Students with an intellectual disability encounter challenges throughout their educational journey and as they transition to adulthood. Securing and maintaining competitive employment for individuals with an intellectual disability is harder for them than for their non-disabled peers. The problem addressed in this qualitative, phenomenological…

Most students with complex support needs are taught in separate special education classrooms; one reason is teams that inappropriately use the intensity of support needs as the basis for placement in more restrictive placements. This study used Bayesian multilevel modeling to determine whether the intensity of student support needs predicted…

It is important for educators to collect accurate information on the academic performance of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who may be assessed with an Alternate Assessment Aligned with Alternate Academic Achievement Standards (AA-AAAS) to inform decisions about resources, programs, instruction, and individualized…

It is important for educators to collect accurate information on the academic performance of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who may be assessed with an Alternate Assessment Aligned with Alternate Academic Achievement Standards (AA-AAAS) to inform decisions about resources, programs, instruction, and individualized…

Individual education programs (IEPs) are the cornerstone of special education programs. The persistence of poor in- and post-school outcomes for students with significant disabilities highlights the importance of developing well-designed IEPs to address their multifaceted needs. We conducted a content analysis of IEPs for 150 high school students…

Research supports the benefits of inclusive education for all students, including those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Additionally, educators are supportive of the idea of including students with IDD in general education classrooms. However, they report many barriers to doing so, including a lack of a systematic process…

This publication shares findings from a secondary analysis of the National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS) 2012 dataset, looking specifically at parent expectations for students with intellectual disability and autism and compared them to those of students in other disability groups. Specifically, parent expectations around living and…

Employment is one of the most significant markers of independence and success for a person. One's ability to secure and maintain employment in a paid position can have a significant impact on their overall quality of life, community participation, financial self-sufficiency, and pathway to a long-lasting career. Unfortunately, the paid employment…

This qualitative study examined the experiences of parents who sought inclusive education for their children with intellectual disabilities or extensive support needs. Data were collected from 33 participants in the form of narratives that emerged through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using a phenomenological methodology. Findings…

Special education teachers play an integral role in preparing students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) for a successful transition to their desired postsecondary pathways. As more opportunities arise for students with IDD to attend inclusive postsecondary education (IPSE) programs, there is a growing need for special…

Creating and implementing high-quality Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals for students with significant cognitive disabilities is critical to ensure their success in school. To do so, the teacher's confidence level in writing IEP goals for those students must be high. This requires the ability to use research-based methods and techniques…

In Turkey, educational opportunities available for students with special needs are increasing day by day, and recently, more and more students have been benefiting from these opportunities. The preparation of an individualized education program is considered as a fundamental element for individuals with special needs to benefit from these…

This was a sequential explanatory mixed-methods study that sought to determine parents' perceptions regarding the extent to which districts involved them in the IEP transition plan, inclusive practices, provided opportunities in training and obtaining integrated employment, preparation for adult life after graduation, and parent satisfaction with…

Family involvement is an essential component of the special education process for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). In addition to the legal requirement that parents should be equal partners in the decision-making of the student's IEP program (IDEA, 2004), a bulk of empirical research demonstrates the positive impact of…

In this article, we describe the exploration of the content and quality of annual goals included in the Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) of students with disabilities in one rural U.S. school district. We utilized content analysis to understand the district's service delivery model comprehensively. Findings revealed disparities between…