"Six Shifts to Improve Special Education and Other Interventions" offers a set of bold, new ideas for dramatically raising the achievement of students with mild to moderate disabilities and students experiencing serious academic, social and emotional, and behavioral difficulties. Despite much effort and caring on the part of educators, a…

Background/purpose. It has been established that students with special educational needs should have equal opportunities for learning with the rest of the formal developmental students in a common school, regardless of their characteristics or difficulties. In an environment that promotes normal physical and emotional well-being, mental…

Despite the considerable institutional changes schools have made to accommodate the individual needs of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), as underpinned by key principles of inclusion, there is still international concern about the mainstream experiences pupils with SEND have in school settings. This study helps us…

Functional behavioral assessment (FBA) and functional analyses (FA) are grounded in the applied behavior analysis principle that posits problem behavior is functionally related to the environment in which it occurs and is maintained by either providing access to reinforcing outcomes or allowing the individual to avoid or escape that which they…

Tier 2 interventions play an important role within the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports framework, bridging the gap between schoolwide Tier 1 interventions and individualized Tier 3 supports. Check-in Check-out (CICO) is a promising Tier 2 intervention for addressing mild problem behavior and potentially preventing the need for more…

This study investigated the age of onset of substance use among 536 students with mild academic disabilities and 906 students without academic disabilities, and the extent to which emotional, conduct, and hyperactivity problems explain the differences between these two groups. Using discrete-time survival analysis, the results of this study showed…

Teachers' positive attitude is most critically and consistently associated with successful inclusion. However, little is known about teachers' first-hand encounters with inclusive education in Singapore. We present findings from a qualitative study on inclusion based on focus group interviews with 202 teachers from 41 resourced primary schools.…

The purpose of this study is twofold: to determine the instructional variables of the inclusive classrooms in Turkey and to investigate to what extent the student behaviors change according to eco-behavioral characteristics of inclusive classrooms. The study group consisted of 44 students between the ages of six and 12 with mild disabilities who…

Disproportionality of African American males in special education and for disciplinary referrals has persisted for several decades. Culturally responsive social skill instruction, designed to teach critical skills and to involve peers from the learners' cultural group, can serve as a means to promote the overall social competence of African…

The article points out the risk of erroneous classification and inequitable treatment for students who are difficult to teach and manage. Analysis of child count data highlights variability in identification and referral processes and suggests that attempts to tighten eligibility standards, especially for mildly handicapped students, is…

Examination of vestibular-based functions and their relationship to behavior problems of 101 kindergarten through fourth grade children enrolled in special education and regular classes found low to moderate significant correlations between vestibular system dysfunction and behavior problems of subjects. (Author/PN)

The school records of 40 boys and 20 girls placed in special education programs (for learning disabled, educable retarded, or behavior disordered) were examined to compare reasons for referral and placement. Results indicated that boys were more likely to be referred for behavior problems or behavior and academic problems. (DB)

In response to the establishment of school-based teacher support teams to assist teachers serving students with learning and behavior problems in the general classroom, this article summarizes data from 5 studies of 96 teams concerning team goals, team impact on student performance and special education referral, reactions of classroom teachers,…

This study investigated play behaviors in 30 pairs of children with and without disabilities. Children without disabilities perceived children with disabilities as playmates, but noted that limitations in communication and behavior problems made it difficult to maintain fuller friendship. (Contains references.) (Author/PB)

Comparison of handicapped junior high school students (N=11) mainstreamed in low achieving classes with their nonhandicapped classmates found significant differences in the observed behaviors of discussion and not paying attention but no differences in teacher ratings of classroom behavior or report card grades. (Author/DB)