Responding to the need for educational stakeholders to be equipped to plan for constantly evolving developments in policy and practice for learners with learning and behavioral disabilities, this edited collection collates contributions from authors who predict what the next big things in the field will be, and offer recommendations on how to…

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of Data-Based Individualization (DBI) on the reading comprehension of high school students with intensive needs in reading; specifically, two students with specific learning disabilities in reading (RD) and one student with high functioning autism (HFA). Perceptions of social validity of DBI by a…

Occupational therapists have a long standing history of working side by side teachers to enhance the writing skills of children. More recently, therapists are now promoting literacy and sharing their expertise with fellow professionals. This review will highlight research and resources occupational therapists can utilize to facilitate the literacy…

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of the Direct Instruction REWARDS® program on reading complex words of two fifteen-year-old boys in a reading resource room. Both participants had difficulty in reading and were diagnosed as learning disabled. During baseline, both participants had difficulty in syllabication. The results showed…

Today's teachers, especially the many who work with students with special needs, are pressed to know a little something about everything. Expertise is needed in different content and pedagogical areas, but knowledge of different types of disabilities is required as well. Wendy Murawski and Kathy Lynn Scott have assembled another reader-friendly…

Vocabulary development for students with learning disability (LD) is affected by "differences in the amount of independent reading, lack of strategies to learn words from content, and diffuse word knowledge" (Jitendra, Edwards, Sacks, & Jacobson, 2004, p. 300). Generally, students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have relatively strong skills…

The purpose of this case study, using a qualitative research design, was to examine the process of using literacy assessment portfolios (LAPs) within a cross-categorical special education classroom to investigate whether or not using LAPs would provide distinct information about the literacy development of two students identified with specific…

A systematic analysis of the references to "scientifically based research" (SBR) and closely related terms, such as "peer-reviewed research" (PRR), in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) legislation, regulations, commentary, and case law reveal that SBR and its primary variants apply largely to state support…

Although numerous studies have investigated autism methodology case law, few studies have investigated case law regarding reading methodology, particularly the Orton-Gillingham approach, for students with reading disabilities. We provide the results of a systematic case analysis of all published Orton-Gillingham decisions from the original passage…

Describes the way in which reading was taught to three nonverbal autistic children, the motivation used, and the children's adaptation to the learning situation. (FL)

Special education is now an established part of public education in the United States--by law and by custom. However, it is still widely misunderstood and continues to be dogged by controversies related to such things as categorization, grouping, assessment, placement, funding, instruction, and a variety of legal issues. The purpose of this…