The Children's Center for Communication/Beverly School for the Deaf (CCCBSD) follows a theme-based learning model, providing a quarterly theme around which teachers base cross-curricular instruction. The themes are intentionally broad to encourage teachers to create instructional units that integrate academic and functional learning in response to…

The Professional Development (PD) intervention in this study introduced special education teachers to inquiry-driven practices utilizing assistive technology (AT) to support student diverse learning needs. The study followed multiple case study research design to examine changes in AT competency and mindset of three special education teachers…

With a growing number of students with disabilities participating in online distance education, there is a need to explore support strategies that promote their academic success in these virtual environments. For students with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), this type of learning environment often lacks the structure and support for them to…

This paper proposes the design of an instructional model, referred to as the universal genre sphere, for teaching academic writing in a manner appropriate to all learners, but developed especially with consideration for the needs of English as additional language students with or without diagnosed learning differences. Despite growing research on,…

Focussing on the experiences and perceptions of parents and volunteer caregivers of children with disabilities, this paper reports on a study that explored the provision of early childhood development and inclusive education for children with disabilities in rural Malawi. Drawing on a community-based participatory research (CBPR) design, ten local…

This study explored the characteristics of commonly used early literacy instruction designed by special education teachers for students with extensive support needs (ESN). The 15 special education teachers and 29 students were participants in a randomized controlled trial investigating the effectiveness of an early literacy intervention developed…

Given the growing proportion of students receiving special education services who are culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD), there is a critical need to understand the experiences of Latinx immigrant parents of children with disabilities. This qualitative study sought to understand the perspectives of nine Latinx immigrant parents of…

This study measured the effect of an evidence-based science curriculum delivered in both English and Spanish using the preview-view-review (PVR) strategy, on the science vocabulary and content knowledge acquired by students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities who were learning English. The intervention was compared to the same…

To compare the effect of sensory diets on children's sensory processing, psychosocial skills, and classroom engagement to a control intervention of non-therapeutic fine-motor or visual activities. A single-subject ABCA experimental design was used with five children attending prekindergarten through fourth-grade special education in an urban…

Within a culturally and linguistically responsive (CLR) multitiered system of supports (MTSS) framework, effective policies, practices, and personnel ensure that resources and tools promote equity for all students. Observation data were analyzed to describe the implementation of two components of MTSS/RTI, assessment and data-based…

Purpose: New policy proposals to increase funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)--including recent efforts by the Biden-Harris administration to "fully fund" IDEA--bring a new sense of urgency to understanding how federal special education dollars are distributed among states. In this study, we evaluate…

Paraprofessionals are critical members of instructional teams for students with autism; however, little is known about their job preparation and professional development needs. This study addressed the gap in the literature by surveying 325 paraprofessionals in public school settings in the United States and Guam who reported working with students…

We develop a new framework for identifying at-risk students in public schools. Our framework has two fundamental advantages over "status quo" systems: (1) it is based on a clear definition of what it means for a student to be at risk and (2) it leverages states' rich administrative data systems to produce more informative risk measures.…

The only consistency with children, with and without disabilities, is that they are inconsistent. Much of a child's behavior is adult controlled by their reaction, methods used, and consistency in support and discipline. When adults change the way they respond to the child's behaviors, the child gradually will learn to modify their behavior.…

This supplementary document supports the Council for Exceptional Children's (CEC) Secondary Transition Position Statement by providing definitions of terms for students and youth with disabilities, as well as definitions related to: (1) Career Development; (2) Employment; (3) Collaborative Systems; (4) Student Skills; and (5) Policy. [For…