Even though the most prevalent category of disability served in the U.S. school system is specific learning disabilities (SLD), practitioners are often unfamiliar with the indicators associated with a specific LD such as dysgraphia and dyslexia. Misconceptions or an absence of understanding of the behavioral indicators related to dysgraphia and…

Students are often placed in alternative education schools or settings (AES) for behavioral issues that cannot be effectively supported in a general education setting. A large portion of students educated in AES have a diagnosed emotional and behavioral disorder (EBD). An AES teacher is required to provide students with the most effective behavior…

By being public entities, charter schools must meet U.S. federal legislative mandates (e.g., Section 504) in providing a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) to students with disabilities--just as their traditional district public school counterparts must do. This legal update reviews a prominent case, "Lawton et al. v. Success Academy…

The Good Behavior Game (GBG) is an interdependent group-oriented contingency management system successfully used in school settings to promote positive student behaviors. As a classroom management intervention, there is a large body of evidence for it increasing desirable classroom behaviors and decreasing problem behaviors across a range of…

Students with specific learning disabilities (SLDs) sometimes experience anger, which can negatively affect their academic performance and social relationships if not managed properly. Prevention and intervention programs are beneficial in addressing this issue. Bibliotherapy is an effective method for anger management and is categorized into…

Students who exhibit externalizing behaviors may impede learning in the classroom and lead to cycles of negative teacher-student interactions. Positive relationships among students, peers, and educators serve as a protective factor against childhood adversity and are a predictor of academic, social, and behavioral outcomes. By incorporating…

Reading intervention sessions are most effective when students are engaged. Combined interventions that target both reading and engagement may produce stronger outcomes in both domains than separate interventions for each goal. They also have advantages of being efficient, thus requiring fewer resources. However, planning and executing combined…

Special educators are often considered the experts in their school when it comes to developing functional behavior assessments (FBA) and behavior intervention plans (BIP), yet rarely are they trained much beyond basic antecedents, behaviors, and consequences (ABC). This column discusses concepts that will expand special education professionals'…

Functional communication training (FCT) is an evidence-based intervention that has been widely used and implemented to reduce problem behavior and teach replacement behavior in a variety of settings. Specific procedures have been researched and documented to ensure correct implementation. Functional communication training can be broken into three…

Thirty-one U.S. states have laws that may result in students being arrested for misbehavior in school that is often considered a low-level rule violation. The problems with these laws include the vagueness and subjectivity of the language of the law. As a result, the enforcement of such laws has been criticized as being discriminatory, especially…

Teachers who work with students who display challenging behaviors need to implement interventions to support them in the classroom. A daily behavior report card (DBRC) is one intervention that research suggests can reduce challenging behaviors and replace them with more socially appropriate behaviors. With step-by-step instructions, this column…

Students with disabilities may demonstrate high rates of off-task behavior, resulting in poor academic achievement. To decrease students' off-task behavior, teachers can identify student-guided supportive strategies to limit the amount of time they dedicate to behavior management. Moreover, when teachers use effective student-guided strategies…

Research suggests that students are more invested in behavior interventions when they are involved in the development process. Tier 2 behavior interventions in a positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) framework can be tailored to embed student involvement and meet individual student needs. The purpose of this article is threefold.…

Challenging behavior can impact the learning environment and prevent educators and students from demonstrating behavioral and academic success. Schools and districts may implore a framework of tiered systems of support to respond to students struggling behaviorally or academically. These systems provide a decision-making process to aid educators'…

The ability to interact with others in socially appropriate ways is critical for functioning in the community, school, and at home. These interaction skills are considered to be a crucial component of social resiliency and are believed to be important developmental skills, particularly for children/youth with disabilities. This article discusses…