University of Portland Pilot Scholars Graduate Theses and Dissertations 2021 The Impact of Neuro-Education Intervention Methods Upon the Learning and Development of an Individual with Developmental Disabilities Christopher Merideth Follow this and additional works at: https://pilotscholars.up.edu/etd Part of the Educational Methods Commons, and the Special Education and Teaching Commons Recommended Citation Merideth, Christopher, "The Impact of Neuro-Education Intervention Methods Upon the Learning and Development of an Individual with Developmental Disabilities" (2021). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 81. https://pilotscholars.up.edu/etd/81 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Pilot Scholars. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Pilot Scholars. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Impact of Neuro-Education Intervention Methods Upon the Learning and Development of an Individual with Developmental Disabilities by Christopher Merideth A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Leading and Learning University of Portland School of Education 2021 DocuSign Envelope ID: FEFCFD0D-B94A-47CD-9B16-B73E0E4D8691 The Impact of Neuro-Education Intervention Methods Upon the Learning and Development of an Individual with Developmental Disabilities by Christopher Merideth This dissertation is completed as a partial requirement for the Doctor of Education (EdD) degree at the University of Portland in Portland, Oregon. Approved: REDACTED 3/26/2021 ___ _______________________ _______________ Chairperson Date REDACTED 3/26/2021 __ _______________________ _______________ Committee Member Date REDACTED 3/28/2021 ____ ______________________ _______________ Committee Member Date If applicable: ________________________________________ _______________ Additional Committee Member Date ________________________________________ _______________ Additional Committee Member Date Approved: REDACTED 3/29/2021 ____ ________________________ _______________ Graduate Program Director Date REDACTED 3/29/2021 _____ _______________________ _______________ Dean of the Unit Date REDACTED 3/29/2021 ___ ________________________ _______________ Dean of the Graduate School or Representative Date iii Abstract The purpose of this qualitative retrospective case study was to measure the impact that intervention methods derived from Arwood’s Neuro-Education Model had upon the learning and development of one young adult with moderate to severe developmental disabilities. One participant received the intervention methods over the course of 2 years from a single practitioner operating in a private clinic setting. Drawings, writings, and oral language samples were coded and analyzed to track how the participant evolved over time in the developmental domains of cognition, language, and social-emotional functioning. Additionally, these same artifacts were coded and analyzed to identify changes to the participant’s capacity for learning, as measured by language function. At the onset of the study the participant was 16 years of age, yet functioned at levels associated with 3- to 4-year-old developmental milestones. Results demonstrated that the participant exhibited approximately 3 years of growth in language development, 2 years of growth in cognitive development, and 3 years of growth in social-emotional development during the time period studied. Similarly, results showed that the participant advanced in all measured language functions including semanticity function, referential function, productivity function, flexibility function, and displacement of ideas. These advancements were observed in multiple literacy processes including thinking, speaking, listening, reading, writing, drawing, observing, and calculating. The participant was also reported to have experienced demonstrable changes to their quality of life including greater social- iv emotional engagement with family members and peers at school. Though this study was not experimental by design, and thus causation could not be confirmed, the changes observed in the participant throughout this study were hypothesized to have occurred primarily due to their exposure to the Neuro-Education based methods, as these particular interventions had not been experienced by the participant prior to them initiating services at the clinic setting. v Acknowledgements I am sincerely grateful for the help provided to me by so many people including my colleagues, friends, and family members. First, a thank you is in order to my committee who provided continued guidance. Thank you also to all of those who helped me refine my writing including Dr. Bonnie Robb, Dr. Nicole Ralston, Dr. Randy Hetherington, Dr. Deirdre Katz, and my mother, Lynn. Much appreciation goes to my Ed.D cohort members for supporting me along this journey, with a special thanks to soon-to-be Dr. Ana Lia Oliva for always being willing to bounce new ideas around – no matter how big or small. The study of Neuro-Education would not be possible without Dr. Ellyn Arwood, who long ago envisioned a way that the education of young people could follow a more humanistic trajectory if we better understood how children learn best. Here’s hoping that your work will continue to inspire many more generations of teachers to come. Lastly, the completion of this work would not have been possible without the ongoing help and support from my wife Tiffany. Your feedback helped shape my dissertation from beginning to end and continued to instill confidence at the most essential times. vi Dedication This work is dedicated to each and every person who has struggled to learn at some point in their life. May you know that there is always a way for your brain to begin firing again when provided the right combination of input. vii Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ v List of Tables ................................................................................................................ xv List of Figures .............................................................................................................. xvi Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................... 1 Conceptual Framework .............................................................................................. 5 Learning and Development .................................................................................... 7 Viconic Language Methods .................................................................................... 8 Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................... 9 Research Question .................................................................................................... 10 Significance .............................................................................................................. 10 Overview of Methods ............................................................................................... 12 Research Design ................................................................................................... 12 Document Analysis .............................................................................................. 13 Artifact Mediums .................................................................................................. 14 Practitioner Interviews .......................................................................................... 15 Summary ................................................................................................................... 16 Chapter 2: Review of Literature ................................................................................... 18 Students with Developmental Disabilities ................................................................ 19 Types of Developmental Disabilities ................................................................... 20 viii Special Education ..................................................................................................... 21 Inclusion ............................................................................................................... 22 Default Approaches to Testing and Identification .................................................... 27 Testing .................................................................................................................. 28 Educational Screening .......................................................................................... 29 Historical Origins of Intelligence Testing ............................................................ 30 Educational Diagnoses ......................................................................................... 30 Default Models of Teaching ..................................................................................... 33 Current Educational Interventions for Students with Developmental Disabilities .............................................................................................................................. 34 Reconceptualizing (Dis)ability ................................................................................