Students with intellectual disability benefit from direct instruction of community-referenced skills. Community-referenced skills are frequently taught through community-based instruction (CBI) however, CBI presents logistical barriers that can be difficult. Multimedia simulated instruction (MMSI) combines visual, auditory, and interactive elements to simulate real-world scenarios, providing a dynamic and engaging learning experience. This paper presents a framework for practitioners to develop MMSI that addresses the unique cognitive and learning needs students. A seven-step blueprint to creating MMSI, with careful and practical considerations given at each step, is presented with an illustrative scenario to demonstrate the practicality of MMSI. Key steps include deciding which skills to teach and the components of MMSI, analyzing transportation and logistical barriers, creating the materials and progress monitoring tools, and considering multimedia simulated components of the intervention. The paper emphasizes the benefits (cost, time, replication) of MMSI for both the student and practitioner.
This study examines the association between average teacher salaries and high school graduation rates across U.S. states during the 2018–19 academic year, with a focus on both racial/ethnic groups and vulnerable student populations. State-level graduation outcomes were analyzed for White, Asian, Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native students, as well as for economically disadvantaged students, students with disabilities, homeless students, foster care students, and students with limited English proficiency. Using Pearson correlation coefficients, the study assessed whether higher teacher salaries were consistently linked to improved graduation rates across these diverse groups. Findings indicate moderate positive correlations for Asian, Black, and Hispanic students, suggesting that higher teacher pay may support stronger graduation outcomes for these populations. In contrast, weak or negligible correlations were observed for White and American Indian/Alaska Native students, and negative or near-zero correlations emerged for economically disadvantaged students, students with disabilities, homeless students, and foster care students. These results suggest that while competitive teacher compensation may contribute to improved outcomes for some student groups, salary increases alone are insufficient to address longstanding disparities affecting vulnerable populations. A more comprehensive policy approach—pairing competitive compensation with targeted academic, social-emotional, and wraparound supports—may be necessary to promote equitable graduation outcomes across states.
Young children with challenging behaviors and disabilities are disproportionately excluded from early care and education settings, a pattern seen across Ohio and throughout the nation. This exclusion impacts workforce participation and limits children’s access to the well-documented developmental, social, and educational benefits of high-quality early care and education. Over the past six years, Ohio has implemented a statewide initiative (Ohio PROMISE) designed to reduce exclusion and increase inclusive opportunities for young children with challenging behaviors and disabilities in early care and education environments. Ohio PROMISE is built upon five pillars: provider credentialing, program designation, a statewide center of excellence, an advisory committee, and child care subsidy supports. Initial implementation data across the Ohio PROMISE pillars are promising and demonstrate broad adoption of inclusive practices and strategies statewide. As Ohio PROMISE continues to evolve, the initiative remains focused on identifying innovative approaches to meet the changing needs of Ohio’s children, families, and early childhood workforce.Keywords: social-emotional learning, routines, caregiver responsiveness, framework, cultural responsiveness.
Youth with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) may be negatively impacted by their behavioral excesses and deficits across academic, behavioral, and transition domains requiring more intensive supports as part of their education resulting in some of these youth receiving their education a residential treatment facility (RTF). Once they complete their treatment, they integrate back into the community including for some, enrollment in a neighborhood school. This transition pathway is the focus of this intrinsic, instrumental, and descriptive qualitative case study. The purpose of this study was to determine components of transition for these youth enrolling back in neighborhood schools. The constructed themes align with the best practices of transition literature.
Curriculum from a rural central-Midwestern high school special education transition program was analyzed and compared to the college policies and expectations of a private college in the rural central Midwest. Data from student files of college students with disabilities were compared to high school special education transitional curriculum and college policies and expectations. The study identified a misalignment between the identified areas of concern of students with disabilities in higher education, as evidenced by their student files and the skills taught to high school special education students in preparation for college. Additionally, this study identified gaps between high school special education transition program outcomes and college expectations.
The H-U-G-S Interaction Style is a responsive communication framework designed to strengthen young children’s social-emotional learning through predictable, attuned adult-child interactions embedded in everyday routines. Grounded in Sociocultural Theory, H-U-G-S operationalizes the assertion that social-emotional competencies emerge through guided participation in everyday activities and the child’s active engagement in culturally grounded relationships. H-U-G-S advances an equity-centered approach that affirms diverse communication styles and reduces barriers to participation. In early intervention and early childhood special education, the framework offers teams a practical way to translate individualized IFSP and IEP priorities related to communication, regulation, participation, and social-emotional development into consistent interactions across everyday routines and settings.
A qualitative focus group design was utilized to investigate the collaborative experiences of SLPs as members of K-12 special education teams in U.S. public schools. The authors sought to explore how one describes their collaborative experiences as similar or different given an individual’s sociocultural identity and background. The participants were 12 school-based SLPs from differing sociocultural backgrounds, including age, geographic location, and racial identity. A semi-structured interview protocol was used to guide participants’ discussion around their perceptions of collaboration, factors impacting their ability to collaborate, and recommendations to improve collaboration. This study's findings suggest that SLPs perceive school-based collaboration as highly variable and complex and that many factors impact collaborative outcomes. Preliminary findings also illustrate the need to consider the role an SLP’s identity plays in their school-based collaborative perceptions and interactions. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
This paper explores the disproportionate impact of school closures and remote learning on students with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Multiple narratives, including those of a student with a disability, a parent, a special education teacher, a student teacher, teacher educators, and disability researchers, illustrate how the pandemic disrupted the special education system. The paper delves into how the experiences of learners and teachers intersected, revealing how the pandemic complicated and interfered with the shared goal of educating students with disabilities. Using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory and critical disability theory, the authors synthesize these perspectives to demonstrate the ripple effect of the pandemic across various educational systems—from classrooms to higher education to educational research. These narratives reflect diverse experiences across different states, towns, school districts, and universities, collectively highlighting the significant and disproportionate challenges faced by students with disabilities during this period.
Job demands and poor working conditions of special education teachers are one of the main reasons for teacher attrition, one of the most pressing issues in special education today. This study explored the job characteristics and working conditions specific to special education teachers of students with extensive support needs. Sixty-six special education teachers completed a survey of 74 job tasks, indicating the importance of each task, their confidence level, and available time and materials. The results confirmed the importance of 73 out of the 74 tasks. The analysis of the working conditions yielded six patterns, the largest pattern consisting of 35 tasks that were perceived as important but for which the teachers lacked the confidence, time, and materials for implementation. The findings are discussed in the context of demoralization of special education teachers, as well as in terms of school district policies and training of teachers in special education.
The transition from early intervention services under Part C to preschool special education under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is a critical point in the educational experiences of young children with disabilities and their families. In New Mexico, this transition occurs within a complex system shaped by rurality, cultural and linguistic diversity, and Tribal sovereignty. More than a procedural requirement, this critical transition must be part of the state’s broader responsibility to provide sufficient and equitable educational opportunities in alignment with the findings of facts and conclusions of the Yazzie/Martinez v. State of New Mexico (2018) case. We analyzed New Mexico’s early childhood special education context, examined practice gaps related to implementation of equitable early childhood transitions within this context, and proposed a Yazzie/Martinez-informed framework for equitable transitions grounded in statewide responsibility, continuity of services, meaningful family participation, cultural and linguistic responsiveness, respect for Tribal sovereignty, and equity focused accountability.
This study investigates early childhood educators ability to distinguish between developmentally appropriate and disruptive behaviors in diverse early education settings. Utilizing a Delphi method with a panel of experts, the research explores concepts of behavioral interpretation, collaborative decision-making, and developmentally informed intervention planning across Wakschlag’s developmental domains: Emotional Regulation, Internalization of Rules, Aggression Modulation, and Empathy and Conscience. Findings highlight the persistent challenges interdisciplinary teams may face in identifying nuanced behavioral differences, compounded by cultural and individual variability. The study underscores the need for structured developmental frameworks that support collaborative, developmentally informed decision-making within early childhood and special education settings.
Transition planning is a critical component of individualized education programs (IEPs), yet meaningful student and family participation remains inconsistent. This article examines recent research on student and family engagement in secondary transition planning and identifies practical strategies for strengthening collaboration before, during, and between IEP meetings. These practices emphasize intentional preparation, meaningful participation, collaborative decision-making, and ongoing communication. Together, they position student and family collaboration as an ongoing component of IEP implementation and support transition planning that reflects students’ strengths, preferences, interests, needs, and postsecondary goals.
Stereotypy—restricted and repetitive behaviors characteristic of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)—can influence children’s independence and self-determination. Limited research has explored how parents perceive these behaviors and the need for intervention. This qualitative study, conducted in the Midwestern United States, examined the perspectives of nine parents of children with ASD. Semi-structured interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis, revealing four themes: (a) type and topography of stereotypical behaviors; (b) reactions from parents, siblings, teachers, peers, and community members; (c) perceived need for treatment; and (d) behavioral strategies used at home. Parents described stereotypical behaviors as both challenging and beneficial to their child’s functioning. Most did not view intervention as necessary except when behaviors created medical or safety concerns. Findings underscore the importance of understanding parent perspectives to inform educators and practitioners in developing compassionate, evidence-based supports that honor both family priorities and neurodiversity.
A holistic framework that integrates Common Core State Standards (CCSS) with functional skills instruction for high school students with extensive support needs (ESN) is urgently needed for high schools to comply with recent legislation like the California Assembly Bill 181 (2022), that established an alternate diploma pathway that is aligned with alternate academic standards. This paper argues against the false dichotomy between academic and functional curricula and, instead proposes a framework that integrates CCSS into functional activities by isolating specific skills (e.g., literacy, mathematics, collaboration, or technology use) and aligns them with evidence-based practices such as task analysis, video modeling, systematic instruction, prompting, and peer-mediated interventions. Instructional transparency is encouraged through visible classroom standards and academic subject labeling, supporting shared understanding among educators, families, and administrators. Further, the paper posits that functional skills are naturally an authentic context for standards-based instruction, allowing educators to maintain academic rigor while promoting skills needed for post-school readiness. This integrated framework offers a practical approach to curriculum design and instructional planning for students with extensive support needs to prepare students for meaningful postsecondary education, employment, and community life.
This study investigates the critical role of mentorship in preparing pre-service special education teachers for the challenges of the classroom. We surveyed pre-service special education teachers before and after engaging in a year-long mentorship experience with a veteran teacher. We also followed up with study participants one year after the mentorship experience ended, during their first year of teaching, to examine longer-term perceptions of mentorship. Findings indicate that participants reported increased readiness in instructional practice, classroom management, and confidence in their teaching abilities. However, participants reported ongoing gaps in preparation, particularly related to case management and working with students from diverse backgrounds. Implications for educator preparation programs and future research are discussed.
Shared reading approaches with school-aged students who have complex support needs (CSN) and complex communication needs (CCN) typically focus on increasing the rate and accuracy of student responses to adult prompts and questions. This descriptive mixed method case study focused on the implementation of a shared reading approach designed to increase the engagement and expressive communication of a student with CSN and CCN. Increases in the teacher’s use of interactive strategies and demonstration of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) occurred concurrently with increases in student engagement, initiations, and expressive symbolic communication. Implications for teacher practice and teacher preparation programs are discussed.
Previous research suggests that self-management interventions are effective across a variety of disabilities, behaviors, and settings to curb maladaptive classroom behaviors. However, based on a recent literature review, there is an overall lack of research focused specifically on interventions for the Emotionally Disturbed (ED) student population and an even greater void of research studies that intervened on non-academic behaviors with his population (Garwood et al., 2021). Thus, this current study sought to expand the 2021 review by 1) focusing on only on intervention studies and 2) going beyond flagship EBD journals to be more inclusive of published peer-review work. As a result, the current study reviewed 34 studies (1990-2021) that implemented self-management interventions on the behaviors of 97 students with ED. Each of these studies were carefully reviewed to investigate the effectiveness of the interventions on the participant’s target behavior. Using percentage of nonoverlapping data (PND) and percentage of data exceeding the median (PEM) to calculate effectiveness, findings suggest that self-management interventions were moderately to highly effective across settings, including the general education setting, and across target behaviors. All findings are presented detailing the specific intervention’s effectiveness based on behavior targeted. In addition, social validity and limitations are discussed to aid in the continuation of research that delves into strategies that help teachers address the unique behavioral characteristics associated with students with ED.
This paper highlights a study (2022) conducted in a Canadian school division which explored the perceptions of classroom teachers (n=4) in middle schools. The purpose of the study was to highlight ways in which middle school teachers successfully connected with middle years aged students in their classrooms. Participants spoke of the importance of building community in their classrooms and highlighted several ways in which they developed an inclusive community throughout the school year. The approaches and strategies teachers shared to create an inclusive community are compared to several models related to community building, including Peck’s (1998) model highlighting the four stages of community: "Pseudo Community," "Chaos," "Emptiness," and "Community."
The purpose of this study was to determine the antecedent conditions that contribute to completion of postsecondary education (PSE) for students with disabilities, taking into account institutional experiences associated with the development of social integration. A prospective longitudinal design was used to analyze data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2). Findings indicate that PSE completion was significantly predicted by self-advocacy, participation in a work-study program or paid employment, participation in extracurricular activities, and development of vocational skills as a primary transition goal. Transition practitioners should consider the right constellation of factors known to impact the PSE outcomes of youth with disabilities including, self-advocacy and transition goals.
The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of parent training via telehealth to decrease noncompliance in 3 children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder using the Applied Behavior Analytic (ABA) technique, Behavior Skills Training. Behavior Skills Training includes four critical components: instructions, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback. A multiple baseline design is used to evaluate the effects of this approach on three participants. Pre- and post-assessments were used to evaluate a parent’s skill set with regard to understanding and effectively managing behavior from an Applied Behavior Analytic perspective. Training modules were presented by supervising behavior analysts and student interns at a university. The present results provide evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of telehealth-based parent-training modalities. All parents indicated that they were satisfied with the interventions provided via telehealth.
