Access to quality literacy instruction is access to acceptance into the literate community in which students with severe disabilities live and work. Providing that instruction to students with severe disabilities who are not traditional readers and writers can be challenging. Luckily, there are many easy and interactive tools available for…

Literacy improves lives--and with the right instruction and supports, "all students" can learn to read and write. That is the core belief behind this teacher-friendly handbook, your practical guide to providing comprehensive, high-quality literacy instruction to students with significant disabilities. Drawing on decades of classroom…

"Learning Tracks" is an assessment tool to support the planning and assessment of learning for children and young people with severe and complex learning disabilities (SCLD). It was designed by Lindy Furby and Jilly Catlow while teaching at St Crispin's School for children and young people with severe and complex learning disabilities.…

Interventions in special education are results of advocacy, legislation, litigation, research, and trends. Since interventions come in many forms, they represent multidimensional viewpoints and perspectives and need to be handled with professional care, integrity, fidelity. This book highlights the fact there are skill-sets needed to work with…

For years the text of choice for developing excellence as a teacher of K-12 students with moderate and severe disabilities, this clearly written work has now been revised and updated. Chapters provide step-by-step procedures for designing standards-based individualized education plans and evaluating and enhancing student progress. Methods and…

Research has demonstrated that people with significant intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities can indicate clear preferences through methodologically rigorous assessments. Once preferred items have been identified, they can be used to reinforce new behaviors, which can assist in the development of a meaningful learning experience.…

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…

To ensure the best outcomes for students with moderate and severe disabilities, K-12 educators need to understand what constitutes good instructional practices and how to apply them in any classroom, with any curriculum. All the how-to guidance they need is in this accessible text on systematic instruction, a highly effective teaching approach…

With more children and young adults with severe disabilities in today's general education classrooms, SLPs and other professionals must be ready to support their students' communication skills with effective AAC. They'll get the proven strategies they need with this intervention guide from top AAC experts, ideal for use as an in-service…

Research on the positive impact of using concrete manipulatives in mathematics for students with high-incidence disabilities is clear. Maccini and Gagnon (2000) considered manipulatives to be a best practice in terms of educating students with high-incidence disabilities in mathematics. It would follow, then, that research on virtual manipulatives…

Background: Globally, there is an increased prevalence of preschool and school-age children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Current reports show that about one in every 110 children fall within this category of disorders. Consequently, the successful inclusion of these children in both regular and special education classes is becoming a…

Teachers' integration of computer-based assistive technology has been linked to positive educational outcomes for students with disabilities. This study was conducted to identify factors that are predictive of integrating assistive technology into teaching practices among general and special education teachers of students with severe disabilities.…

This article explores how an online course was received by a group of teachers who teach students with severe/profound intellectual developmental disabilities. The intent of the course was to engage teachers in conversations, activities and reflections that support the development of curriculum and instruction in a least restrictive environment.…

The purpose of this article is to propose a conceptual foundation for early literacy instruction for students with severe developmental disabilities. The two primary outcomes in the conceptual model are (a) enhanced quality of life through shared literature and (b) increased independence as a reader. Guidelines are offered for promoting shared…

Providing comprehensive services to students with significant support needs is a complex and challenging endeavor because of the uniqueness of a wide range of conditions and variables that impact one or more of the functioning capacities of these students. Along with this complexity, it is necessary to fully integrate culturally responsive…