Self-Determination: Instructional and Assessment Strategies

"There is not available a more comprehensive book in the area of self-determination." —Melinda Pierson, Department of Special Education California State University, Fullerton "Unique because it provides direction for teaching and supporting self-determined behavior across all age groups and also within the general education classroom and curricula." —Marianne Mooney, Senior Research Associate TransCen, Inc., Post-Secondary Learning and Careers Give students with disabilities powerful tools for success in school and in life! Michael Wehmeyer and Sharon Field present research-proven instructional strategies that empower special needs students at all grade levels to make their own decisions. Self-Determination offers detailed and current practitioner-oriented approaches in combination with extensive teacher reproducibles—all within the context of inclusion, standards-based reform, and access to the general curriculum. Linked to the IDEA requirement for individualized transition plans, this user-friendly resource assists practitioners in teaching the skills necessary for making decisions about employment, job skills, further schooling, and independent living. Educators will discover how to: Encourage students to become their own advocates by practicing assertive behavior Use needs-assessment techniques to determine the level of instruction required for each student Teach effective choice making, problem solving, and goal setting Support both families and fellow educators in their efforts to teach self-determination skills Special education teachers, general educators, and administrators will find this handbook an invaluable guide for helping students establish their own goals and plan for a strong and healthy future!

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgements About the Authors 1. Self-Determination: What Is It and Why Is It Important to Students With Disabilities? Self-Determination: What Is It? A Functional Model of Self-Determination A Five-Step Model of Self-Determination Self-Determination: Why Is It Important to Students With Disabilities? Impact of Promoting Component Elements of Self-Determined Behavior Impact of Promoting Self-Determination 2. Self-Determination in the Era of Standards-Based Reform Promoting Self-Determination in the General Education Curriculum Self-Determination Content in General Education Standards Self-Determination and Curriculum Modifications Infusing Instruction Into the General Education Curriculum Planning Curriculum Content 3. Educational Planning and Student Involvement IEP Planning, Access to the General Education Curriculum, and Self-Determination Supplementary Aids and Services Specially Designed Instruction Other Educational Needs Self-Advocacy and Student Involvement in Educational Planning Promoting Self-Advocacy Student Involvement in Educational Planning 4. Schoolwide and Classroom Ecological Interventions Quality Indicators of Programmatic Efforts Quality Indicator #1: Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes for Self-Determination Are Addressed in the Curriculum, in Family Support Programs, and in Staff Development Quality Indicator #2: Students, Parents, and Staff Are Involved Participants in Individualized Educational Decision Making and Planning Quality Indicator #3: Students, Families, Faculty, and Staff Are Provided With Opportunities for Choice Quality Indicator #4: Students, Families, Faculty and Staff Are Encouraged to Take Appropriate Risks Quality Indicator #5: Supportive Relationsips Are Encouraged Quality Indicator #6: Accommodations and Supports for Individual Needs Are Provided Quality Indicator #7: Students, Families, and Staff Have the Opportunity to Express Themselves and Be Understood Quality Indicator #8: Consequences for Actions Are Predictable Quality Indicator #9: Self-Determination Is Modeled Throughout the School Environment 5. Teacher-Directed Instructional Strategies Learning Process Strategies Modeling and Mentors Cooperative Learning Groups Coaching Behavioral Strategies Teaching Component Elements of Self-Determined Behavior Teaching Goal Setting and Attainment Teaching Problem Solving Teaching Decision Making Fostering Self-Awareness and Self-Knowledge Promoting Choice Making Attribution Retraining Curricular Materials 6. Student-Directed Learning and Peer-Mediated Instructional Strategies Student-Directed Learning Strategies Antecedent Cue Regulation Self-Monitoring, Self-Evaluation, and Self-Reinforcement Self-Instruction Multiple Strategy Use The Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction Peer-Mediated Learning Strategies 7. Assessing Student Needs and and Evaluation Program Assessing Instructional Needs in Self-Determination The Arc′s Self-Determination Scale Self-Determination Assessment Battery The AIR Self-Determination Scale Program Evaluation Empowerment Evaluation 8. Family Support for Self-Determination How Families Impact Student Self-Determination Strategies and Resouces to Help Family Members Learn About Self-Determination Family Support for Self-Determination: Tips and Tools Sharing Stories About Self-Determination Making the Most of Teachable Moments Providing a Positive Role Model of Self-Determination 9. Nurturing the Self-Determination of Teachers What Do Educators Need to Know to Be Self-Determined in Their Work? What Can Teachers Do to Build and Nurture Their Self-Determination? Resource A. Self Determination Quality Indicators Assessment Tool Resource B. The Arc′s Self-Determination Scale References Index

About the Author :
Michael L. Wehmeyer, Ph.D. is Professor of Special Education; Director, Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities; and Associate Director, Beach Center on Disability, all at the University of Kansas. Dr. Wehmeyer is engaged in teacher personnel preparation in the area of severe, multiple disabilities and directs multiple federally funded projects conducting research and model development in the education of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He is the author of more than 180 articles or book chapters and has authored, co-authored or co-edited 19 books on disability and education-related issues, including issues pertaining to self-determination, transition, universal design for learning and access to the general curriculum for students with significant disabilities, and technology use by people with cognitive disabilities. He is a Fellow of the American Association on Mental Retardation, a past president of the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division on Career Development and Transition, and is Editor-in-Chief for the journal Remedial and Special Education. In 1999 Dr. Wehmeyer was the inaugural recipient of the Distinguished Early Career Research Award from the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division for Research. In May, 2003 he was awarded the American Association on Mental Retardation’s National Education award. Dr. Wehmeyer holds undergraduate and Masters degrees in special education from the University of Tulsa and a Masters degree in experimental psychology from the University of Sussex in Brighton, England, where he was a Rotary International Teacher of the Handicapped Fellow. He earned his Ph.D. in Human Development and Communication Sciences from the University of Texas at Dallas. Sharon Field, Ed.D., is Professor (Research) and Co-director of the Center for Self-Determination and Transition in the College of Education at Wayne State University. Her areas of specialization include self-determination, transition and life skills, and applied positive psychological practices. She has directed several federally funded transition and self-determination projects. Through these projects she developed, with Dr. Alan Hoffman, a model of self-determination and the Steps to Self-Determination curriculum and, with Drs. Alan Hoffman and Shlomo Sawilowsky, a self-determination assessment battery. She has written extensively on self-determination for persons with and without disabilities. Her work has included development of materials and strategies to promote self-determination at the early childhood, elementary, secondary and post-secondary levels. She is also the lead author of The Self-Determined Educator, a set of instructional modules for use in initial preparation and staff development settings designed to promote self-determination for teachers and Self-Determined Parenting , an instructional support program for parents. She has direct service experience in schools as a special education teacher, job placement specialist and administrator. Dr. Field earned her Master’s degree in Special Education from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and her Ed.D. in Educational Policy, Governance and Administration from the University of Washington.

Review :
"There is not available a more comprehensive book in the area of self-determination." "Unique because it provides direction for teaching and supporting self-determined behavior across all age groups and also within the general education classroom and curricula."