The purpose of this chapter is to explain the role of counselors in assisting students with exceptionalities. This will be examined by better understanding the counseling history, defining the terms of exceptionalities and transdisciplinary collaboration, and showcasing the many benefits of individual, group, and brain-based interventions. [For…

This chapter addresses the importance of community in fostering transformative learning and living environments for children with special needs. Community is conceptualized as a special kind of relationship between people, who, regardless of geography, share common values, concerns, interests, or experiences. This understanding of community as…

In 2014, we published a concept mapping study on the social exclusion of children with learning and intellectual disabilities at school. Our study had two goals: to provide insight into why social exclusion was happening and to determine whether children could be participants in a concept mapping study. Concept mapping is a six-step mixed-methods…

The kinds of disabilities people experience frequently require "special" approaches to accommodate them in inclusive environments. In general, these people include students with physical disabilities and other health impairments. In a bid to provide diverse educational services for these students, scholars, educators, and government…

Friendships between students with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) remain infrequent, especially at the secondary level. However, when friendships between students with and without IDD have developed, direct support from parents and teachers has been a critical facilitator. Thus, this qualitative study examined parent…

College programs for students with intellectual disability frequently engage peer mentors to promote students' social connections on campus. The qualitative study discussed in this article was conducted to explore, from mentors' perspectives, how mentor/mentee relationships developed, how mentors offered supports, and how mentors facilitated…

As the percentage of diverse students continues to increase, the problem of disproportionate representation of students in special education by race/ethnicity persists (Kena et al., 2014; Zhang, Katsiyannis, Ju, & Roberts, 2014). The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA, 2004) requires states to monitor…

This paper describes a single-case study that focused on an intervention to teach sight words to a preschool student with Down syndrome through a collaborative approach in which responsibility for design and implementation was shared by the child's parents and her early childhood special education teacher. The intervention was consciously tailored…

Students with a specific learning disability (SLD) have unique learning needs that must be met. Thus, it is imperative for teachers to incorporate flexible instructional materials, techniques, and strategies for academic progress to take place. One way teachers can be flexible is by allowing students with disabilities to take standardized (i.e.…

Comparative Education is a discipline that helps to identify the similarities and differences between two or more education systems in different cultures and countries, and which puts forward useful suggestions about the ways to educate people (Türkoglu, 1985). Ever since the Salamanca Statement (UNESCO, 1994), inclusive education has taken…

Among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who have a history of parent-reported developmental regression, or early skill loss, little is known about core-ASD symptoms (i.e., social communication, restricted/repetitive behaviors) and emotional/behavioral (E/B) symptoms during the school-age years. Study aims were to investigate whether…

Students with disabilities are at risk of being bullied in school settings. Special education teachers should be prepared to address this complex behavioral issue and support students with disabilities. This study surveyed 30 novice special education teachers to investigate the amount of bullying prevention and intervention training they…

Charter schools are public schools governed by an independent board of directors that come into existence through a contract with an authorized public chartering agency. This report, known as the "Illinois Charter School Biennial Report," provides law and policymakers, educators, and the general public with information regarding the…

Thirty-six states potentially are ignoring the academic needs of large numbers of African American and Latino students, students from low-income families, English language learners, students with disabilities, and other groups of historically underserved students because the state accountability systems fail to capture these student subgroups.…

Recently, higher education institutions (HEIs) have been striving to make matters of inclusion a top priority in their educational environments. Utilizing a qualitative case study approach, this paper provides an exposition of the learning conditions experienced specifically by students with visual impairments (SVIs) in a higher education…