Mary Mcdonald

Hofstra University · Department of Specialized Programs in Education

**PUBLISHED in Hofstra University's Special Education Research, Policy & Practice: https://issuu.com/hofstra/docs/2022_edition--special_education_research_policy_/77 This study examined the effect of including familiar and unfamiliar stimuli in a series of multiple stimulus preference assessment with a child with an autism spectrum disorder. Resul...

Our everyday lives contain numerous examples of the pursuit of quick fixes and fad treatments lacking objective research to support their use. The Internet is saturated with anecdotal stories of effectiveness and other false claims, which make it challenging to separate legitimate treatment options from offerings by “snake oil salesmen.” Humans are...

This poster summarized and disseminated my study "Familiar vs. Unfamiliar Stimuli in Multiple Stimulus Preference Assessments" during a research symposium at Hofstra University sponsored by Hofstra's Special Education Graduate Association (SEGA).

Activity schedules are visual support strategies that use visual cues, such as photographs and/or written words, to teach a learner to engage in a sequence of tasks or activities independently. Until recently, research on activity schedules has involved one schedule being followed by one individual. In order to facilitate cooperation between two in...

This report describes an AB case study in which a fixed interval-based prompting procedure was used to support a child’s spontaneous approach to a Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) book for selecting icons to request preferred items. The participant was a 6-year-old student with autism spectrum disorder. Preferred items were determined t...

This paper provides an overview of the literature investigating the functional relationship between the use of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) and maladaptive behavior (i.e., aggression, tantrums) in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Digital searches were conducted to identify single subject design studies published...

There is a growing need for educators to adapt to 21st century learners. Educators are not only charged with maintaining a current knowledge base in terms of teaching techniques, but also with creating interesting curriculum-driven lessons which both motivate and engage students. The way in which students learn differs due to having grown up with a...

AbstrAct this study evaluated the effectiveness of a tactile cue, the gentle reminder™, as a prompt to increase instructor use of behavior-specific praise and token reinforcement. First, instructors were told to deliver reinforcement when a student was engaged in behavior that was incompatible with stereotypy. they were then told they would feel a...

This is a literature review of the research on social stories and students with ASD

The use of modeling procedures have been proven to be effective to improve athletic performance in a variety of sports. One type of modeling used for improving skills in students is video modeling. Video modeling is a procedure that involves having a participant view a video segment of a professional or experiences athlete performing a skill. The c...

This research utilized a multiple baseline across response design to examine the efficacy of video self-modeling on social behavior in a child with ASD.

The increasing incidence of autism and the lack of specific answers regarding causation have given rise to unproven educational interventions and medical treatments. Parents of a newly diagnosed child can easily fall prey to interventions that promise cures. These interventions may be harmful and, thus, pose one of the critical issues in special ed...

This is a literature review on staff training and development.

A Supervisor Mentor Program (SMP) was implemented as a step toward developing internal resources to meet the growing needs of ABA community based service provision and teacher training. In order to meet the burden of internal quality control and shrinking budgets a proactive approach to providing supervision and training to community- based teacher...

All too often individuals with disabilities in the popular media are portrayed as people to be pitied or super humans to be admired. Film is one important resource that helps form the public’s beliefs and dispositions about people with disabilities. With that in mind a film festival was designed to provide authentic representation of people with di...

The present study was designed to compare the effectiveness of video modeling with traditional discrete trial instruction in the teaching of sight words to a student with autism spectrum disorder. An alternating treatment design was used. The student was presented with two sets of sight words that were comparable in difficulty, and one set was taug...

This is a literature review of behavioral treatment options for student who engage in ritualistic behavior

This is a literature review of the research regarding sexual awareness and sex education with individuals with ASD

This is a literature review of behavioral treatment options for student who engage in ritualistic behavior

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) often exhibit deficits in communication and socialization skills including displaying inappropriate affect and failing to initiate and maintain conversation with other persons. This study investigated the effects of instruction and video modeling on increasing verbal and non-verbal (touch) skills on...

Level of spontaneous social initiating by three adult caregivers toward a youth with autism was studied during a program to increase the youth's level of social initiating. The adult participants were three staff members of a program for individuals with autism; they were assigned to the classroom of the youth participant, but none was directly inv...

A multiple baseline across students design was used to investigate the effects of a self-management package on schedule following by 3 teenage boys (aged 14, 16, and 17 yrs) with autism. During baseline conditions, noncontingent reinforcement was provided by the teacher, who prompted any student who had not verbally indicated an accurate transition...

From the Salamanca Statement in 1994 to the Dakar Framework in 2000, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) has spearheaded an international movement for acceptance, equity and access in the education of students with disabilities. Inclusion, mandated in Salamanca, is considered the first step. Today, the focus is...