Teaching Students with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities

Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2021 Teaching Students With Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities Tami Lynn Hardesty-Jaynes Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Walden University College of Education This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by Tami L. Hardesty-Jaynes has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Phyllis LeDosquet, Committee Chairperson, Education Faculty Dr. Michael Marrapodi, Committee Member, Education Faculty Dr. Charlotte Redden, University Reviewer, Education Faculty Chief Academic Officer and Provost Sue Subocz, Ph.D. Walden University 2021 Abstract Teaching Students With Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities by Tami L. Hardesty-Jaynes MA, Muskingum University, 2001 BA, Mount Vernon Nazarene University, 1991 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Special Education Walden University April 2021 Abstract In the United States, students with disabilities are protected by federal and state law, with rigorous learning standards mandated for all students. Research on the education of students with severe disabilities has focused on students on the upper end of the severe disability spectrum, but few studies in the United States have addressed the education of students with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD). This qualitive, exploratory multiple case study focused on how teachers are providing appropriate and meaningful education to students with PIMD. Theoretical foundations were based on the work of Dewey and Vygotsky, who argued that appropriate education includes elements of communication, self-actualization, and social justice, as well as Nakken and Vlaskamp, who argued for an international understanding of the characteristics of individuals with PIMD. The conceptual framework was developed in response to issues of student identification, ethical practices, and legal mandates. Data were collected from interviews with four teachers from the Midwestern United States who teach students with PIMD, and examination of formal educational documents. Data were analyzed using hand coding to identify categories and themes. The resulting themes included a lack of teacher preparation and access to guidance for teaching students with PIMD, as well as the importance of meaningful relationships and activities for these students. Analysis indicated a mismatch between the characteristics of students with PIMD and current educational standards and expectations. Findings may provide special education teachers with insights that promote a broader vision of meaningful education as they recognize, dignify, and respond to the unique educational needs of students with PIMD. Teaching Students With Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities by Tami L. Hardesty-Jaynes MA, Muskingum University, 2001 BA, Mount Vernon Nazarene University, 1991 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Special Education Walden University April, 2021 Table of Contents List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... vi List of Figures ................................................................................................................... vii Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study ....................................................................................1 Background ....................................................................................................................4 Broad Picture of Student Identification in Education ........................................... 10 Defining the Population Outside the Educational Realm: The Health Care Taxonomy of Profound Disability ............................................................ 13 Problem Statement .......................................................................................................20 Educational Standards and Curriculum ................................................................ 20 Published Curricula and Profound Disability ....................................................... 23 Purpose of Study ..........................................................................................................26 Research Questions ......................................................................................................27 Frameworks of Study ...................................................................................................27 Theoretical Framework ......................................................................................... 27 Conceptual Framework ......................................................................................... 29 Nature of Study ............................................................................................................30 Definitions....................................................................................................................31 Assumptions .................................................................................................................33 Scope and Delimitations ..............................................................................................34 Limitations ...................................................................................................................34 Threats to External Validity .................................................................................. 34 i Threats to Internal Validity and Credibility .......................................................... 37 Issues of Trustworthiness ...................................................................................... 38 Significance..................................................................................................................39 Summary ......................................................................................................................40 Chapter 2: Literature Review .............................................................................................42 Clarifying the Population .............................................................................................42 Literature Search Strategy............................................................................................46 Theoretical Foundation ................................................................................................48 Conceptual Framework ................................................................................................52 Literature Review.........................................................................................................56 Establishing the Rights of Students With Disabilities .......................................... 58 Beyond IDEA........................................................................................................ 62 Common Core and Extended Educational Standards ........................................... 67 Philosophical and Ethical Considerations of Practice in PIMD ........................... 71 Academic Considerations in PIMD ...................................................................... 80 Discovering the Foundation Through Research ................................................... 90 Research Design and Approach ............................................................................ 92 Justification for the Methodological Paradigm ..................................................... 94 Summary and Conclusions ..........................................................................................96 Chapter 3: Research Method ............................................................................................100 Research Design and Rationale .................................................................................100 Research Questions ............................................................................................. 100 ii Research Method: Multiple Case Study ............................................................. 101 Design of Study................................................................................................... 102 Role of the Researcher ...............................................................................................104 Methodology ..............................................................................................................107 Participant Selection Logic ................................................................................. 107 Data Saturation.................................................................................................... 108 Instrumentation ................................................................................................... 109 Procedures ..........................................................................................................

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