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DDIP: An Extraordinary Undergraduate Experience
Cara J. Kiff University of California, Los Angeles
Housed within the Departments of Psychology
and Psychiatry as well as the Center for Experiential Education and Service
Learning is an immense opportunity for undergraduate students to participate
in a unique two-quarter program focusing on persons with developmental
disabilities. The Developmental Disabilities Immersion Program (DDIP) is an
intensive program in which undergraduates participate in coursework,
fieldwork, and independent research projects with the goal of learning about
developmental disabilities and preparing for graduate and professional
degrees. The incorporation of these facets is designed to allow students to
learn about a variety of issues pertinent to the developmental disabilities
community as well as the opportunity to apply those lessons in both the
field and the research laboratory. The program is lead by a team of three
professors: Dr. Arv Fluharty, Dr. Gary Galbraith, and Dr. Alexander Tymchuk,
each of whom present a unique perspective on the world of developmental
disabilities. Additionally, two teaching associates as well as a program
coordinator assist with coursework and DDIP class activities. During my junior year (two years ago), I
participated in DDIP and found it to be an incredibly valuable experience –
so much so that I am not sure if I can contain the wealth of my experience
within this short article. The program gave me the opportunity to work with
children in a preschool classroom, conduct an independent research project,
and participate in close-knit classes twice per week. Moreover, the program
gave me the opportunity to develop a close working relationship with fellow
students and professors that only a small program dependent on group work
and forum discussions such as DDIP can provide. Classes included lectures
(as do many classes) but group discussions were expected. The classrooms
were often small – everyone seated around a conference table or in a circle
as to promote the exchange of ideas. The Coursework Each DDIP student must enroll in three classes
for the winter and spring quarters: Psych 193, Psych M180A/B, and Psych
M181A/B. These classes are held on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons/evenings
during both quarters of the program. The small class size (no more than 30
students) and an open, communicative learning environment present a unique
learning environment not offered within the traditional classroom setting.
Group collaboration is encouraged, as well as required, in order to complete
the assigned course load. To supplement the unique learning environment,
imaginative assignments are also frequently assigned. At the end of the
winter quarter students are required to design and post a website on a topic
of his/her choice related to developmental disabilities. Additionally,
written exams cover a variety of topics in detail pertaining to
developmental disabilities. The Fieldwork Each student enrolled in DDIP is required to
participate in a fieldwork assignment for 12 hours per week. Students are
placed in one of two settings. The first of which is at a local school
working with children in a special education classroom, or mainstreamed
children in a regular preschool, elementary, or junior high classroom.
Students may also be placed at the Lanterman Developmental Center, which is
a residential facility for adults with severe developmental disabilities. My fieldwork placement was in a local school;
it gave me the opportunity to work with preschool children in a special
education setting. This opportunity was invaluable, not only was I able to
learn about the educational system and how it adapts to persons with
developmental disabilities, but I also developed incredible relationships
with my students. The fieldwork placement allowed me to learn about the IEP
(Individual Education Plan) process, as well as assess student progress
toward educational goals. The fieldwork placement is supplemented by
coursework in Psych 193, in which students are given the opportunity to
learn and discuss issues important to their work.
The Research Another important aspect of DDIP is the
individual research project, which is completed by each student. At the
beginning of the program, each student is assigned an advisor (some students
receive the same advisor and therefore collaborate on projects). Students
then work for 12 hours per week on a research project, which they carry out
throughout their entire participation in DDIP. Similarly to the fieldwork
placement, the DDIP coursework supplements the research requirement with
Psych M181A/B. Through the auxiliary coursework students experience each
stage of the research process. The winter quarter is spent developing and
conducting the research project, while the spring quarter is spent analyzing
the results and preparing a manuscript for publication. The process begins
midway through the winter quarter when students are required to submit a
research proposal stating the aims of their research and its importance to
the field of developmental disabilities. By the end of the winter quarter,
students are expected to have their project well developed and are asked to
defend their research design and methodology before a panel of professors
and teaching associates. Lastly, spring quarter is spent writing a
manuscript, which will be published in the Pacific State Archives, in
addition to preparing a presentation for the annual DDIP symposium. My research placement allowed me to experience
intensive involvement in the research process as an undergraduate. The
program gave me the opportunity to work closely with my faculty mentor as
well as witness the development of a research project from the ground up. In
addition, the incorporation of coursework into the research requirement
allowed me to learn about the research activities of fellow DDIP students.
The program offers the opportunity to work with faculty members in a variety
of different research areas and fields – all focusing on issues important to
the developmental disabilities community. Below are three abstracts written
by developmental disabilities alumni as part of their research projects.
Thus, this aspect of DDIP encourages students to explore a variety of
research interests.
Abstracts from DDIP Alumni Effects of Memory Load on Event-related Gamma Activity Wang Chun-Yao, Ryoji Yanawake, Pierre
Ebreo, and Francis Muralidharan Advisor: Stan
Lunde Abstract The present study examined effects of memory load on gamma EEG activity
(35-45 Hz) during auditory discrimination. Subjects were presented auditory
alphabetical letters every three seconds and requested to count the number
of “target” letters in each trial. There were three levels of memory load
based on target difficulty: a particular letter was target for the lowest
memory load, repeating letters served as target for the medium load, and the
highest load used a target of letters identical to the letter two trials
back in the sequence. EEG was recorded and analyzed from frontal electrodes
on the left hemisphere (F1, F3, F7) and right hemisphere (F2, F4, F8). Data
were band-pass filtered (35-45 Hz) and partitioned into evoked phase-locked
potentials and induced non-phase-locked potentials. Evoked gamma activity
for the low memory load increased to a positive peak at 700 ms while evoked
activity for both medium and high memory load showed a negative peak at 800
ms. An interaction of memory load, stimulus type, hemisphere, and time was
maximal at 400 ms. Induced gamma activity was greater in the left hemisphere
than in the right hemisphere. Also, induced left hemisphere gamma to the
targets increased to peak at 400-600 ms while right hemisphere gamma
decreased, as did induced gamma for both hemispheres to the non-targets.
These results indicate that both evoked and induced gamma play a role in the
auditory perception of linguistically meaningful stimuli. The great left
hemisphere activity may be due to left hemisphere specialization for
language processing. Feelings of Well-Being and Depression in the Children of Mothers with Mental Retardation: A Pilot Study Cara J. Kiff Advisors: Alexander J. Tymchuk
& Shannon E. A. Sewards Abstract Research has shown that children with depression tend to come from
distressed family backgrounds, and maternal depression has been reported to
have a negative affect on the development of the mother-child bond and
family environment. Previous research has revealed that children at risk for
developing childhood depression often have depressed parents; thus,
indicating that parental depression is a risk factor in the development of
child depression. Researchers also have documented that, mothers with mental
retardation report higher rates of depression as compared to mothers without
mental retardation. Given that mothers with mental retardation ascribe to
higher rates of depression and that depressed children often come from
families with distressed parents, the relationship between maternal mental
retardation and the development of depression in affected children merits
study. It was hypothesized that the children of mothers with mental
retardation will report depressive symptoms at a higher rate than the
children of mothers without mental retardation, with the degree of
symptomatology inversely related to the child’s score on a well-being
measure. The present study will use a within-subjects design. From this
research, unique factors in the development of depressive feelings in
children of mothers with mental retardation will be identified.
Human Brainstem Responses Reflect Stimulus Complexity Judith F. Ashouri, Megan J.
Brennan, Natalie W. Jocic, William J. Leiner, & James Wu Advisor: Gary Galbraith Abstract Natural sounds exhibit wave-shapes consisting of a fundamental frequency
(F0), and combinations of harmonics of that frequency. Although
the cortex is the terminus of sensory input and the locus of auditory
discrimination, recordings of short-latency brainstem frequency-following
responses (FFRs) to periodic tones support the hypothesis of brainstem
processing of auditory stimuli. In this experiment, brainstem responses of
21 subjects were evoked by six tones of varying complexity, including
harmonic stimuli in which the F0 is either present or absent.
Tones were presented 60 dB above individually determined thresholds to
equate for perceptual differences. The FFR mean spectral intensity was
computed for each tone at the F0 and evaluated by
repeated-measures analyses of co-variance (ANCOVAs). Significant main
effects were found for stimulus complexity and electroencephalogram (EEG)
channel, with a significant stimulus by channel interaction. This study may
provide groundwork for future studies focusing on neural processing of
individuals with developmental disabilities. For More Information I found DDIP to be an amazing experience and a
unique supplement to my undergraduate career. I would encourage anyone
interested in working with people with developmental disabilities and
participating in an exceptional classroom setting to apply. Each spring DDIP accepts approximately a score of students to participate in the program during the following winter and spring quarters. Undergraduate sophomores, juniors, and seniors of any major who have an interest in working with persons with developmental disabilities are encouraged to apply. For more information about the Developmental Disabilities Immersion Program please contact the DDIP Coordinator at OID: Center for Experiential Education and Service Learning, 160 Powell Library Building, (310) 825-7867, www.oid.ucla.edu/ceesl/. Copyright 2003 by the Undergraduate Psychology Journal. |