The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that the annual goals included in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) be monitored to determine progress toward those goals. The IEP team is required to meet at least annually to review the IEP and to revise the IEP to address any lack of expected progress toward the annual goals. Due to the lack of a reasonable progress standard and guidance for evaluating the adequacy of the IEP, progress monitoring practices are inconsistent and often incongruent with the legislative intent. A qualitative, interpretive content analysis of legal decisions from state administrative, district and circuit court decisions was employed to explore the procedural and substantive violations of the progress monitoring IDEA requirements. The findings are presented in three themes, and recommendations for improving progress monitoring practices are offered.
Behavior-specific praise is a low-intensity strategy that can support student academic engaged time and help reduce challenging behavior. Only three studies previously investigated the effects of behavior-specific praise on student behavior in high school settings, and only one was teacher-delivered to the whole class of students, including students with or at risk for disabilities. In this study, we tested the effects of classwide behavior-specific praise on the on-task behavior of three students at risk for emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) using an A-B-A-B withdrawal design over seven weeks. While students did show improved on-task behavior and there was a large effect size, results were mixed in terms of establishing a functional relation when visual analysis was applied. Limitations are discussed and recommendations for future studies are provided.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates parental involvement in the individualized education program (IEP) process, emphasizing the importance of collaborative family-school partnerships. However, Asian families of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) often face unique challenges in engaging with special education systems, particularly during IEP meetings, due to cultural stigma, language barriers, and limited cultural responsiveness from school professionals. Thus, the purpose of this systematic literature review was to explore the perceptions of Asian families regarding their experiences in IEP meetings for their children with disabilities. Altogether, 16 studies were identified. Findings reveal that cultural stigma surrounding disability, inadequate cultural competence among professionals, and dissatisfaction with interpretation services hinder Asian families' effective participation in IEP processes. Conversely, supportive relationships with educators and culturally tailored interventions facilitate positive outcomes. Analysis of 188 participants across 16 studies emphasize the importance of acknowledging cultural diversity and individual family experiences. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Special education teacher shortages have reached historic highs during the COVID-19 pandemic, exacerbating a long-standing issue in education. Over the past decade, alternative route (AR) pathways have gained traction, offering expedited avenues into the teaching profession. However, the quality and accessibility of these pathways remain underexplored. Our study examines the variability in special education certification AR pathway policies across states, focusing on eligibility, training, and testing requirements. Using descriptive statistics, we analyze changes from 2018 to 2023, as the last database was created in 2018. We sought to determine whether any changes have occurred, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data, sourced from state websites and vetted with education agencies, reveals an increase in testing requirements despite potential barriers for marginalized candidates. Mentorship opportunities during training have also risen, an important feature for supporting novice special education teachers. To address shortages, it's essential to understand how we prepare and support special education teacher candidates, which requires understanding the changing landscape of special education teacher preparation.
Students with and at-risk for emotional behavioral disorders (EBD) often exhibit comorbid academic and behavior deficits and benefit from strategies that address those needs. Writing can be significantly difficult for students with EBD due to the complex requirements when completing written activities. This paper highlights a strategic intervention for supporting the writing needs of students with and at risk for EBD. Utilizing a multiple probe across students with embedded reversal single case design, three students with and at-risk for EBD in 3rd, 5th, and 6th grade were recruited to receive SRSD POW+TREE with embedded function-based choice making in a residential education setting. Number of essay elements and a variety of writing quality indicators along with student motivation and active academic engagement were examined. Participants who completed the study demonstrated varied engagement and an increase in included essay elements along with overall essay quality and increased motivation to write persuasively. Implications for teachers, limitations, and future directions are presented.
Family-school partnership is an essential component of the special education process for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Latinx families especially face systemic barriers when participating in education decision-making for their children with IDD. To bridge this gap, parents often turn to advocacy training programs seeking empowerment and insight into the special education process. This case study investigates the lived experiences of Latina parents engaged in a parent advocacy program (i.e. Families Included in Receiving Better Special Education, FIRME), aiming to understand their needs and challenges during the individualized education programs (IEP) process. Despite previous research on Latinx parents' special education knowledge and advocacy skills after participating in such programs, gaps remain regarding how Latinx parents' attitudes, knowledge, skills, and emotional dynamics shape their advocacy journeys. This study provides a nuanced understanding that can refine the content and delivery of advocacy programs to better meet the unique needs of Latinx parents of children with IDD. Through a narrative analysis approach, the experiences of nine Latina mothers who completed the FIRME program were examined. These mothers cited: prior engagement in advocacy efforts, driven by distrust toward school personnel, and revealed feelings of emotional suppression during their children's IEP meetings.
The right to live self-determined lives has been strongly advocated for by the disability community broadly, inclusive of the autistic community. Autistic adolescents can benefit from targeted supports as they navigate the transition to adulthood. Self-determination is a strong predictor of adult outcomes during the transition from school to adult life across disability populations, including autistic youth. This article describes the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI)-Autism, a modified version of the SDLMI developed in partnership with autistic self-advocates to integrate a community-based delivery model as well as evidence-based supports and best practices in autism. Early findings suggested that, although the level of uncertainty is high given small samples of the pilot study, SDLMI-Autism can improve self-determination outcomes, had an observed effect on mental health outcomes, and greater self-determination was associated with fewer support needs related to executive processes at baseline. We also describe limitations associated with this pilot study as well as implications and recommendations for future research and practice.
Educators who support students with unique learning needs are expected to utilize evidence-based practices to provide special education to students in their classrooms. Despite this expectation, these practices are not consistently or effectively implemented in many classrooms across the United States. Educators often report these practices have limited usability in their classrooms, stating the practices are unlikely to meet unique student needs, or are difficult to implement with available professional resources, materials, and time availability. This pilot study examined the usability perceptions of 24 educators implementing an evidence-based practice, technology-based self-monitoring intervention, I-Connect, without the support of a research team (i.e. authentic implementors). Findings from this pilot study suggested that authentic implementors rated the usability of I-Connect favorably, and more favorable perceptions of acceptability predicted favorable understanding, feasibility, and limited need for specialized support to implement this intervention. Authentic implementor perceptions are compared to researcher-supported implementors. Limitations and future research directions to better understand implementation in authentic contexts are discussed.
Students with disabilities benefit from being taught by well-prepared, high-quality special education teachers. State-level special education teacher licensure policies, which directly influence teacher preparation and training, vary considerably across multiple dimensions, including dual licensure, grade bands, and disability categories. This article presents a summary of special education licensure policies across all 50 states and Washington D.C. taking into account these dimensions. Results indicate most states favor standalone special education licensure, defined by no required additional licensure in general education, and cross-categorical licensure, in which teachers can work with students across disability categories. We outline the various sources of complexity in special education licensure policies as they relate to issues of causal inference research, policy, and practice, and provide guidance and considerations for moving forward.
This study adopted the Delphi method to select six classic picture books on the theme of self-concept and made corresponding tactile picture books for students with visual impairments (VIs). By using cluster sampling, students with VIs age 8-10 from Grades 3 to 5 at the School for the Blind in Beijing, China, were adopted, and a total of 19 students with VIs participated in this study. Based on the pretest score of the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale (PHCSS), 19 participants were divided into an experimental group (n = 9) and a control group (n = 10). Students in the experimental group were given 20 lessons based on selected picture books, 45 minutes each, in 14 weeks. The results show that students in the experimental group received a significantly higher PHCSS total score than students in the control group (p < .05). Significant differences were found in the dimensions of physical appearance and attributes (p < .05) and anxiety (p < .05). Marginal significant differences were found in the dimensions of intellectual and school status (p < .1) and popularity (p < .1). No significance was found in the dimensions of behavior and of happiness and satisfaction. We explain the study's findings and implications.
Enhanced self-determination can positively impact in- and postschool outcomes for students with and without disabilities. One evidence-based practice aimed to support teachers in providing more opportunities for students to engage in self-determined actions leading to enhanced self-determination is the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI). Throughout the SDLMI process, students set and work toward self-selected goals. In this study, authors examined content of goals students set when engaged in the SDLMI over three years. Results highlighted students set academically relevant goals related to a variety of classes and target behaviors/skills which aligns with the purpose of the SDLMI when implemented in academic contexts. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
Fluency with whole number computations serves as a vital entry point for children to develop higher order thinking skills in mathematics. One strategy commonly used to support its instruction centers on providing learners multiple representations of ideas. While physical representations possess a robust line of study for children exhibiting mathematics difficulty, the impact of virtual representations is less widely understood. Thus, using a single case adapted alternating treatments design, this study compared the effects of physical and virtual representations for teaching whole number computations on division to four elementary students with mathematics difficulty. Across intervention, a functional relation was established with both treatments for all four children, while virtual representations led to higher accuracy performance in each case. Baseline Corrected Tau measures confirmed large-to-medium effects for both treatments, with scores ranging from 1 to 0.870 for virtual and 0.928 to 0.870 for physical. The implications of these results for elementary grade-level instruction are examined.
This mixed-method study aimed to determine if the implementation of a self-management intervention combined with ongoing parent coaching would promote improvement in self-efficacy (SE) for three students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) enrolled in online high school and their parents. The intervention package included a technology-aided self-management tool, initial parent training of the intervention, and ongoing parent coaching. A multiple baseline design was used to measure the changes in perceived SE of the students that was measured using student SE questionnaires. Parent SE data were collected through a series of semi-structured interviews throughout the study. A mixed-methods analysis was used to determine how one set of data informed the other, and vice versa. Results suggest the intervention was effective at improving student SE. The parent interviews revolved around four main themes: student learning challenges, parent engagement with the students, parent self-confidence, and support for the parent. Each parent viewed the intervention favorably and felt more capable of supporting their students after using the intervention. This study highlights areas that must be considered when developing and implementing interventions in an online learning environment. Limitations of the study are addressed and suggestions for future research are provided.
