBD) website (ebd.ada.org). The site has been established to provide the dental profession with access to evidence from high-quality systematic reviews and is supported by a grant from the National Library of Medicine and the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research(Grant Number G08 LM008956).

Our research question was, 'Can we demonstrate that the design of the built environment for grades 9-12 impacts student academic engagement levels?' A pilot study was conducted using a convenience sample, a high school (grades 9-12) in the USA's mid-west with a four-year old design solution. To answer the question we designed two online survey instruments, one for students and one for educators, enabling us to construct engagement indexes for each. We then correlated the level of self-reported engagement, as measured by our indexes, with the perceptions of the built environment. A mixed-methodology research technique was used for this research project. Focused interviews used K-12 architects (n=6), administrators (n=3), teachers (n=35), students (n=25). A fifteen (15) question 'Alpha'/pilot survey was then designed, developed, pre-tested and then submitted to the full membership of the school. Findings revealed that both students and educators agreed that the design of the built environment makes a difference relative to their engagement at both the macro (i.e., Overall) and micro (i.e., Classrooms) at a high level of significance (p<.0001); spatial design makes a difference. The survey proved to be both reliable and valid. Finally, we pay particular attention to questions relating to " movement " and learning.