The capacity for all students to meaningfully access the curriculum is a central tenant of inclusion. Investigation into curriculum provision for students with severe intellectual disabilities or profound and multiple learning difficulties (S/PMLD) receives little consideration in the literature; however, it has increasing relevance in designing…

In this paper we introduce Ashworth's lifeworld fractions as a methodological framework for inclusive research with autistic people 'with profound learning disabilities'. We first define the fractions and then evaluate their potential for enabling research within the 'third space' of inclusive research. Fundamental to the third space is the…

People with profound and multiple learning disabilities are often excluded from the processes of knowledge production and face barriers to inclusion in research due to cognitive and communicative challenges. Inclusive research--even when intending to be inclusive--tends to operate within criteria that exclude people with profound and multiple…

Purpose: The purpose of this article was to conduct a systematic review of the literature on teaching or increasing the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) by students with significant intellectual disabilities and complex communication needs (CCNs) within inclusive school settings. Method: A systematic review of research…

This qualitative phenomenological study focused on determining and describing teachers' lived experiences in implementing inclusion for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Inclusion as an educational practice entails that special education students are provided access to the general education curriculum. While progress has been noted…

Almost two decades later since the promulgation of the White Paper 6 on inclusive education policy in South Africa, the nation has yet to attain what the policy provided as practical inclusion guidelines within the education fraternity. Parental involvement is one of the guidelines that continue to be highlighted as an area of development in the…

Person-centred planning (PCP) puts individuals with an intellectual disability at the centre of service and support planning, identifying how individuals wish to live their lives and what is needed to make that possible. PCP has been identified as having the potential to facilitate improved social inclusion and community participation. A…

This book pushes the boundaries in the way we approach people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities, and in how we work with them in education and research. While it is grounded in diverse theoretical frameworks and disciplines, the book coheres around a commitment to seeing people with profound intellectual and multiple…

Teachers' perceptions play a critical role in defining and giving meaning to new initiatives and policies in schools. However, very little is known about the perceptions of self-contained special educators responsible for students with significant cognitive disabilities (SCD) pertaining to the inclusion of students with SCD in general education…

This study investigates South African teachers' attitudes in schools for learners with special educational needs specifically learners with severe intellectual disability (SID) using a quantitative and descriptive online survey. The questionnaire includes the Modified Teachers' Attitudes Scale. The theory of planned behaviour is used as an…

In response to two calls for continued research focused on PBIS and students with extensive support needs, researchers from the TIES Center and Center on PBIS conducted this literature review to summarize the current literature. This report summarizes the characteristics of the literature and implications for practice and future research…

Across the United States, State Education Agencies (SEAs) are using tiered strategies, such as Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) frameworks, to ensure that all students, including diverse learners, receive equal, high-quality education. However, little is known about the extent to which SEAs are encouraging use of MTSS to address the needs of…

'Profound and multiple learning disabilities' ('PMLD') is a term used in the UK to refer to children with extensive impairments to cognitive development. The majority of children with PMLD are taught in special schools where specialist interventions are deployed to help PMLD children progress through the preverbal stages of development. Despite…

There is on-going debate about whether mainstream education is desirable for children with profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD). Whilst some hold that 'inclusion' is a human right, and that interaction with mainstream peers leads to socio-cognitive gains, others argue that profoundly disabled learners require developmental curricular…

This article focuses on teachers' pedagogical decision-making and influences on this decision-making when teaching students with severe intellectual disabilities. The research reported and discussed forms part of an international collaborative research project in the south west of England and Florida, US. The study is set within the broader…