Text-to-speech (TTS) refers to technology that reads aloud digital text (Understood, 2019). For years, TTS and its human counterpart--read aloud--have generated controversy about when and for whom these supports should be allowed on state assessments (Thurlow, Christensen, & Rogers, n.d.; Thurlow & Weiner, n.d.; Thurlow, Laitusis, Dillon,…

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the perceptions, experiences, and applications of special education teacher candidates' promotion of self-determination for students who have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985), a functional model of self-determination (Wehmeyer, 1999), Casual…

Children with visual impairments (VIs) in mainstream education often experience social participation difficulties during peer play with sighted children. It was investigated whether augmented toys were effective to facilitate peer play and social interaction in 18 dyads of children with VIs and their sighted classmates. Eighteen children aged…

This research evaluates the appropriateness of test accommodations among Chinese university students with hearing impairment, using reliability estimates and exploratory factor analysis. Study 1 explores the appropriateness of test directions accommodation for one nonverbal assessment (Group Embedded Figures Test) and two verbal assessments with…

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common neuropsychiatric condition in childhood and adolescence. Psychoeducation has been recommended by different guidelines as an initial treatment for ADHD, however the effects of the intervention for reducing symptoms and improving other outcomes still need to be established. This…

The number of students receiving special education services have steadily increased in the United States over the past decade. Students with disabilities (SWD) historically score lower on high stakes tests, and they require considerations beyond academic achievement for promotion. The growing number of SWD and accountability measures included in…

This qualitative descriptive study explored how self-contained special education (SPED) teachers described the use and implementation of evidence-based practices (EBP) in relation to the academic growth of students with severe disabilities. The problem statement was it is not known how self-contained SPED teachers describe the use and…

Literature on perceptions of students with disabilities has been studied over the years and in a variety of ways but has yet to qualitatively address students with mental health concerns, particularly from a perspective that analyzes perceptions across academic departments. This is problematic, given that students with disabilities are pursuing a…

The present study describes how deaf and hard-of-hearing (d/hh) children who primarily use listening/spoken English (oral d/hh) solve one-step arithmetic story problems. Past research examined the story problem-solving of hearing children (Carpenter et al., 2015) and d/hh children who used age-appropriate American Sign Language (signing d/hh;…

Research has shown the parenting responsibilities that come with a child with special needs differ from the responsibilities of parenting a normally developing child (Benn, Akiva, Arel, & Roeser, 2012). To provide adequate levels of care for children with special needs parents may endure challenging experiences, resulting in parents becoming…

This qualitative study represents the perspective of a parent of a twice-exceptional (2e) child with autism and giftedness through the cultural lens of neurodiversity. Twice-exceptional children are those who are gifted and have a co-existing disability (Assouline, Foley-Nicpon, & Huber, 2006). This study used an autoethnography methodology,…

The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of the reading program, System 44, on students with learning disabilities in grades six and seven at a small rural middle school. The middle school implemented the reading program during the 2018-2019 school year to assist students reading below grade level to "catch up" or close the…

Purpose: Elementary-aged peers often need support for them to have positive interactions with classmates with autism who are minimally speaking (i.e., fewer than 30 functional spoken words). This study examined whether peers could learn to use responsive interaction strategies to support inclusive play and communication within a peer network…

As online education grows, ensuring accessibility for diverse and marginalized learners has become increasingly critical. This study investigated faculty perceptions of Anthology Ally, a tool designed to enhance the accessibility of online course materials by identifying and resolving accessibility issues. Using survey data from 78 educators at…

This study used longitudinal special education record data from a large urban southwestern U.S. school district to review classroom placements of students in Grades 5 to 9 educated in traditional public schools (N = 21,314). Results indicated that half of the students were educated primarily in general education classrooms (n = 10,658), 9% of…