This study explored 40 Turkish mothers’ interaction styles and interactive engagement behaviors with their children with severe autism spectrum disorder. Participating mothers’ interactions with their children with severe autism spectrum disorder were recorded and video recordings of the interactions were analyzed using the Turkish Version of Maternal Behavior Rating Scale (TV-MBRS; Diken, 2009) and the Turkish Version of Child Behavior Rating Scale (TV-CBRS; Diken, 2009). Study findings indicated that mothers of children with severe autism spectrum disorder displayed higher rates of directive interactions styles with their children with severe autism and lower rates of sensitivity and responsiveness. Children with severe autism spectrum disorders also showed lower rates of attentiveness and social initiation behaviors during their interactions with their mothers. Findings of the study were discussed in relation to the literature on mother child interactions of children with autism spectrum disorders and research on available interventions designed for children with autism spectrum disorders.

This study was planned due to the crucial need for a standardized measure of early literacy with demonstrated validity and reliability for Turkish children. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a standardized measure of early literacy-the Test of Early Literacy (TEL) for kindergarten children and to test its validity and reliability. Participants were 403 kindergarten children selected from several schools located in neighborhoods of different socioeconomic statuses in Ankara. The early literacy skills of children were tested with seven sub-tests of TEL (Receptive Language, Expressive Language, Category Naming, Function Knowledge, Letter Knowledge, Phonological Awareness, and Listening Comprehension). The gathered data was used to analyze the validity and reliability of TEL. In general, the findings suggest that TEL has adequate validity and reliability for evaluating the early literacy skills of Turkish kindergarten children.

The aim of this study was to analyze the giftedness profile in Ankara city sample based on the Wechsler Individual Intelligence Test Revised Form (WISC-R). The study group consisted of 503 students who attented the Science and Arts Centers in Ankara by meeting the giftedness criteria between 2010 and 2012 academic years. Participants’ demographic information and WISC-R scores were obtained from their files. Their WISC-R scores were analyzed descriptively and giftedness profile in Ankara was identified using Single Sample Profile Analysis. The subtests in which students demonstrated high and low performance were also examined. Results showed that students’ verbal scale scores were significantly higher than their performance scale scores. Students received highest scores in the Similarities subtest measuring logical thinking and verbal abstract reasoning skills and in the Block Design subtest measuring visual-spatial reasoning skills while they received the lowest scores in the Coding subtest measuring associative nonverbal learning and attention skills and in the Arithmetic subtest measuring numerical reasoning, problem solving, and attention skills. Results also showed that students demonstrated “strength” in the Block Design and Similarities subtestsand demonstrated “weakness” in the Coding subtest. Results and implications for practice are discussed in the light of previous research findings.

This is a review study which is about social skill teaching with group intended for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) between 2000-2011. The overall objective of this social skill studies are qualified to increase their ability to interact with their peers with normal developments. For this reason, group teaching has a big importance. SST are quite limited with the intervention of group. The 20 articles are obtained intended for this study. The researches have made with 379 in total, and 350 attendants of them have different diagnoses scale of the ASD. The different teaching methods are used and its effectiveness is presented, and it can also be obvious effectiveness of different methods in teaching with group. The few of the studies prove the effectiveness of teaching in generalization and following studies. For that reason, when the social skill teaching (SST) is done, it should be more concentrate on generalization and following studies. It can be gathered different data in social validity studies. The main aim of the social skill studies is to establish and increase the communication with normal development equal. For that reason, social validity data can be obtained using the social comparison. The studies’ percentage of the reliability and pragmatic reliability is so low among the observers and it should be managed more carefully in future studies. The SST with group intervention is a newly teaching method. Moreover; it is seen rarely. Although, it has so many problems in teaching process, the studies show us that SST with group intervention has highly effect. The complications and applications in the field of teaching increase, the teaching will be systematic and applicability will increase according to the solution suggestions. In spide of the some difficulties, the SST with group intervention is a hopeful social skill teaching method due to its effects.

Counting is an important math skill which requires saying number words in the correct order, matching each object with a number word while counting a single group of objects and counting each object once, and involves a certain order. Most of the students learn to count through their experiences in daily life, books or rhymes or through informal means by imitating their parents. However, students underperforming in math need more tips, structured teaching practices and more exercise in order to acquire counting skills. Therefore, for students underperforming in math to gain counting skills, which are often used in daily life and required to acquire advanced math skills, successful experiences should be provided by open expression methods in which tips are directly delivered and repeat exercises enough to allow them master the skill should be included. Purpose of this paper is to explain counting skills, to suggest strategies for teachers to use while helping underperforming students in math to acquire counting skills, and to provide teachers with recommendations about key points to consider while teaching these skills.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of skill-based, performance-based and integrated interventions inimproving reading fluency of students with low vision. Participants were four students, two girls, two boys enrolledin an elementary school for students with visual impairments located in Ankara. Two of the participants were fifth graders and the remaining two were fourth graders. The study was conducted intwophases, a brief experimental analysis (BEA) phase and an extended analysis (EA) phase.In order to determine the most effective two interventions or intervention packages, thebrief experimental analysis was implemented to increase the reading fluencyof students with low vision. A brief multi-element design was used during the BEA phase. An alternating treatment designwas implemented in the extenden analysis phase. The independent variables of the study were repeated readings, performance feedback, passage preview, performance feedback+reward, repeated readings+reward and repeatedreadings+performance feedback.The results showed that the most effective intervention that increased the reading fluencyof students with low vision was varied among the participants.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of play expansions in increasing play diversity and complexity of preschool children with visual impairments. The study was conducted using a multiple baseline design. Participants of the study were three children with visual impairments whose ages were ranged between 5 and 6, and attended a public school for students with visual impairments located in Ankara. Two participants attended a classroom and the other student attended another classroom at the same preschool. All three students had severe visual imapirments without having other disabilities. The findings of the study showed that play expansions were effective in increasing play diversity and complexity of children with visual impairments. The results also showed that the participants continued to display an increased level of play diversity and complexity five months after the study was completed.

Reading is one of the most important skills for children to acquire knowledge. But individuals with low vision may have difficulties in reading and may need additional support and adaptations. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the use of enlarged font size, magnifier, and adapted computer technologies in increasing reading speeds of students with visual impairments. The participants of the study were three 4th grade students with low vision who enrolled in an elementary school for students with visual impairments located in Ankara. Participating three students, two females and one male, displayed reading speeds at the classroom level. An Alternating Treatment Design was used in the study. Study results showed that the most effective treatment for three participants was the use of magnifier. Study findings were discussed, suggestions for future research and practice were provided.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of self-monitoring on on-task behaviors and percent of correct response of children with autism spectrum disorders. The study group consisted of three children with autism who were aged 10 to 11 and who attended a special education rehabilitation center in Ankara. A multiple probe design with probes across subjects was applied as research design. The results showed that self-monitoring increased on-task behaviors of three subjects and it also considerably increased academic achievement related to addition skills of two subjects. Moreover the findings exhibited that the subjects maintained their achievements on on-task behaviors and percent of correct response after two, four, and six weeks after the intervention was terminated and they also transferred their skills to group settings. Social validity of this study was conducted by teacher interviews and teachers indicated that self-monitoring was effective and easy to implement. The results of this study are discussed in line with the current literature and suggestions for practice are included.

In this case study, the effects of Modified Cognitive Strategy Instruction (MCSI) on the story writing skills and procedural knowledge of writing process of a student with mild intellectual disability was investigated. The student is attending the 6th grade special education class. MCSI was designed in accordance with the instructional properties of Cognitive Strategy Instruction in Writing and Self-Regulation Strategy Development. In this study, the stories of student were assessed respect to the story elements, quality and length. Furthermore, the time spent by the student for writing was also calculated. In order to determine student’s procedural knowledge of writing process, metacognitive interview was administered. In consequence of instruction, the student showed improvement in terms of all the study variables. In the study, the results were discussed and suggestions for further implementation and research were provided.

The purpose of the current study is to treat in-classroom transitions of preschoolers in inclusive preschools and the transition strategies teachers use to facilitate these in-classroom transitions. In literature, it is emphasized that well-managed transitions decrease the time used for transitioning so increase the time will be used for engaging with academic activities; contrary ineffective transitions may result with challanging behaviors and so cause lose of a valuable school time with doing nothing. For this reason, in the literature, many transition strategies are introduced and there are many researches have been held for their effectiveness. In this review, in-classroom transitions are defined and the transition strategies inclusive preschool teachers’ use to facilitate in-classroom transitions are introduced.

Effective mainstreaming in the literature suggests taking into account the students’ individual differences and making educational/instructional practices as accepting all students as well as being inclusive. Even though effective classroom and behavior management are very critical especially for teachers who have students with special needs in their classrooms, classroom and behavior management in teacher education has been neglected in teacher education, and this neglect has led to poor education about this topic in undergraduate studies as well as in in-service education programs for teachers. Therefore, it is suggested that mainstream teachers need support for classroom management. The purpose of this study is to examine opinions and needs of elementary mainstream classroom teachers about classroom management. In order to collect data, an interview form was developed that consisted of semi-structured questions to identify opinions, competencies, needs of teachers about mainstreaming practices and about classroom management practices in mainstream classrooms; and in-depth interviews were conducted with six elementary teachers using this form. The finding showed that the mainstream teachers had “limitations in knowledge and skills about mainstreaming practices” and they had “difficulties in classroom management” in mainstream classrooms.

It is a narrative or a story that is one of the most common verbal language expressions, which children use very often to express themselves. Children start to acquire their ability to tell a story at early ages. A narrative analysis provides us with the information about how it combines the information of linguistic areas. A narrative shows clearly the developmental progress and can be used as a means of the evaluation of verbal linguistic development. The linguistic development in the future can be predicted with the evaluation of the narrative development because the narratives have more complex linguistic structures than the daily language. In addition, early narrative skills are the predictors of the academic skills in the future. That’s why, the narrative should be one of the intervention targets in school-age children who have a difficulty in learning the language