Date of Award
5-2016
Degree Type
Creative Project
Degree Name
Master of Education (MEd)
Department
Special Education and Rehabilitation
Committee Chair(s)
Timothy Slocum
Committee
Timothy Slocum
Committee
Kimberly Snow
Committee
Nancy Glomb
Abstract
Students with significant cognitive disabilities often struggle to express themselves with written language. This project examined the effects of combining simultaneous prompting and computer assisted instruction, including picture icons, to teach students with significant cognitive disabilities to create narrative stories. Participants included seven students with significant disabilities currently being taught in a self-contained special education classroom located in a public elementary school. Participants had educational classifications of autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, or multiple disabilities. A multiple probe across behaviors design was used and instructors measured the number of sentences written by participants in each computer session. Sentences were defined as a group of words that contain at least a subject and a verb and were linked in a logical way. First, a simultaneous prompting intervention was used to teach participants to copy simple three-sentence stories using the PixwriterTM assisted writing program on a preferred topic. When the participants could do this, they were given a two-sentence story to copy and then asked to generate a final sentence that would be cohesive with the story. This process was to be repeated across three preferred topics. Participants in this study had varying results with this intervention. Six of the participants with significant cognitive skills got to practice their own narrative story writing skills. Only one participant completed the full intervention. One participant did not get past copying the prepared stories. All of the participants enjoyed listening to the computer as it read the stories that they copied or helped to create.
Recommended Citation
Larson, Bonnie J., "Using Simultaneous Prompting and Computer Assisted Instruction with Pictures to Teach Narrative Writing Skills to Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities" (2016). All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023. 815.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/gradreports/815
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