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This report describes a project in Utah to investigate the feasibility of using transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE) as a tool for screening for hearing loss in children with developmental disabilities (DD). Study participants included 336 students (ages 5 to 7) with no identified DD and 765 students (ages 3 to 7) with one or more DD. Each participant was screened using two conventional pure tone hearing screening protocols and two TEOAE hearing screening protocols. The study found that, overall, the operant characteristics of one of the conventional hearing screening protocols (which used tympanometry screening for the 500 Hz pure tone) were superior to the other measures. However, for nearly one-third of the children with DD, screening results could not be obtained from either of the pure tone screening protocols, whereas successful results were obtained for over 98 percent of the same children using the TEOAE screenings. Results also supported previous findings of a substantially higher incidence of hearing loss in children with DD. The report addresses the project's importance, purpose, accomplishments, methodology, and results. Extensive appendices include necessary approvals for use of human subjects; data collection schedules and summary sheets; a consultant's report; a listing of data dissemination activities, and a summary of participant data. (Contains 59 references.). (DB)

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) includes important, but limited, protections for millions of working Americans and their families around the ability to obtain and keep health coverage. Among its specific protections, HIPAA: (1) Limits the use of preexisting condition exclusions; (2) Prohibits group health plans from discriminating by denying coverage or charging extra for coverage based on past or present poor health; (3) Guarantees certain small employers and certain individuals who lose job-related coverage the right to purchase health insurance; and (4) Guarantees, in most cases, that employers or individuals who purchase health insurance can renew the coverage regardless of any health conditions of individuals covered under the insurance policy. The privacy provisions of HIPAA apply to health information created or maintained by health care providers who engage in certain electronic transactions, health plans, and health care clearinghouses. The privacy rule standards address the use and disclosure of individual health information, or "protected health information," by organizations (covered entities) subject to the privacy rule, as well as standards for individual's privacy rights to understand and control how their health information is used. A major goal of the privacy rule is to ensure that an individual's health information is properly protected while allowing the flow of health information needed to provide and promote high-quality health care and to protect the public's health and well being. The purpose of this paper is to provide clarification to educators regarding the privacy of records and information related to the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996. The paper was originally distributed in 2003 and has been updated with resources and web page links. Additional resources and websites are provided for the reader to obtain current information regarding the required privacy regulations.

This final report describes accomplishments and activities of the 4-year Super-Vision project, designed to train teachers to supervise paraeducators in their work with students who have disabilities. The project used a problem-solving, consultative model, validated curriculum materials ("Teamwork and Evaluation"), and a training of trainers approach. The project offered a professional development series consisting of 10-15 weekly training sessions for teacher-paraeducator teams and individual training workshops for either teachers or paraeducators. A total of 194 educators participated in the professional development series and a total of 45 workshop presentations were conducted with more than 2,000 participants. Field testing of the curriculum resulted in changes and further validation. Additional activities included development of a facilitator manual to accompany the curriculum, training of trainers activities, and orientation training for building and school district level administrators, and information dissemination. A special effort was made to address cultural diversity issues, especially to increase the number of minority paraeducators. Attached tables detail program presentations and offer a typical training syllabus. (DB)

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of a federally supported project at Utah State University to prepare 77 early intervention and preschool special education personnel. The project's three strands proposed to improve the existing early childhood special education certification program by preparing special educators to work collaboratively with regular educators in inclusive settings. The preservice preparation included a core of special education courses, practica in inclusive settings, and specific transdisciplinary preparation and experience. The project also supported recruitment of students from rural areas and from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and students with disabilities, all currently underrepresented in the preservice teaching force. The project had four major and significant outcomes: (1) it addressed the shortage of personnel qualified in Utah to serve young children and their families; (2) it improved the quality of preservice preparation for both special and regular educators through its transdisciplinary emphasis; (3) it offered intensive training to students in positions (e.g., Head Start) that have not historically required this preparation; and (4) it provided Utah with a model of interdepartmental collaboration. (DB)

This report discusses the activities and outcomes an inservice training model. This model was designed to help states provide ongoing training to early intervention, early childhood, and vision personnel. The focus is on personnel that specialize inserving visually impaired children from time of birth to age five. The purpose of the project is to assist states in implementing the VIISA Inservice Training Model thorough the use of each state's instructors. These state instructors are trained by a national instructor who works with them through their first course series. The project works closely with a statewide task force to implement the model in a manner that fits with each state's structure, funding sources, and needs. The project's VIISA training model has been used on an ongoing basis in 22 states, resulting in a total of 82 training courses conducted for 1,334 professionals, which have affected the lives of 3,455 visually impaired infants and preschoolers and their families. The report discusses the conceptual framework of the model, logistical problems and how they were solved, the model's impact, evaluation findings, and future activities. Appendices include materials developed by the project. (CR)

The Utah State Library Division conducted an evaluation of its participation in the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). The evaluation plan determined by the Utah State Library Division used two approaches designed to examine issues and achievements related to LSTA: focus groups and a statewide survey. Utah State University (USU) was involved in the focus group interview (FGI) segment, which explored selected goals and objectives from the grant recipient's and patron's points of view. The purpose of this report is to document the specific activities and findings of USU's portion of the evaluation. One aspect of this FGI project was careful identification of homogeneous groups. Suggestions for groups included library administrators, reference librarians, library patrons, LSTA participants, LSTA non-participants, and PIONEER system users and support staff. Results from LSTA and PIONEER focus group interviews are outlined. The results are combined because responses to interview questions were very similar. Each question has been divided into two sections: Positive Comments and Concerns. Within both sections, responses are further grouped into common themes with the most frequent responses (mentioned three or more times) given in italics. Interview questions include: (1) What are your impressions of the LSTA? (2) Describe the LSTA program as it operates in your library; (3) How has the LSTA affected the workload? (4) What have been the effects of LSTA on customer service? (5) How had the LSTA affected local financial and technical support? (6) What are your perceptions of PIONEER and its service to your patrons? (7) What is the level of support and training for PIONEER? and (8) What are your suggestions as well as future needs and concerns? Impressions by LSTA non-participants of the LSTA and PIONEER are given, followed by direct quotes or paraphrased answers of both "PIONEER users" and "automation users" to the question asking for their impressions of the Library's technology support and of PIONEER. (AEF)

This report discusses the outcomes of a study that investigated the funding of education programs for children with disabilities in Colorado. The report describes the characteristics of the students being served in special education, reviews Colorado's current system of funding special education, reviews the results of a survey given to representatives of each of the 54 administrative units and members of the Colorado Special Education Advisory Committee, evaluates the current system of funding, reviews the special education funding systems utilized by the other states, and provides recommendations for reform. Results from the study found that overall, 10.5 percent of the Colorado student population is identified as having disabilities significant enough to warrant intervention, with perceptual or communicative disabilities being the primary type of disabilities experienced by children. The total federal contributions for special education funding amounted to 8.9 percent of the total revenues, state contribution amounted to 18.9 percent of total revenues, and 69.3 percent came from local contributions for the 1996-97 school year. It is recommended that Colorado increase state funding to reduce the local costs closer to the national average of 32 percent. Appendices include extensive data tables. (Contains 17 references.) (CR)

This final report documents the activities and outcomes of the 3-year outreach project AHEAD (At Home & At Day Care). Over the course of the three years, AHEAD Outreach conducted eight AHEAD Trainers' Training Institutes that provided AHEAD trainers with up-to-date content in the early intervention field, training techniques, hands-on experiences, use of multi-media in presentations, and interactive activities using adult learning principles. Fourteen states and one territory were involved and 105 trainers were certified as AHEAD trainers. As a result, AHEAD trainers affected their states and agencies through the high quality of training and improved services they provided to early interventionists and to families, child care providers, and young children with disabilities. The technical assistance activities included monitoring of training, assistance in planning training, loaning training resources, on-site visit feedback and mentoring, and dissemination of "Trainers Tidings." Several appendices are attached that include a project overview, the table of contents of several resource manuals, training agendas, and program evaluation forms. (Author/CR)

This final report describes the development and evaluation of a project that was funded by the U.S. Department of Education to develop, evaluate, revise, and disseminate a video-assisted, competency-referenced curriculum to teach naturalistic intervention strategies in inclusive, early intervention settings. The project, called Strategies for Preschool Intervention in Everyday Settings (SPIES), was designed for inservice and preservice education of team members representing a variety of disciplines. The proposed curriculum is formatted into the following six modules: (1) Creating Teaching Opportunities; (2) Providing Help; (3) Incidental Teaching; (4) Tracking Progress; (5) Prior to Preschool; and (6) Planning across the Day. The modules include both videotape and print materials, and are available in both English and Spanish. A condensed CD-ROM version allows instructors to customize the information to their personnel development activities. Over 100 users from several states including interdisciplinary agency personnel, families, university faculty, and students participated in a formative and summative evaluation. Project personnel revised the curriculum after each field test. Evaluation methods and accomplishments of the project are described in the report. The summary of results indicates that preservice and inservice educators are able to use SPIES to teach others and that participants learn about naturalistic intervention strategies from the experience. An outreach project was submitted to the U.S. Department of Education requesting funds to disseminate the SPIES curriculum and to provide support to those who use it. Summary tables of participants' ratings in evaluations are included. (SG)

This final report describes a study to investigate the effects of an intervention procedure that included time delay, praise, and other cues on the acquisition of safety skills in preschool children with disabilities. Twelve preschool-aged children with disabilities from six different classrooms participated. Preventive safety skills consisted of recognizing exemplars of an unsafe situation and changing it in order to make it safer. Responding to unsafe settings was measured in two settings: classroom and home. One pair of children was instructed using a multi-component teaching procedure that incorporated time delay, prompts, and praise. The other child watched. A multiple probe design across pairs of children was used to assess the effects of the procedures. Learners who were directly taught correctly completed more preventive steps during teaching than baseline sessions and showed some generalization of responding to unsafe situations. Learners who observed did not respond to classroom probes, however, when an extra cue was provided, three of these learners correctly responded. No learner consistently responded to unsafe situations set up during home probes before or after the teaching. Results of the study are discussed in terms of: (1) target and observational learners' responses to unsafe situations as a result of teaching; (2) generalization of skills to the home setting; (3) evidence of maintenance; (4) reliable implementation of teaching procedure; and (5) parents' and teachers' responses to the research. (Contains 51 references and 10 appendices.) (SG)

This project prepared students for the Ph.D. degree awarded by the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation at Utah State University. The project's goals were to: (1) further develop and implement the early childhood special education doctoral emphasis area, with a focus on research and personnel preparation; and (2) prepare up to 15 new special education leaders, of whom at least 30% were expected to represent populations of students who are underrepresented in higher education, including members of diverse cultures and individuals with disabilities. During the project period (9/1/1993 to 8/31/1999), the program developed innovative features that included a transdisciplinary teaching and supervision experience that was favorably evaluated by students and external evaluators. During the course of the project, 10 doctoral students received financial support and 5 others enrolled in the program were supported from other sources. Of the 15 total students, 2 (project-supported) have disabilities. Five, one of whom received project support, are members of minority cultures; only two of these are U.S. citizens. Eight students, five of whom received project support, completed the program and were awarded the Ph.D. All are employed in institutions of higher education. Examples of the students' high levels of achievement while enrolled in the program include their collective total of 33 conference presentations, 9 papers published in refereed journals, 10 non-refereed publications, 4 externally funded projects awarded to 2 different students, and the recognition of one student as the College of Education's Outstanding Teaching Assistant. This report includes a summary of the Leadership Preparation in Early Childhood Special Education doctoral coursework, a list of graduates' dissertation topics, lists of students' publications and presentations, and a list of grants authored or co-authored by students while enrolled in the program. (SG)

The purposes of this project were to prepare students in rural and remote regions to receive Utah's birth-to-five preschool special education certificate and to enhance the quality of their preparation. The project proposed to: (1) support preparation for certification of at least 50 students who were residents of and serving preschoolers in rural and remote areas; (2) recruit students from diverse cultures, specifically targeting Native Americans; (3) adapt the multidisciplinary program of studies in early childhood special education for distance delivery; (4) coordinate delivery of the distance education certification program through a multi-university consortium; and (5) provide on-site facilitators to aide in course delivery and supervision. The program was multidisciplinary, requiring that students complete coursework in family and human development, special education, psychology and communicative disorders (language development). It included coursework in assistive and instructional technology, and a seminar co-taught by a parent of a child with a disability with a practicum conducted in the home of host families of children with disabilities. As a multi-university effort, the project combined the resources of Utah's two institutions of higher education that offer the birth to 5 special education teaching certificate (Utah State University and University of Utah), and utilized the distance education facilities of both institutions. The project exceeded its recruitment goal and was able to deliver the program to virtually all areas of the state. While students progressed toward completion of certification requirements at a slower rate than anticipated, 27 had completed them at the time this report was written and 36 more were actively pursuing them. The State Office of Education continued to support the program after the period of federal funding. This report includes summaries of students' course evaluations, lists of articles published and presentations made by project staff, and an evaluation summary of the project. (Author/SG)

This final report discusses the outcomes of a project that developed, demonstrated, evaluated, and disseminated information about a specialized inservice training model to prepare early interventionists, special education teachers, and related service personnel to provide family-centered programming to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families. The project was centered around ten objectives which were developed into a state-of-the-art inservice course, supporting training materials, and an innovative instructional delivery system. The inservice course was specifically designed for practicing professionals and paraprofessionals and was presented in ten learning modules that used two-way audio conferencing, videodisc technology, printed material, and videotape material. Project evaluations indicate that participants felt the course was an effective way to acquire skills and information to aid them in serving this population. Participants with strong training and/or experience in working with deaf or hard of hearing individuals evaluated the course as giving them new tools for use in their work with infants, children and families in homes and natural settings. The report describes the training model, the activities and participants, the evaluation findings, and the project's impact. Accompanying materials include evaluations of the effectiveness of the project. (Contains 41 references.) (CR)

This document presents basic information and materials on eligibility and service options for students with attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. An introduction notes that the three main service options for students with ADD/ADHD continue to be either the general education classroom, special education services, or Section 504 accommodations. The first section presents common questions and answers regarding service options. These questions address: screening and interventions, referral, procedural safeguards, evaluation procedures, eligibility, and location of services (least restrictive environment). The second section provides a chart detailing similarities and differences between Section 504, IDEA, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The following section provides an overview of Section 504 and focuses on the student placement process. Next is a list of 36 possible academic accommodations for students with ADD/ADHD. Also included are two policy letters from the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights and Office of Special Education Programs regarding service options. (DB)

This final report describes the activities and outcomes of a federally funded program that was developed to increase the supply of early childhood special educators in Utah and surrounding regions and to enhance the quality of their preparation. The project prepared 67 students for preschool special education certification and 40 related service personnel for transdisciplinary service. The project focused on improved recruitment practices intended to attract and support students from diverse cultures and from rural areas. A dual major in early childhood and early childhood special education was developed to improve the interdisciplinary preparation of students. The report is organized according to the nine objectives of the project and their outcomes. Four appendices describe; (1) the Early Childhood Special Education Dual Major Program; (2) the project timeline; (3) the Bachelor's degree and certification requirements; and (4) Master's program requirements. (SG)

This report documents the activities and outcomes of the 5-year model demonstration project AHEAD (At Home and At Day Care), a Utah program that is designed to deliver services to infants, toddlers, and young children (ages birth-3) with noncategorical disabilities. The program delivers services to the children and their caregivers in their natural environment, including the home, the childcare setting, or wherever the child is located. The data collected during the demonstration phase showed that all children receiving AHEAD services made steady increases in skills in all developmental domains. Upon the recommendation of a review panel, AHEAD began replication activities during years four and five of the project. During this time, early intervention agencies throughout Utah were offered the opportunity to receive AHEAD training and resources as validation/replication agencies. These included agencies that were rural and metropolitan, and both publicly and privately funded. The replication agencies have demonstrated that AHEAD materials and training can be successfully transferred across agencies, personnel, delivery systems, and children, families, and child care providers. The report includes the objectives and activities of the project, the conceptual framework, and a description of the model and participants. Appendices include an overview of AHEAD training topics, evaluation forms, and data results. (Author/CR)

This final report discusses the outcomes of a project that conducted six research studies to investigate the use of an effective teaching approach and visual display enhancements in content instruction for adolescents with learning disabilities. Four studies compared various components of the effective teaching approach with a traditional lecture approach to see the effects on acquisition and retention of content materials on students with mild disabilities. The studies investigated the effects a lecture plus effective teaching in the learning set phase of the instructional cycle, effective teaching in the presentation and guided practice phase of the instructional cycle, effective teaching in the independent practice phase of the instructional cycle, and a combination of effective teaching in the learning set, presentation and guided practice, and independent practice phases of instruction. The next study examined the role of the effective teaching approach and visual display interventions. The final study trained a regular education teacher to use the effective teaching approach in content instruction. Results found learning set activities and teacher-guided practice had positive effects on students, while teacher-directed independent practice did not help students meet the instructional demands of content classes. (CR)

This project addressed the need for training materials for paraeducators in their roles as members of the instructional team, and for teachers as classroom executives who lead that team. Paraprofessional personnel in this project include paid aides, volunteers, cross-age tutors, and parents instructing children in the schools. The three objectives of the project were: (1) training in effective teaching/instruction; (2) training for paraprofessionals; and (3) the executive functions of teaching. Formative and summative field tests in rural sites were conducted to ensure that effective, generalizable, and replicable training programs had been developed that were competency-based and field-based, and feasible within budget constraints. The project training materials and programs were designed to be easily exportable to district level, school sites, or individual classrooms. The materials, training activities and participants, facilitators, dissemination, and methodological issues are discussed in terms of project objectives. While the first year of the project was largely devoted to the development of materials, the subsequent 3 years saw training of 4,630 paraprofessionals and teachers. In addition to direct training of teachers and paraprofessionals, conferences and presentations were often attended by supervisors, state and district level administrators, and university personnel. Study data are included in tables. Appendices include Gantt Charts for the years of the study and sample forms from the training programs. (ND)

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of an outreach project of Project SKI-HI, a family-centered, home intervention model designed to provide training to early intervention professionals serving infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with hearing impairments. In the project, an early intervention professional or a parent advisor makes weekly home visits to families that have an infant, toddler, or preschooler with a hearing impairment and writes and reviews the Individualized Family Service Plan or Individualized Educational Program. The goals of the project are outlined and include: providing a complete delivery system of family-centered intervention; utilizing an innovative awareness and training approach to meet the changing audiences of direct service providers; developing materials which support early interventionists; providing training for local project trainers to enable them to train new professionals; and developing/implementing a system of technical assistance to sites. Individual sections of the report address the project's objectives and activities, conceptual framework, model, replication sites, dissemination activities, training activities, methodological/logistical problems and their resolutions, impact, and future activities. Extensive appendices include a sample newsletter, a SKI-HI training format overview, tables of contents of various SKI-HI publications, and a data report. (Contains 23 references.) (CR)

This final report presents the outcomes of Project INSITE, a family-centered home intervention model designed to provide training to early intervention/childhood professionals working with infants and young children with multidisability sensory impairments and their families. In the INSITE model, an early intervention professional visits the home of a child with sensory impairments and additional disabilities to work with the family. Parents and the professional work together as team members in determining goals, writing/reviewing the Individualized Family Service Plan or the Individualized Education Program, carrying out and monitoring activities, and preparing for transition to school programs. The report presents information on the goals, objectives, and activities of the project over the 3-year grant period. The conceptual framework for the project is discussed. A complete description of the model, replication sites, dissemination activities, and training activities is provided. The methodological/logistical problems that were faced and how they were solved are reviewed. The evaluation findings of the project are presented, and data from a validation study are included (1991-92, n=52 children; 1992-93, n=81 children; 1993-94, n=34 children). The project's impact is noted and future activities are discussed. Appendices include: sample newsletters, a family resource notebook, the INSITE Model overview, tables of contents of a family resource notebook and two volumes on the INSITE Program, a sample agenda of an INSITE workshop, an INSITE training format overview, and detailed INSITE data reports. (Contains 19 references.) (CR)

The VIISA (Vision Impaired In-Service in America) training model provided early intervention/childhood professionals with training that would help them better serve preschoolers, ages birth to five, with blindness and visual impairment. Materials and procedures for two courses were developed and taught to 344 participants in 9 states over a 3-year period. The first course focused on working with infants and toddlers in home-based programs and the second course focused on working with children ages 3 to 5 and their families in center-based preschool settings. Each course was taught over an 11 to 13 week period and consisted of: (1) an initial onsite classroom teaching at a central location; (2) homestudy units, with readings and written assignments to be mailed to the instructor, some involving observations and hands-on minipracticum experiences; (3) a 3-hour class involving videotaped material and a conference call between instructor and students located at regional sites; and (4) a final onsite class. Through the courses, participants became acquainted with specialized learning needs, curricula, teaching strategies, assessment tools, and learning materials. Near the end of the project, staff trained local instructors and assisted seven states in setting up the inservice training model using their own state instructors. This final report describes objectives, conceptual framework, activities, evaluation findings, and future activities. Appendices contain materials from the courses' training guides and program evaluation questionnaires. (JDD)

The evaluation of Utah State University's distance education course in French as a second language consists of two separate reports, one of the instructional materials used and the other based on a later site visit. Evaluation of instructional materials focuses on a commercially available textbook and related student workbook and audio tapes, an enhanced syllabus, lecture-based audiotapes, and computer programs. Methods included review of the materials, analysis of project records and reports, and a telephone survey of eight students registered in the class. Evaluation methodology is detailed in an introductory section. Results of the evaluation are then summarized separately for each of the evaluation components. It is concluded that overall, the course provides effective, well-organized instruction. Specific recommendations for improvement are offered. A list of references, the telephone survey instrument, and names of students involved in the evaluation are appended. The site visit report consists of results of face-to-face interviews with program coordinators and students and observations of participating students at two sites. Results indicate significant differences between the sites in retention and student involvement, possibly due in part to communication problems. Recommendations for improvement are made. The two interview instruments used are appended. Contains three references. (MSE)

This final report describes the Multi-Agency Project for Preschoolers (MAPPS), a project recognized as exemplary by the National Diffusion Network of the U.S. Department of Education. The Project's primary purpose was to assist states (Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming) in addressing the needs of infants and preschool children with handicaps and their families. The outreach model utilized a flexible model of training and technical assistance and a core developmental curriculum, the Curriculum and Monitoring System (CAMS). The Project stressed a child-centered focus for growth and development and a family-centered service delivery approach. This report provides information on MAPPS goals and objectives, its conceptual framework, the MAPPS Model (including the demonstration and outreach models and project objectives/timeline for 1992-1993), evaluation findings, impact, and future activities. Extensive appendices include: the MAPPS Needs Assessment instrument; examples of training and technical assistance evaluations; summary of the MAPPS technical assistance evaluations; samples of CAMS assessments, developmental charts, and curriculum sheets; and a sample workshop handout. (DB)

This report describes activities of the Integrated Outreach Project, which provided workshops and follow-up technical assistance to 248 early intervention personnel in rural areas of Utah, Idaho, Arizona, and Wyoming. Over the 3-year period, the project directly benefitted 1,183 children with disabilities and 810 typically developing peers. A training cycle of entry, contracting, action-taking, and ongoing evaluation was developed, implemented, and found to be effective and efficient in producing improved practices. Forty-five introductory and on-site workshops were given and evaluated as good or excellent by the participants. The primary focus of these workshops was to respond to the needs of teachers while the secondary focus was to promote developmentally appropriate educational practices emphasizing naturalistic instruction in inclusive settings. Project staff assisted local education agencies and programs in developing programs in the areas of mainstreaming, social integration, agency cooperation, and transition. Curriculum and assessment materials were developed and disseminated. Graduate courses in least restrictive environment and naturalistic instruction were coordinated with Utah State University. Train the trainer workshops were also provided in Utah and Idaho. A Collaborative Consultation Manual was developed and disseminated. Appendices include data on participant evaluation of workshops, program effectiveness, curriculum samples, and data collection forms. (Contains 32 references.) (DB)