Publications (Read More)

Fodor, J, Campbell, K.B., & Flinn, C. (2002). Positive behavioral supports for young adults: Meeting behavioral challenges in community-based settings.Exceptional Parent, May.

This article provides information on the transition from high school, for young adults with disabilities and their families. Positive Behavioral Supports is described, and the steps for obtaining services during transition from high school are outlined and explained. Topics in this paper include the behavioral intervention plan and self development including problem solving, feelings and emotions, social pragmatics, and self management.

Olson, J., McMurray, C. (1997). Making meetings work.Children and Families: The Magazine of the National Head Start Association, 16 (3), 26-28.

Recognizing that all issues may not require a regularly scheduled meeting and that there are several different styles of meetings that are appropriate can save time and money for busy teams. This article provides practical ideas to help teams plan and facilitate efficient and effective meetings. Important, but often forgotten, meeting evaluation techniques are also covered.

Olson, J. & Murphy, C.L. (1999). Self-assessment: A key process of successful team development. Young Exceptional Children, 2 (3), 2-8.

When learners set their own directions for change, education can result in a broader ownership of and commitment to established goals. The process of developing goals often begins with self-assessment. Self-assessment can help to highlight areas of strength and concern and to determine desired outcomes for use during inservice education. However, in the area of team development, there are few if any published instruments that measure changes in teaming practices. This article contains a description of an instrument developed for early childhood teams to self-assess their teaming skills and outcomes.

Olson, J., Murphy, C. L., & Olson, P. D. (1998). Building effective, successful teams: An interactive teaming model for inservice education. >Journal of Early Intervention, 21 (4), 339-349.

While methods for developing and delivering quality inservice education currently are receiving attention, few researchers or practitioners have focused on delivering inservice education to teams rather than individuals. The interactive teaming model for inservice education described in this article builds upon the essential components of quality inservice education and was designed for use by teams of early childhood personnel (e.g., Head Starts, public preschools). A description of the inservice model, its critical features, how these features are linked with an interactive teaming format, and results of preliminary participant evaluations are also presented.

Olson, J., Murphy, C. L. & Olson, P.D. (1999). Readying parents and teachers for the inclusion of children with disabilities: A step-by-step process. Young Children, 54(3), 18-22.

Research has shown that the success or failure of an inclusive program is highly dependent on the program’s understanding of the attitudes and concerns of all involved, in particular parents and teachers. In this article, we describe our experiences with a local school district preschool program on its journey toward inclusion. Although numerous articles are available on teaching strategies that promote inclusion, the purpose here is to provide insight into system-level changes needed to support inclusive preschool activities.

Olson, J., Olson, P.D., McMurray, C.L. & Jenkins, S. (1997). Start-up and subsequent triggers to inclusive preschool programs and their impacts on performance. Academy of Educational Leadership Journal, 1( 1 & 2), 12-30.

A qualitative research design was used to examine (a) what triggers an organization to begin an inclusive preschool program, (b) if a program’s initial trigger continues to be an incentive or is replaced by a subsequent trigger, and (c) if trigger patterns have different impacts on the performance of an inclusive program. Thirty interview participants were chosen from lists of inclusive preschool programs provided by state departments of education in three Western states. Important results for educational leaders were that (a) inclusive programs are initially triggered about half the time by internal forces and the other half by external forces, (b) the initial trigger for about half of the inclusive programs is replaced by a different subsequent trigger, and (c) different trigger patterns tend to impact the success of inclusive programs. Limitations of the current study and areas for further research are also discussed.

Olson, P.D., Olson, J. & Murphy C. L. (1998). Empowering teams to promote change: The leadership challenge. Academy of Educational Leadership Journal, 2 (1 & 2), 35-39.

Empowered employee teams are frequently used in both education and business arenas to improve quality and facilitate organizational change. However, teams do not always achieve their goals due to a lack of preparation/training and leadership support. The purpose of this paper is to discuss four effective leadership strategies for empowered teams. Vignettes of the experiences and outcomes of two organizations’ use of empowered employee teams are also included.

Olson, J., Olson, P.D., Pingayak, T., Sterling, K.W., & Pierzchanowski, L.K.M. (2002). Learning from and working with Yup'ik Professionals. Symposium on Research and Evaluation Methodology: Lifespan issues related to American Indians/Alaska Natives with Disabilities, Washington DC, Work Group on American Indian Research and Program Evaluation Methodology.

This chapter describes a participatory action research project carried out by three groups of people: Native Yup'ik Alaskans, the University of Idaho, and the Rural Alaska Community Action Program. The product demonstrates how respectful collaborations among these groups grew into partnerships of progress where Yup'ik educators were able to meet the early childhood education goals of their communities.

Parks, A.L., & Fodor-Davis, J.A. (1997). Managing violent and disruptive students. In C.C. Thomas & T.N. Fairchild (Eds.), Crisis intervention strategies for school-based helpers (2nd ed.) (pp. 245-277). Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.

This chapter discusses dealing with violent and disruptive children in a school setting, beginning with which students are violent and disruptive. Prevention strategies are discussed, which include creating and effective learning environment throughout the school, where social competency can be learned. prevention methods within the classroom are also discussed. Interventions are covered in more detail, beginning with a brief overview of three models used to design interventions. A variety of strategies for intervention are discussed, including minimal intrusion, more formal strategies, counseling strategies, constructive confrontation, psychoactive drugs, coping, and suspension/expulsion. The resources available in the community, and the need for home-school cooperation are discussed, as are ethics and some guidelines for ethical decisions making when dealing with violent and disruptive students.

Seiler, R. (2002). Parent support project: Demonstrating the value of assistive technology. Disability, Pregnancy, and Parenthood International, No. 39, July 2002.

This article describes the Parent Support Project, a pilot program to provide assistive technology and related services to parents with disabilities. The difficulties faced by parents with disabilities in caring for their children, and the need for parenting support, are noted. Topics covered include assistive technology provided, who was involved in the project, how this benefited the family, and the challenges in providing assistive technology and related services.