The following research and or publications eminate from Kimi Ora School
1. Research on the MOVE Curriculum
2. The treatment of articulatory impairment in a child with spastic dysarthia associated with cerebral palsy
3. Curriculum Exemplars for teachers of students with special learning needs
4. Effects of articulation therapy and core vocabulary on the phonetic repertoire of children with multiple disabilities
5. Electronic assistive technology tools to support students with special education needs in mainstream classes
6. NeuroSwitch developments
7. The fire inside: An exploration of the construct of 'spirit' within children with special needs
1. The MOVE Curriculum
Completed by Don Stevens as part of a Master of Education: Special Education through Massey University.
This study investigated the effects of the MOVE Curriculum on the
development of functional mobility skills in four students with a physical
disability. A single subject multiple
baseline design was used. Repeated measures during baseline and intervention
phases were taken for each subject. Three students demonstrated progress in
their functional mobility skills. One student withdrew from the study before it
was completed due to her medical condition. Results for each participant are
discussed along with educational implications.
For more information or a copy of this research, contact Don
Stevens. principal@kimiora.school.nz
2. The treatment of articulatory impairment in a child with spastic dysarthia associated with cerebral palsy
Completed by Julie Marchant as part of a Master of Speech Language Therapy through Canterbury University.
Marchant, J.,
McAuliffe, M.J., & Huckabee, M-L. (in press 07/08/07). Treatment of
articulatory impairment in a child with spastic dysarthria associated with
spastic cerebral palsy. Developmental
Neurorehabilitation.
Background: A comparative study of treatment modalities for
improving articulation in a 13-year-old child with severe spastic dysarthria
associated with spastic cerebral palsy (SCP) was conducted.
Method: A multiple treatment design examined the effect of phonetic placement
therapy (PPT) and sEMG-facilitated biofeedback relaxation therapy over a
six-week period. Treatment outcomes were measured using acoustic and perceptual
analysis.
Results: Results revealed significant improvement in single word intelligibility
following PPT with the improvements maintained following sEMG treatment. sEMG-facilitated
biofeedback relaxation treatment indicated the occurrence of a pre-cursor skill
in increased motor control. Intelligibility at paragraph or sentence level did
not change following either treatment. Perceptually, there was no change to any
parameters of articulation following either treatment. However, subtle changes
were observed on acoustic analysis. Functionally, the participant reported no
changes to feelings of well-being or distress regarding her speech disorder
over the period of intervention.
Conclusions: Clinically, the PPT and sEMG treatments demonstrated
improvement in single word articulation, despite no perceptible changes to
overall intelligibility. It is likely that the severity of the participant’s
dysarthria was a factor in the minimal changes observed following treatment.
Future studies examining the treatments in children with mild and/or moderate
dysarthria are required.
A copy of the article may be seen at:
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content?content=10.1080/17518420701622697&jumptype=alert&alerttype=ifirst_alert,email
For more information or a copy of the research contact Julie
Marchant. juliem@kimiora.school.nz
3. Curriculum
Exemplars for teachers of students with special learning needs
English
Curriculum: Oral Language, Written Language and Visual Language
The
central region special schools comprising; Arahunga School, Wanganui, Fairhaven
School, Napier, Hohepa School Napier,
Kapi Mana School, Porirua, Kimi Ora School, Wellington and Kowhai School, Hastings have published three
books of English Curriculum Exemplars; Oral, Written and Visual.
These
curriculum documents include achievement objectives, progress indicator
matrices, exemplars of student work and a glossary. The resource is
specifically designed to give an holistic description of students learning as
“pathways within level one” and to assist teachers to form “next step” teaching
decisions. The documents merge with, and should be used in conjunction with NZ
Curriculum Exemplars Level One.
The
learning progressions in these documents include students of every
ability. Through a matrix of learning progressions teachers can
identify the next teaching step. The learning progressions
are illustrated by exemplars of student work.
Copies
of the curriculum documents can be purchased from Fairhaven School,
Napier. Price:$59.95 + gst + postage and packing.
The
cluster of special schools also delivers professional development on this
resource. Contact Jann Carvell, Principal, Fairhaven School
for information on this service. Jann@fairhaven.net.nz
Mathematics
Curriculum: The cluster is currently
developing curriculum documentation in Mathematics. This project commenced in
2007 and is funded through the Ministry of Education’s Extending High Standards
project.
4. An evaluation of two interventions on the phonic repertoire of children with multiple disabilites
Hannah
Clements has completed a thesis as part of a Master of Speech
Language Therapy through Canterbury
University.
Children who have multiple disabilities often have
complex communicational needs. To augment or supplement these children’s
communication skills some form of alternative and augmentative communication
(AAC) may be provided. However it has been found that parents fear AAC will
prevent focus on verbal output which is the preferred way of communication. This study investigated the impact of a
combined therapy approach on the phonetic repertoire of children with multiple
disabilities. In addition, changes in
communication intent were also explored.
Each child received intervention across four, 20-30 minute sessions per
week for six weeks. Results show that
all of the children made improvements, however not all changes were significant.
Clinical implications of the study
include the notion that working on traditional therapy techniques can improve
the speech and language of children who have multiple disabilities and there is
a need to look further at traditional therapies and incorporate AAC into these.
For further information contact Hannah Clements. hannahc@kimiora.school.nz
5. Electronic Assistive Technology Tools to Support
Students with Special Education Needs in Mainstream Classes.
What are the Issues for Teachers?
Completed by Judy Waterhouse, 2005 e-Fellow.
People with physical
disabilities depend on assistive technologies to provide as much independence
as possible. There is often a greater expectation that technologically complex
assistive devices will lead to success for a student. The challenge for
teachers is how best to use these tools to support students to be active
learners.
Teachers from a variety of
schools responded to a questionnaire. The major issues identified were a need
for support and training in the use and application of the devices, time
required to become skilled, adaptation of classroom programmes and materials to
accommodate the device and who to contact when the device needs repair.
The research project
identified the device as being used primarily for communication. AlphaSmart, Lightwriter, AlphaTalker, and a NeuroSwitch were some of
the devices investigated.
The research project was made
possible through the Ministry of Education’s e-learning Fellowships and awarded
for 2005.
http://www.efellows.org.nz/?q=blog/10
For more information or for a copy of the research contact Judy
Waterhouse. judywaterhouse@xtra.co.nz
6. Neuroswitch
Kimi Ora School has a straetgic alliance with Control Bionics the creators and developers of the NeuroSwitch. Go to www.controlbionics.com
Kimi Ora School is becoming the first global Magnet
Center for NeuroSwitch technology, providing assessment and training
services for future clients and institutions - private and government - and
developing a Therapist Knowledge Base that will benefit users, therapists,
physicians and institutions worldwide.
David Speden, Occupational Therapist, has pushed and extended use of the NeuroSwitch. For David Speden's work go to:
http://www.controlbionics.com/neuroswitch_assistive_technology_dave_speden.htm
To contact Dave: daves@kimiora.school.nz
Former staff members of Kimi Ora School Judy
Waterhouse, Deputy Principal, and Carleen Cordes, Speech Language Therapist, has also
contributed to these developments. Their work can be viewed on the
Control Bionics website.
7.The fire inside: An exploration of the construct of 'spirit' within children with special needs
Amy
Youngs, Occupational Therapist is completing this research through
Otago Polytechnic as part of the Bachelor of Occupational Therapy
Honours course.
The
uniqueness of an individual has been recognized by occupational therapists
since the earliest records of the practice.
In part, this is because there is major emphasis in occupational therapy
for occupation to be meaningful to the person; to motivate and engage the
client during therapy. A number of terms can be used to refer to this
‘uniqueness’ of a person such as their inner drive, their personality, and or
their spirit. A standard dictionary
definition of spirit contains a number of definitions. Spirit can be considered the very core or
essence of a person (McColl, 2000).
The
notion of spirit is considered a fundamental part of occupational therapy. However there is currently no published
literature that states what spirit is and how it is recognised by therapists. People
with multiple disabilities who are non-verbal have significant limitations with
expressing themselves. Therefore given
that their expression of self is limited; people may relate with the person’s
spirit. This study explores how people recognise, connect and respond to the
spirit within students with special needs.
To contact Amy email: amyy@kimiora.school.nz
