The purpose of this study was to examine the social validity of five different evidence-based and emerging pathways to employment (i.e., supported employment, customized employment, internships, apprenticeships, and postsecondary education) from the perspective of multiple stakeholders. A Delphi method was used to determine whether stakeholders…

Current childhood obesity treatment programs do not address medically underserved populations or settings where all members of an interdisciplinary team may not exist - either within one organization or within the community. In this paper, we describe the use of a community-academic partnership to iteratively adapt Epstein's Traffic Light Diet…

Health-Promoting School (HPS) interventions aim to reduce bullying and violence via curriculum, environmental and family/community-engagement components. Despite evidence of their effectiveness, factors influencing the implementation of such interventions are poorly understood. This systematic review aims to examine such factors by assessing…

Children with emotional and behavioral disabilities who would potentially benefit from Animal Assisted Intervention (AAI) with therapy dogs do not have consistent access to this type of intervention in school settings due to a lack of defined policies and processes at both individual school and district levels. The focus of this qualitative…

Suicide-related behavior (SRB) is a growing mental health concern on college campuses. We argue that causes of this rising trend go beyond student stress, to include outdated campus policies, overburdened counseling center staffing, and untapped targets for prevention efforts. We outline the social-ecological model applied to suicide and related…

Community implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is greatly lacking. A recent randomized community-based trial of an EBP for ADHD (Supporting Teens' Autonomy Daily; STAND) demonstrated suboptimal implementation and effectiveness outcomes. In the present study, we conducted an…

Many studies in recent years have shown the effectiveness of Physical Education and Sports (PES) as a vehicle for teaching values and personal development among youth. However, despite research showing values transference is crucial for optimal learning, a gap in the literature remains regarding the strategies and methods underlying values…

The study presented in this article gathered and examined the views of key stakeholders in rural South African secondary schools on strategies for curbing learner dropout. The investigation, which employed a qualitative case study research model, sampled 20 secondary school learners aged 17-20 (11 female, 9 male), 20 youth aged 17-22 (11 female, 9…

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often face challenges in social situations. Although designers and researchers explore the potential of digital (game-like) interventions, most interventions lack evidence in efficacy or proper design. The aim of this study is to explore the worldview and needs of the target users in their daily life…

This article is predicated on the idea that, by interacting with differences of various kinds, researchers in special education can obtain conclusions that are more nuanced, sophisticated, richer, and, hence, better than when they would have ignored such differences. Based on the application of existing research guidelines to 6 recent exemplars of…

Young children of color experience daily messages, explicit or implicit, that they are not as good as White children. These encounters act as barriers to African American children's positive racial identity development. This paper presents findings from a feasibility study of a program to infuse a community with positive messages about African…

This article presents a formative intervention study, called "Learning Lab" that facilitated the collective design of a culturally responsive behavioral support system at an urban middle school in the United States. Learning Lab united parents, teachers, support staff, education leaders, and researchers, specifically those who have been…

This article reviews literature that emphasizes how both research findings and practical applications have confirmed the fundamental importance of program implementation in the spread of successful character education interventions. Attention is given to defining implementation, explaining its major elements and why it is so important, discussing…

Research shows correlations between children's problematic behaviours and reduced academic performance, stressed teacher-child relationships, poorer peer interactions, higher involvement in deviant behaviours, lower school adjustment, and increased chances of dropping out of school. Problematic behaviour is a source of stress for teachers and…

Many factors impact intervention implementation in everyday practice, including the social validity of these interventions. As a way of addressing social validity, this study aimed to understand the perspectives of multiple stakeholders of school-aged children and adolescents who use aided and unaided augmentative and alternative communication…