Secondary students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) in reading often struggle with fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension despite years of targeted instruction. By high school, many describe literacy activities as repetitive and disconnected from meaningful reading experiences. This article describes a structured, non-digital gameplay routine using the Trivial Pursuit board game that supports literacy instruction by positioning reading as a shared, social classroom practice. Used within ongoing instruction, the strategy provides students with repeated opportunities to read aloud, apply decoding and vocabulary strategies, and discuss meaning in an age-appropriate, low-pressure environment. The routine includes clear teacher supports and reflection points that help maintain instructional focus while promoting student engagement and participation.
Evidence-based practices (EBPs) are necessary to effectively support student achievement in mathematics, especially students with or at risk of mathematics learning disabilities. However, teachers need ongoing support to implement and sustain high-quality EBPs through coaching. This article describes four effective coaching practices: alliance-building strategies, modeling, observation, and performance feedback. Also addressed are the importance and identification of EBPs, the use of coaching practices in a three-step cycle, and fidelity checklists to increase implementation fidelity. Finally, case studies and resources for EBPs and coaching are provided to enhance teachers’ sustained implementation of these practices.
Frequent electronic device use can interfere with play, social interaction, communication, and self-regulation in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Structured, evidence-based strategies that gradually reduce device access while reinforcing engagement in non-digital play can support skill development and minimize behavioral dysregulation. This article presents a practical approach for parents, educators, and clinicians, emphasizing scheduled and faded device access combined with reinforcement for alternative play activities. A composite vignette illustrates implementation of these strategies in a school-age child, highlighting how systematic screen-use reduction can be paired with drawing, construction, and imaginative play. Guidance includes visual schedules, reinforcement strategies, and environmental supports to facilitate predictable transitions from electronic devices to non-digital play. By translating research into actionable steps, this article demonstrates that structured, individualized interventions can reduce electronic device dependence while promoting social, communicative, and regulatory skills in children with ASD.
Autistic students are increasingly included in general education settings with neurotypical peers. Peer-mediated interventions (PMIs) are an evidence-based practice particularly suited to inclusive settings and have been shown to support a variety of skills and behaviors, including social interaction. Despite its effectiveness, this strategy is not widely utilized in inclusive classrooms. This article describes how different types of PMI have been successfully implemented with autistic students to support social interaction across developmental stages, from preschool through high school, and provides recommendations for practitioners using PMI in the school setting, including suggestions for training and supporting peers involved in PMI and considerations for respecting the neurodiversity of autistic students involved in school-based intervention.
Employment retention decreases recidivism and improves long-term outcomes for justice-involved youth. Teaching appropriate employment-related social skills can help justice-involved youth obtain and maintain employment. This article presents two lessons on taking responsibility from an employment curriculum that teaches foundational workplace skills designed for justice-involved youth and transition-age youth with disabilities. These lessons demonstrate how to use cognitive behavioral tenets to support youth self-regulation through teaching employment-related social skills. The two-lesson example can be implemented across educational contexts. Meaningful effects have been found for youth who have received the curriculum, and the curriculum has been rated well on social validity metrics by teachers and youth. Mastery of these skills may improve maintained employment for justice-involved youth and also youth with disabilities.
