Instructional Content and Self-Determination in Individualized Education Program Annual Goals for Students With Extensive Support Needs.

Under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, individualized education program (IEP) annual goals are required to enable students with disabilities to be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum and to address other educational needs. This study reports findings from a content analysis of the annual goals in 88 IEPs for K-12 students with extensive support needs. Results reflect a lack of comprehensive academic content goals to promote involvement and progress in the general education curriculum, and limited opportunities for students to develop skills associated with self-determination. Findings also show a focus within goals on student compliance rather than the development of meaningful skills and knowledge. Implications for research and practice are provided.

Curricular Philosophies Reflected in Individualized Education Program Goals for Students With Complex Support Needs.

Individualized education program (IEP) goals are meant to be personalized to address the unique needs of students with disabilities, while also reflecting the student's grade-aligned general education curriculum. IEP goals describe what, how, and where students with disabilities are taught, and reflect the curriculum used to provide instruction. In this study, we analyzed how IEP goals align with the different curricular philosophies for students with severe disabilities. Using a sample of 88 IEPs for students with complex support needs (i.e., severe disabilities) in Grades K-12, we found most goals (57%) reflect curricular philosophies of the 1970s-1990s (i.e., developmental, functional, and social inclusion) eras, with only 26% of IEP goals representative of modern curricular philosophies (i.e., grade-aligned academic content). We also found secondary-aged students were less likely to have grade-aligned academic goals compared to elementary-aged students. We offer implications for ensuring individualization and goals reflecting skills needed for the 21st century.

Alignment of Supplementary Aids and Services With Student Needs and Placement.

Trends in the supplementary aids and services (SAS) written in individualized education programs (IEPs) for students with significant disabilities (a) in different educational placements, (b) with and without behavior support plans (BSP), and (c) with and without complex communication needs (CCN) are examined using multivariate analysis of variance. Results show no significant differences in SAS for students across separate, resource, and inclusive placements. Students with BSPs had significantly more collaborative and behavior SAS than those without BSPs. Students with CCN had significantly more social-communication SAS than those whose IEPs indicated little to no communication support needs; however, 51.1% of students with CCN had no social-communication SAS. Findings raise concern around the extent to which SAS are considered before placement decisions, the high frequency of paraprofessional support for students with BSPs, and the low frequency of social-communication SAS written for students with CCN. Implications for policy, practice, and future research are provided.

The Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction and Students With Extensive Support Needs in Inclusive Settings.

There is a strong link between the development of skills associated with self-determination (i.e., choice-making, decision-making, problem solving, goal setting and attainment, planning, self-management, self-advocacy, self-awareness, and self-knowledge) and positive school (e.g., academic achievement) and postschool (e.g., employment, community access) outcomes. In this article, we advocate for an examination of research related to the impact, usability, and cultural sustainability of an evidence-based intervention intended to enable students to enhance skills associated with self-determination, the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI), when used to support students with extensive support needs, including students with intellectual and developmental disability (IDD). Theoretical foundations of the construct of self-determination and its applicability for all people and extant research on implementation of the SDLMI and students with extensive support needs are presented. Implications for researchers are addressed, including the impact, usability, and cultural sustainability of the SDLMI for students with extensive support needs, and the potential of the SDLMI to support all students in inclusive settings when implemented as a universal support.

A Description of Parent Input in IEP Development Through Analysis IEP Documents.

Parent input in individualized education program (IEP) development is the clear expectation in U.S. education law. Every IEP team must include parents, and their input must be equally considered when developing IEPs. The present study used content analysis of 88 IEPs of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities to explore team membership, concerns parents raised during IEP meetings, and evidence that parent concerns and priorities are reflected in IEP goals and supplementary aids and services. Findings reveal that although parents express a range of concerns and priorities, these are translated into goals or services only two thirds of the time. We provide implications of these findings for research and practice.

From in vitro to ex vivo: subcellular localization and uptake of graphene quantum dots into solid tumors.

Among various nanoparticles tested for pharmacological applications over the recent years, graphene quantum dots (GQDs) seem to be promising candidates for the construction of drug delivery systems due to their superior biophysical and biochemical properties. The subcellular fate of incorporated nanomaterial is decisive for transporting pharmaceuticals into target cells. Therefore a detailed characterization of the uptake of GQDs into different breast cancer models was performed. The demonstrated accumulation inside the endolysosomal system might be the reason for the particles' low toxicity, but has to be overcome for cytosolic or nuclear drug delivery. Furthermore, the penetration of GQDs into precision-cut mammary tumor slices was studied. These constitute a far closer to reality model system than monoclonal cell lines. The constant uptake into the depth of the tissue slices underlines the systems' potential for drug delivery into solid tumors.

Introducing evidence-based practice to an inpatient child and adolescent psychiatry unit.

OBJECTIVE: An evidence-based practice (EBP) course was presented to the nonphysician clinical staff of an inpatient child psychiatry unit to assess change in attitude and knowledge. METHODS: Staff members were surveyed to determine change in attitudes and knowledge. RESULTS: The staff gained knowledge about EBP and attitudes were positive overall, indicating that the staff was much more likely to use EBP after the course. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the feasibility of teaching EBP to inpatient child psychiatry staff, although the small sample size was a significant limitation and further studies are indicated.

Pediatric case report of quetiapine overdose and QTc prolongation.

BACKGROUND: Consideration of the risk of QTc interval prolongation associated with atypical antipsychotic administration is mounting, as this can lead to sudden cardiac death. METHODS: This is a case report of a 14-year-old boy with a history of major depressive disorder with psychotic features, post-traumatic stress disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and polysubstance abuse who ingested 1900 mg of quetiapine. RESULTS: One and one half hours after ingestion, the QTc interval lengthened from 453 msec to 618 msec on the printout (manual calculation was 444 msec to 500 msec, respectively). On the baseline EKG, the QTc interval was 411 msec (manual calculation of 416 msec). CONCLUSION: This report presents an association between higher doses of quetiapine, resulting in higher serum levels and QTc interval prolongation. Also, this report demonstrates the importance of manually calculating the QTc interval to ensure accuracy of the measurement. A review of the literature revealed two case reports and a study where quetiapine was associated with an increase in QTc interval. Further studies are necessary to understand the relationship between higher doses of quetiapine, resulting in higher serum levels, and the propensity for QTc interval prolongation to ensure safe clinical use of this medication.