It is known that formal and informal educational support resources for what parents can do about the development of their children and how they can cope with the difficulties encountered after diagnosing individuals with ASD are insufficient. Therefore, this research was conducted to evaluate the effect of the education program developed for…

Children's literature is a powerful influence on the social construction of perceptions and narratives, and it is critically important that all children see themselves represented in the books in their classrooms. However, strength-based views of characters with a disability are rare in children's picture books, meaning that children with a…

Purpose: Understanding others' mental states including thoughts (cognitive theory of mind [ToM]) and feelings (affective ToM) is an important component of communication, particularly for individuals with communication challenges. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are critical members of the team that supports these individuals; however, little…

The present study was conducted to see the extent to which intensive online individualized guidance sessions could help a second/foreign language (L2) learner of English with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at an undergraduate level to write an academic essay in the education field with citations and references. The sessions, 30 minutes each, were…

Purpose: Access to communication is a basic human right, yet autistic adults have reported challenges fully and effectively expressing themselves throughout childhood. This may be due to the historical (and ongoing) focus and prioritization of speech skills as a barometer of communicative success. The result is a lack of support for other forms of…

Most teachers report wanting more training and support to teach autistic students. Individual, autism-focused coaching is a promising approach for improving teacher self-efficacy and autistic student outcomes. Given the high workload demands of coaching, it must be feasible and acceptable. This study considers coaches', teachers', and autistic…

Self-monitoring is a promising evidence-based intervention for students who benefit from supplemental supports to stay on-task during academic periods. I-Connect, a technology-based self-monitoring intervention with a substantial body of research, allows students to discretely recognize and record their behavior on a mobile or desktop app at…

The purpose of this article is to describe recommendations for providing evidence-based literacy instruction to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), including students with comorbid autism spectrum disorder (autism). We identify six evidence-based practices, highlight key research that supports each practice, and then…

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has traditionally been associated with persistent deficits in many functional areas across the life span. However, recent work suggests that some individuals initially diagnosed with ASD can later achieve functioning in normative ranges, a phenomenon referred to as optimal outcome (OO) or, effectively, recovery from…

In 2009, Kroeger and Sorensen-Burnworth published a comprehensive review of the literature on toilet training individuals with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities. Their review highlighted that the majority of toilet training programs were modelled after Azrin and Foxx's Rapid Toilet Training (RTT) method. The current…

Effective professional development is critical for improving implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) in special education. The present systematic review sought to gather evidence exploring the effects and key components of in-service special education teacher training in EBPs. This review identifies six essential components of training…

Individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remain underrepresented in many core classes such as mathematics and science due to common characteristics that affect social interactions, behaviors, learning abilities, and communication. According to the DSM-5-TR (2013), a deficit in social communication, social reciprocity, and…

What does it mean for all children to be seen as whole and 'appropriate'? How can early childhood educators and families understand a child as capable and whole within the evaluative systems around disability? Through the narrative inquiry of a mother/early childhood teacher, this paper explores the complex entanglements between identity-affirming…

This article continues the discussion of the experiences of disabled and neurodiverse Ph.D. students in Library and Information Science programs in American and Canadian universities, following up on the previous report that addressed their struggles during and in the immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. This article directs attention to…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a technology-based self-monitoring application, I-Connect, to enhance the on-task behavior of five secondary students (ages 15-16) with autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, and specific learning disability during Biology instruction in a rural special education classroom. We…