There is a growing concern around the mental and behavioral health of children and youth as such conditions as anxiety disorders, depression, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and conduct disorders affect almost one in five children and youth ages 3 to 17. The coronavirus pandemic brought many challenges: Children missed years of in-person…

In the early months of 2020, it became apparent that this year would bring unprecedented challenges as the COVID-19 pandemic swiftly compelled the impromptu transition to remote instruction that required a level of triage, flexibility, and problem-solving few were prepared for. Inequities in distance education and broader structural inequities…

The purpose of the Inclusive Instruction Program (IIP) action research study was to explore the potential relationship between a new professional development cluster and general education teacher self-efficacy in supporting students with special needs. The IIP was designed to address teacher areas of needs as identified in a prior cycle of action…

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is increasingly prevalent, intervention costs are high, and long-term outcomes are poor. Proactive implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs; Steinbrenner et al., Evidence-Based Practices for Children, Youth, and Young Adults with Autism, 2020) through an assessment or planning process can lead to more…

Social participation is one of the most important predictors of the children's physical and mental health. Although it is evidenced that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have restricted social participation, it is unclear which factors play a significant role. This research aimed to uncover perceived barriers of social participation by…

Careful consideration is essential for developing and conducting effective paraprofessional development. This study described a process of paraprofessional development and outcomes from assessments, workshops, and social validation focus group interviews from one rural public school in the USA. Fourteen paraprofessionals and their supervisors…

The purpose of this article is to discuss how a parent coaching framework with the support of several critical components can be applied to build parent competency as a way to address children's challenging behaviors. Collaborative parent-professional partnerships are the underlying theme embedded in the three-cyclical coaching components. Shared…

Due to an increasing number of children under the age of three attending early childhood education and care (ECEC), there is an increasing need for high-quality care settings. In addition to primary caregivers, ECEC teachers are important socializers of children's emotional development and may become children's attachment figures. Early preventive…

Children face increased demands for interpersonal as well as learning-related social skills, especially by the vulnerable stage of school entry, due to the more structured setting, new academic requirements, and the fact that children are supposed to interact successfully within a larger and heterogeneous peer group. Although a plethora of…

Ivymount Social Cognition Instructional Project (IvySCIP) supports teachers and related service providers to implement data-driven social and emotional learning (SEL) instruction for their kindergarten through 5th grade students with social cognition challenges, especially those with high functioning autism spectrum disorders (HF-ASD). Based on…

The use of functional behavioral assessment (FBA) is an effective tool to address a wide range of severe behavior problems of students at risk for or with emotional disabilities (ED). However, the transformation of a procedure proven effective under highly-controlled clinical conditions to a practical and effective strategy for use in applied…

This brief describes how to use a free online behavior screener to identify student support needs in middle and high schools. Inclusive Behavior Instruction utilizes data to identify appropriate social-emotional supports for all students. The Lane et al. (2016) study demonstrated system-wide use of a free online behavior screener at the middle and…

In this study, school disciplinary procedures/programs used in response to disciplinary referrals and programs that schools have in place to prevent, intervene, and respond to behaviors that result in suspensions or expulsions from the classroom or school were investigated. The focus of this study was school leaders' concerns regarding the…

Background: Recent government policy has focused on reducing the number of people with a learning disability receiving treatment for challenging behaviour or mental health difficulties in hospitals (including in assessment and treatment units; ATU). People with a learning disability should be supported to remain in their community when receiving…

There is growing awareness of the importance of implementation fidelity and the supports, such as coaching, to optimize it. This study examined how coaching activities (i.e., check-ins, needs assessment, modeling, and technical assistance) related directly and indirectly to implementation dosage and quality of the PAX Good Behavior Game, via a…