In this self-study, I propose a curriculum fragment methodology to work toward a greater understanding of the boundaries (Herdandez-Saca et al., 2023) between special education and disability studies that strengthens both teacher education and disability studies in education (DSE). Specifically, I engage in critical reflection on my teaching…

In order to challenge the dominant and deficit perspectives in deaf education, this study utilized a Critical Race Theory framework to examine Latine families with Deaf children as they are portrayed in literature across areas of policy, research, and practice. Through qualitative semi-structured interviews, this research project invited nine…

This study utilized a basic interpretive design to explore the experiences of parents/guardians who enrolled their children in the Build Our Kids for Success Program (BOKS) and autoethnography to explore the experiences of the researcher while implementing the BOKS program. In-depth interviews were conducted with 15 individuals representing 13…

Youth with disabilities are overrepresented in the bullying dynamic and experience poor mental health and school engagement outcomes associated with this involvement. However, limited existing research has looked at differences in bullying involvement based on disability category, and how youth with disabilities make decisions about bullying…

Social interactions and friendships are important for all individuals including those with complex support needs (CSN). The voices of adults including parents/guardians, primary caregivers, teachers, and related service providers who responded to a survey provided insight into supporting social interactions and friendships for children with CSN…

Background: Children with reading difficulty exhibit deficits in multiple cognitive areas (e.g., language skills, working memory, processing speed). Therefore, evaluation of reading difficulty typically includes assessment of both academic functioning and general intelligence (IQ). Although the IQ construct is considered robust in the general…

Students with disabilities are 200% more likely to be restrained by school personnel compared to nondisabled peers (Katsiyannis et al., 2020). The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of Nonviolent Crisis Intervention (NVCI) in de-escalating the risk behavior of children with disabilities from exceptional children (EC) teacher…

It has been widely recognized that a visual impairment can limit an individual's ability to learn through visual observations. This decreased limited visual access which could impact how the skills to access and recognize the world around them develop. However, when the visual impairment was brain-based, such as in Cortical/Cerebral Visual…

The purpose of this study was to explore the phenomenon of belonging from the perspective of Cora, a school-aged child with an intellectual disability and significant support needs. Multiple data sources, including interviews, observations, field notes, and visual aids were coded and analyzed. Findings from the study illuminated how Cora's…

This study aimed to understand how the identities of a group of nine Black boys labeled dis/abled mattered in the context of their schooling experiences. I used DisCrit, Waitoller and Kozleski's (2013) notion of inclusive education, and CHAT in tandem to design the study and analyze what was said and done within it. With help from the…

This research evaluates childhood mental health disorders and their prevalence. Public-school systems are tasked with providing equitable education and services to students in special education who are in need under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Public school districts may look outside of the traditional academic setting, to a…

The effectiveness of video modeling (VM) has been well documented in research studies completed in the Western world. VM has been used to establish skills in several areas, such as language, imitation, social behavior, play, academics, and other adaptive skills. VM has been shown to be particularly effective with children with autism. However,…

Autism is characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and the presence of restricted and/or repetitive behaviors that can negatively impact adaptive, academic, and social functioning. Those diagnosed with ASD may be at an increased risk for poorer life outcomes such as poorer academic achievement and social relationships if they…

Researchers interested in understanding the perspectives of U.S. minoritized parents of children with special needs often recruit participants based only on their ethnicity (e.g., Zuckerman et al., 2015; Jegatheesan, 2011; Chiang, 2014). However, this strategy masks the additional, unique challenges of minoritized parents who immigrated to the…

Due Process Hearings are one of three formal dispute resolution procedures provided to parents of children with disabilities by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA). Whereas students receiving special education typically comprise approximately 14% of student enrollment, litigation tied to special education disputes…