Paraprofessionals are a crucial component of special education services and can be vital to promoting inclusive learning opportunities. Although intentions behind utilizing paraprofessional support may be good, students with disabilities may become over-reliant on paraprofessionals, thus limiting student independence in the classroom. This paper…

To best support students with low vision in the general education classroom, special education teachers can facilitate use of several adaptations including: (a) attention to curriculum access (e.g. text magnifiers), (b) mechanisms for promoting social connectedness, (c) managing physical space, and (d) effective instructional techniques. This…

Students with intellectual disabilities are among the least likely students to spend a significant amount of time in general education classrooms. When they are included, they may spend their time on non-academic learning experiences. Universal Design for Learning is a lesson planning framework that can guide teachers in inclusive lesson planning.…

Group contingencies are a positive, proactive classroom management technique that works well as Tier 1 of a multi-tiered system of behavior support. These programs are adaptable to student and classroom needs and work well to support the behavior of students with disabilities in general education classrooms. Off-the-shelf programs exist, but…

It is well established that students who have moderate to profound hearing loss may experience difficulty in learning how to read and write and can benefit from modifications to the classroom environment and curriculum, however, minimal hearing loss often goes undiagnosed, and its negative impact on literacy acquisition is less widely known.…

Youth and young adults with disabilities who make the transition out of secondary settings face formidable odds. For example, they confront challenges in regard to attaining employment and becoming involved in postsecondary education. In many cases, their efforts are unsuccessful. One way to support the transition from school to employment or…

It is imperative that teachers have the knowledge and resources to support children who are deaf and use a cochlear implant in general education classrooms. The recommendations presented in this article provide teachers with the information necessary to promote a child's academic progress, communication needs, and social development. In order to…

Since the enactment of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (IDEA's forerunner) in 1975, an important requirement has been Child Find activities. According to Shapiro and Derrington (2004), Child Find is broadly defined as the entire range of activities, including public awareness, identification, referral, eligibility determination, and…

Teaching students in upper elementary school to revise their papers effectively requires a three-pronged approach. First, teachers provide instruction on a relevant genre or writing form (using the Common Core State Standards for English language arts or other relevant standards as a guide). Second, teachers help students to use four basic…

The purpose of this article is to provide teachers with tools that they can use to teach written expression to school-age students with intellectual disabilities. These tools are presented around the mnemonic ACCESS: accommodations and assistive technologies, concrete topics, critical skills, explicit instruction, strategy instruction, systematic…

Maximizing the effectiveness of evidence-based practices (EBPs) requires an optimal balance of implementation fidelity and adaptation so EBPs fit local contexts and meet the individual learning needs of students with disabilities. The framework for classifying adaptations presented in this article can help educators make decisions about whether…

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in mathematics were created to help all students become prepared for the demands of future careers and life in an age of technology. Similarly, students with moderate and severe disability will need these skills to meet these changing expectations. Although mathematics instruction could focus on a few of the…

A hearing loss of any type has the potential to adversely impact development leading to language, literacy, social, and academic delays. Currently, approximately 87% of students who are deaf or hard of hearing spend at least part of each day in a general education classroom. In order to optimally benefit from receiving educational services in the…

Efforts to promote self-determination have been a principal focus of transition planning in support of students with disabilities for nearly two decades. However, research and recommendations related to self-determination have been primarily centered on promoting student participation in the IEP process and ensuring broader preparation for…

The Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA 2004), aligned with the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), emphasizes improved student academic outcomes. With this focus on academic outcomes and access to the general curriculum, there is increased pressure for accountability in the education of students with disabilities in general…