Matching Items (4)
Filtering by
- All Subjects: Disability studies
- Creators: Mathur, Sarup
- Creators: Swadener, Elizabeth
Description
Autism has a unique history. The definition has broadened and changed over time, from an emotional disturbance with psychogenic origins to a neurodevelopmental disability with suspected environmental and genetic origins. Diagnosis occurs later than children born with obvious disabilities such as cerebral palsy or Down syndrome, but earlier than milder, high-incidence disabilities such as dyslexia or attention deficit disorder. Historically, parents have advocated for changes in the way children with autism receive services and how federal funding and educational services are provided. There is often tension between these parents and the medical establishment. There can also be tension between the community of parents and the community of adults who have high functioning autism and Asperger syndrome. Studies have examined individual aspects of autism, from the diagnosis, caring for a child with autism, educational interventions, and genetics to characteristics of the internet community of adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). This study includes interviews with mothers whose children were diagnosed with autism between 1974 and 2004, observations of appointments with developmental pediatricians at which diagnoses were given in 2010, and an analysis of media representations of autism over the same time period. These different data were analyzed together to create a new understanding about the history and present state of autism diagnosis.
ContributorsHornstein, Shana (Author) / Swadener, Elizabeth (Thesis advisor) / Mathur, Sarup (Thesis advisor) / Cheatham, Gregory (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
Description
Despite the changing social, legal, and political context in influencing the definition of mental disability, medical scholarship has maintained its position as the primary reference to interpret mental disability in the immigration system. This preliminary study examines the role of medical scholarship in attributing to the exclusion of undesired immigrants through its definition of mental disability. This paper focuses upon immigration cases to determine the patterns that emerge when immigration intersects with mental disability. The data consists of four immigration court cases in 1951-1985, 1986-2005, 2006-2015, which mark the shift of immigration policy in the United States of America (US). The court documents are collected from websites that provide online access to these documents. The examination of the cases focuses on three important criterions: a summary of cases, mental disability circumstances, and judges’ considerations. This paper uses the analysis of political deviance in courtroom settings to get an understanding of the shift in the definition of mental disability in the immigration court by tracing economic, political, and social environments that are intertwined and relevant in creating a ‘mental disabilitiy’ definition. This study suggests that medical scholarship has historically become powerful in shaping mental disability as a form of social control. From historical and case analysis, there have been changes in policies and processes toward immigrants appear to take place in the aftermath of major events—World War II, AIDS epidemic, 9/11 terrorist attack, and now Covid-19 pandemic. Preliminary examination of documented cases suggests future analysis could look at how these major events shape immigration processes and policies that more heavily rely on definitions of mental illness and use competency to stand trial proceedings to indefinitely detain people.
ContributorsArifianti, Estu Dyah (Author) / Lauderdale, Pat (Thesis advisor) / Lauderdale, Annamaria (Committee member) / Swadener, Elizabeth (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
Inclusive education has been impeded by deficit-oriented policies and practices that promote standardization and lead to student segregation by ability/disability labels. Deficit perspectives are maintained across separate programs (i.e., general, special, gifted) through distinct sets of practices and extend into higher education and academia. In response to this issue, this dissertation used strengths-based strategies for collaboratively rethinking and reimagining educational practices, perspectives, and interactions towards inclusivity. The purpose of this research was to study unexpected moments in learning events (i.e., micromoments), explore educators’ responses to these events, and develop strategies for inclusive education professional learning (PL). Diverse educators and neurodivergent adults responded to task invitations based on the research questions: How might micromoments move in/with/through emergent learning events? And, how might attunement to micromoment assemblages be developed? Additional questions explored how conceptualizations of micromoment movement and attunement might transform inclusive education PL and qualitative inquiry.
The neurodiversity paradigm, activist philosophy, post-oppositional transformation theory, and creative learning concepts supported an embodied, multiple, emergent, and inter-relational study of the micromoment. Methodological-poly-experiments formulated as invitations to tasks were used as initial enabling constraints for this research-creation. Documentation from several small Zoom group meetings was used in data-weaving, which included collective speculative fabulations (i.e., storying), post-qualitative cartography in the forms of fiber art sculpture mappings, and a moving content analysis.
The neurodiversity-inspired educational perspective developed in this study supported a PL shift away from student labels toward the study and design of learning events. Attunement to micromoment movement in learning events was practiced by following micromoment dimensions, elements, and flows. This led to the development of a framework for the study of micromoments for educator PL.
This study merged creativity studies, disability studies in education, and educational research. Furthermore, this project extended post-qualitative and research-creation methodologies, offered suggestions for redefining various methodological concepts and neurotypical expectations, and introduced several new concepts for qualitative inquiry.
In conclusion, creative professional learning/unlearning strategies, including reflection on underlying educational perspectives and learning event interactions, were part of a meaningful process in cultivating inclusive education for neurodiverse teachers, students, and research participants.
ContributorsVasquez, Anani Maria (Author) / Koro, Mirka (Thesis advisor) / Beghetto, Ronald (Thesis advisor) / Carlson, David L. (Committee member) / Mathur, Sarup (Committee member) / McAvoy, Mary (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023
Description
There has been a sharp increase in mental health support for children in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a growing demand for school-based mental health services due to gaps in the US youth mental health infrastructure. This dissertation presents an action research study conducted in a Title I middle school in Arizona, exploring a school psychologist-led training program for special education teachers working with students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who have experienced trauma. Using a mixed-methods approach, this research combined qualitative and quantitative analyses to investigate how and to what extent participating in the Road to Recovery Toolkit facilitated special education teachers' knowledge and inclusion of trauma-informed care. Qualitative data were gathered through in-depth post-training participant interviews and weekly participant reflections and quantitative analysis looked at pre- and post-training questionnaires. Findings uncovered improvements in participants’ awareness and knowledge, highlighting the program's success in enhancing educators' understanding of mental health. Findings also underscored the need to address educator comfort levels and perceived barriers in providing mental health support effectively. This research contributes to the existing literature by providing a comprehensive exploration of trauma-informed care training and implementation for special education teachers working with students with IDD. It underscores the transformative potential of tailored training programs in equipping educators with the skills necessary to support students with IDD who have experienced trauma. The findings offer insights for educators, administrators, and policymakers seeking to cultivate learning environments prioritizing inclusive student mental health.
ContributorsCausadias, Jordan (Author) / Mathur, Sarup (Thesis advisor) / Puckett, Kathleen (Thesis advisor) / Dukes, Shari (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023