Though job opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) continue to expand in the United States, people on Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) while in school are continually disadvantaged in future STEM-based career possibilities. Studies have shown that students on IEPs are far less likely to major in a STEM degree…

Childhood trauma is a national health crisis. As many as two out of every three children in any classroom across the country have experienced some form of trauma. Meanwhile, a recent study in Washington State showed that 80 percent of the children eligible for special education services were exposed to early childhood trauma, which has been linked…

This research aims to examine how Resource Room practice is utilised for students with special education needs (SEN) at a general education middle school where inclusive education is implemented. Accordingly, an embedded single case has been opted for the research design. The research participants include two students with SEN, five teachers, one…

Self-advocacy skills enable active student involvement in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) planning process. However, some students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) lack appropriate self-advocacy skills and may require specific instruction in how to prepare for and participate in their own IEP. Special educators may have…

This study is a phenomenological analysis of the experiences of members of an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) team when an appreciative approach is taken during the IEP process in a middle school in rural New England. The specific phenomenon studied is individuals' experience when student strengths are discussed explicitly as an IEP is…

K-12 students with disabilities in the United States are increasingly enrolling in online schools and educational programs. Therefore, K-12 online public and charter school special education (SpecEd) teachers must be prepared to develop and implement individualized educational plans (IEPs) that meet the procedural and substantive requirements of…

Academically talented students with autism, also known as twice-exceptional students with autism (2eASD), are increasingly identified in school. These students present challenges to educators who attempt to plan and implement successful instructional opportunities, as teachers' knowledge and use of evidence-based practices (EBPs) for students…

This study documents teachers' perceived impact of a massive open online course (MOOC) entitled The Self-Determined IEP: Supporting "Success for Students with Behavioural and Adjustment Difficulties" using Coldwell & Simkins' (2011) model for evaluating continuing professional development in education. Employing pre-experimental…

Since the pandemic, every school district offers some form of virtual learning to student including students with disabilities with individual education plans (IEPs). Although virtual learning is common, yet, few states have policies that address special services in virtual settings. This is an exploratory mixed methods study that seeks to…

This study applies the gap analysis model to understand barriers facing teachers to differentiate instruction for special needs students in the general education setting. The purpose of this study was to conduct an evaluation gap analysis for implementing differentiated instructional strategies to improve outcomes of special needs students in the…

In this randomized multiple baseline across participants single-case design study, pre-service special education teachers received a modified Talk Aloud Problem Solving (TAPS) intervention to improve their use of problem-solving verbal behavior and reasoning skills when making instructional decisions. Special education teacher candidates may have…

This study examined the use of a peer-mediated instruction and intervention (PMI) model combined with the use of a visual schedule as a way of supporting academic engagement and social interactions of secondary students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A multiple-baseline across participants design (Kazdin, 2011) was used to determine effects…

All students go through a variety of transitions throughout their life (i.e., middle school to high school, high school to the workforce). However, students with disabilities tend to experience disparities compared to their peers without disabilities in regard to in-school and postschool outcomes. One way to enhance outcomes for students with…

In March of 2020, with COVID-19 cases rising above 3% for the entire population entered a pandemic and mandated schools move their instruction to online learning. The problem addressed in this study was students with a current IEP were not receiving the support and resources needed to meet their IEP goals in a virtual setting, leading to teachers…

With the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI), specifically generative AI and large language models (e.g., ChatGPT, Google Gemini), into education, there is a conversation regarding what knowledge teachers still need and will need moving forward. In this article, we describe how AI can, and should, be aligned to the Technological…