Teacher-student relationships (TSRs) are critical for student development, yet little is known about the role that malleable child-level skills and experiences play in shaping TSR quality among students with disabilities experiencing behavioral difficulties. This study examines how student experiences (e.g., classroom working alliance) and skills (i.e., social skills, internalizing/externalizing behaviors) relate to TSR quality as perceived by both teachers and students. Participants included 185 students with disabilities and 76 special education teachers across 50 schools. Multi-informant assessments and regression analyses revealed that working alliance, specific social skills, and externalizing problem behaviors were uniquely associated with both positive (e.g., trust, closeness) and negative (e.g., conflict, alienation) TSR dimensions. Importantly, working alliance emerged as a consistent predictor across both rater perspectives, while discrepancies between teacher and student perceptions highlighted the importance of using multi-informant approaches. Findings underscore the potential of interventions targeting alliance-building and social-emotional skills to enhance TSRs for students with elevated behavioral needs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

BACKGROUND:This report describes the preliminary psychometric evaluation of the Diagnostic Interview for Adolescents and Adults with Intellectual Disability: An interview schedule of mental disorders (DIAAID), an accessible structured interview for individuals with intellectual disability. METHOD:We examined test-retest reliability, inter-rater reliability, and concordance between direct and other-informant reports. RESULTS:Intraclass correlations (CCs) for test-retest ranged from good to poor (ICC 0.79-< 0.50). ICCs for inter-rater reliability revealed excellent to moderate reliability between two independent raters (ICC 1.00-0.65). Percent agreement was high for positive and negative diagnoses between adolescent/adult participants (AAPs) and study partner participants (SPPs) (87.7%-100%) and between two raters of the same direct-report interview (90.9-100). Although SPPs endorsed more symptoms than AAPs, AAPs endorsed some that SPPs did not, with poor agreement between direct and informant reports (ICC -0.01 to 0.30). CONCLUSION:Preliminary psychometric findings are promising though not compelling. The direct report detects symptoms not noted by the caregiver.

Children identified with emotional and behavioral support needs often demonstrate varying levels of externalizing, hyperactive, and internalizing behaviors requiring diverse prevention and intervention efforts. The current study implemented a latent profile analysis (LPA) to explore meaningful differences in a sample of 180 children receiving special education services for emotional or behavioral support needs. Six profiles were identified based on externalizing, internalizing, and hyperactive indicators. We then tested criterion variables of teacher and student reports of emotional and behavioral engagement and disaffection across the profiles. Significant differences were found for the teacher, not the student report. Finally, we created a student-teacher perception of engagement discrepancy score to explore concordance of ratings across profiles. Findings indicated evidence of student illusory bias related to perceptions of functioning compared to their teacher. Results demonstrated that student profiles with higher levels of support needs were associated with less agreement of student functioning across the four engagement and disaffection subscales. Limitations and implications for future research are provided.

BackgroundSuicidal ideation is increasing among university students. Despite growing demand for services, university counseling centers (UCCs) face limited resources to meet the complex needs of students who are suicidal. ObjectiveThe Comprehensive Adaptive Multisite Prevention of University Student Suicide (CAMPUS) Trial evaluates 4 treatment sequences within UCCs to develop evidence-based treatment guidelines. MethodsThe CAMPUS Trial consists of a feasibility study followed by a sequential multiple-assignment randomized trial (SMART). The original CAMPUS protocol was modified during the COVID-19 pandemic to accommodate new UCC tele–mental health services, including remote treatment, assessments, and monitoring. A smaller-scale feasibility study was conducted to (1) evaluate implementation of hybrid telehealth and in-person interventions and (2) fine-tune online procedures. Following the feasibility study, university students (aged 18-25 years) seeking UCC services with moderate to severe suicidal ideation will enroll in the CAMPUS Trial. Student participants are randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatment sequences with 2 stages of intervention. In stage 1, students receive 4 to 6 weeks of either (1) a suicide-focused treatment—Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality—or (2) enhanced treatment as usual. Treatment responders enter the maintenance phase. In stage 2, nonresponders are rerandomized for an additional 1 to 8 weeks of (1) Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality or (2) an intensive skills-based treatment—dialectical behavior therapy for UCC settings. UCC counselors will enroll in the CAMPUS Trial to complete measures about their experience working with students who are suicidal. CAMPUS Trial administration includes representation from all sites to facilitate cross-site coordination and an advisory board of stakeholders from all UCCs to facilitate treatment implementation. ResultsStudent participant recruitment began on October 25, 2022, and ended on May 16, 2024. As of November 2024, data collection for the SMART was ongoing with active study participants. Data collection was completed in November 2024, and as of April 2025, data analysis is underway. Full results will be available in 2025. ConclusionsThe CAMPUS Trial offers a model for future SMARTs for the treatment of suicidal thoughts or behaviors (or both) across various settings. The results will inform treatment guidelines for students presenting with suicidality at UCCs. Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04707066; http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04707066 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/68441

School mental health (SMH) services have rapidly reached countless of school-age students in recent years. The increase in services have positively impacted student mental health and academic outcomes. However, there is still a demand for comprehensive services to support all students in need. Students with disabilities are often excluded from the school mental health discussion yet experience mental health concerns at higher rates than students in general education. In many cases, schools are unprepared and uncertain how to best support students with disabilities. We take a historical perspective of school mental health and provide specific considerations for schools and special educators to include, adapt, or modify services specifically students with a range of disabilities. We communicate best practices within the field of special education and how to apply those practices within SMH.

IntroductionAccurately diagnosing mental disorders is required for determining therapeutic or preventative interventions. Individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) are often disenfranchised from the diagnostic process due to a lack of accessible measures; proxy reporting by caregivers often takes precedence. The original Diagnostic Interview for Adolescents and Adults with ID: An interview schedule of mental disorders (DIAAID) includes 15 direct-report interviews for individuals ages 14-24 and 24 informant interviews. We describe the collaborative process used to extend the DIAAID to adults beyond school-age.MethodThe DIAAID content, response options, and visual supports were examined and modified for relevance to adults beyond age 24. A learning module and two additional informant interviews were developed. Cognitive testing was conducted.ResultsThe age-extended DIAAID includes 15 direct-report and 26 proxy interviews.ConclusionThe process used to extend the age-range of the DIAAID may be useful to investigators developing direct-report instruments for individuals with ID.

Mathematics skills are crucial in the current job market; however, many students with disabilities are graduating high school with limited mathematics knowledge and skills. Mathematics skills are fundamental for navigating the complexities of everyday life after high school, extending their importance beyond the workplace to community engagement. Evidence suggests secondary students with disabilities continue to fall below grade level in mathematics and their mathematics skills decline while in secondary school. The purpose of this study was to systematically review the literature on teaching mathematics to secondary students with disabilities, examine the quality and levels of evidence for each practice, and report the range of effects for practices designed to teach mathematics to secondary students with disabilities. Studies were coded to identify the level of evidence and range of effects for each of the evidence-based or research-based mathematics practices identified. Results identified six evidence-based practices and three research-based practices for teaching mathematics to secondary students with disabilities. Limitations and implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Background Finding employment is a complex task and traditional means of job seeking such as submitting a traditional resume may be ineffective and inaccessible for some people with disabilities.Objective Identify the scope of literature related to documenting any outcomes associated with using alternatives to traditional resumes for people with disabilities. Method: A scoping review was conducted, and studies that met inclusion criteria were coded for information on participants and context, type of resume alternative utilized in the study, research design, research quality, and findings.Results Seven studies identified in the scoping met full inclusion criteria. Most studies were non-experimental, focused on the use of video resumes or video CVs, and did not meet American Psychological Association's journal article reporting standards. Results also suggest there are benefits for people with intellectual disability to participate in the process of creating a video resume.Conclusion Challenges securing adequate employment persists for people with disabilities. Research on any benefits of using a resume alternative for people with disabilities is in its infancy. Findings from this scoping review cannot, in conglomeration, confirm that there are benefits when implementing these alternatives, however, findings from this review suggest the use of resume alternatives warrant further investigation.

Universal mental health screening is a pivotal aspect of comprehensive school mental health programming. However, even with a recent focus on implementing comprehensive and equitable screening practices, students with disabilities continue to be excluded. This study takes an intersectional approach to gain an understanding on which students with disabilities report elevated mental health concerns and what intersecting identities predict mental health risk. A total of 280 students from three high schools were screened across three timepoints. Results indicate that students with disabilities report elevated levels of mental health concerns. Students who also identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer reported experiencing higher levels of mental health concerns, while students who identified as non-cis-gender were also overrepresented in the elevated category for mental health concerns. Implications for universal screening practices that are inclusive of students with disabilities are discussed.

IntroductionYoung people with intellectual disabilities (ID) are at an increased risk for experiencing mental health issues compared to their peers without disabilities. Further, there are limited resources available to help accurately assess mental health disorders and that are accessible for adolescents with ID.MethodThis paper describes the iterative development and pilot testing of the Diagnostic Interview for Adolescents and Adults with Intellectual Disabilities (DIAAID). The authors utilized Evidence Center Design and Universal Design principals to develop the DIAAID; a multi-informant diagnostic interview.ResultsThe DIAAID development resulted in the creation of 15 adolescents disorder interviews and 24 caregiver disorder interviews. Preliminary results suggest that the DIAAID is a feasible and accessible diagnostic interview for adolescents with ID and their caregivers.DiscussionLessons learned from DIAAID implementation and future areas research are discussed.

Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) often face societal barriers to accessing employment due to stigma and discrimination. For people with IDD who have an employment history, little is known about their experiences in accessing employment opportunities. Self-determination behaviors are considered an integral component to a successful adulthood, yet there is limited research that gives voice to people with IDD describing their self-determination and experiences with employment. This study used qualitative content analysis to examine self-determination behaviors in employment experiences of 18 adults with disabilities. Participants provided clear examples of self-determined behaviors which benefited their navigation in work and life. Participants shared advice for other adults with IDD on how to attain employment. Implications for future research and practices are provided.

INTRODUCTION:Adolescent males with disabilities face unique challenges, and mentoring programs designed for this population could support more positive long-term outcomes. In the current study, a scoping review of empirical research on such programs was conducted. The review was intended to capture the characteristics of existing mentoring program for males with disabilities and map those characteristics in a way that sheds light on the overall status of the field. METHODS:The review included different types of mentoring (e.g., adult to child, peer to peer, etc.) as long as the program explicitly defined the formation of a long-term relationship between mentor and mentee. The search identified 21 relevant studies that were categorized using four dimensions: 1) Setting (i.e., school/after school, community-based, on-line/virtual, or mixed); 2) Sex (i.e., males only or mixed males/females); 3) Outcomes (i.e., academics, social-emotional skills, health, transition from high school, or program implementation); and 4) Evaluation methodology (i.e., experimental, nonexperimental, or qualitative). The findings are summarized in an Evidence Gap Map. RESULTS:Only three studies used an experimental design, although they were able to demonstrate significant promise in promoting positive outcomes for youth with disabilities. Beyond these studies, however, there was little evidence supporting program efficacy for males with disabilities, as most studies in the sample were nonexperimental in nature. CONCLUSIONS:Overall there are few mentoring programs that target this population, and experimental research on programs that target academic and health outcomes is particularly lacking.

Participation in competitive, integrated employment contexts is chronically low for adults with extensive support needs (ESN). Prior research indicates that adults with ESN face pervasive hardships in accessing employment opportunities that promote meaning, well-being, and dignity in their career trajectories. Experiencing dignity is a fundamental part of feeling included and valued in the workplace. This article provides recommendations for vocational practitioners and educators for how to advance dignity for people with ESN when working in or preparing to work in inclusive employment settings. These recommendations are aligned with the Elements of Dignity and voiced by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who have lived experiences in competitive, integrated employment.

INTRODUCTION:Social support is important for many youth but may be particularly important for English learners (ELs) with disabilities, a population that has historically faced barriers accessing resources to meet their educational needs. The current study investigates social support from parents, peers, teachers, and schools in a nationally representative sample of adolescents. METHOD:Data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012 was used to evaluate potential group differences in social support among participants that included ELs with (n = 440) and without disabilities (n = 100) and non-ELs with (n = 4890) and without disabilities (n = 1090). A multivariate analysis of covariance was conducted to evaluate potential between-group variations in social support among these student groups after controlling for variations in background demographic characteristics. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS:Results showed between group differences in parental support and peer connectedness but not in teacher or school support. Parents of students with disabilities reported the highest levels of support, whereas parents of ELs without disabilities reported the lowest levels of support. Students with disabilities reported the lowest levels of peer connectedness among the four groups. Overall, levels of teacher and school supports were high across all four groups of students. These patterns contribute to our understanding of the social support network of ELs with disabilities in comparison to other students. Further investigation is needed to examine the mechanisms that contribute to these differences.

Health research documenting sexual minority adolescents exists predominately in North American literature. However, sexual minority youth exist elsewhere in the world. This study aims to provide estimates of sexual minority adolescent populations worldwide. In this systematic review, we searched Medline, Embase, CAB direct, Sociology Collection, CINAHL, Academic Search Complete, LGBT Life, Bibliography of Native American Studies, Bibliography of Asian Studies, ERIC, and PsycINFO between 2008 and 2022. We included peer-reviewed publications that focused on youth and sexual orientation or youth and sexual behavior—youth in this study were people who were between 10 and 19 years of age. Examples of publications that were excluded from our study were qualitative studies, mixed-method studies, and interventions. Publications obtained from the search results underwent a country screen, a title and abstract screen, and a methods screen, before moving onto a full-text screen. We extracted the prevalence of sexual minority youth after full-text screening. We identified 42,711 results from searching the electronic databases and an additional 105 records via hand searching. After duplicates were removed, 32,213 articles were screened and 41 studies were eligible for this review. We found estimates of sexual minority adolescents in 47 countries, with at least one estimate for each World Health Organization region. The development of inclusive laws and policies is needed on a global basis to decrease health disparities in a community of people who are at higher risk of adverse health outcomes.

Mental health and access to mental health care among sexual minority youth (SMY) who are/have been in the child welfare system remains under researched, despite the growing body of literature indicating substantial disparities between them and their heterosexual counterparts. Even fewer studies have compared heterosexual and SM youth of different sexual orientations. Hence, we sought to understand mental health and foregone mental health care among SMY who had ever been in government care compared to their straight peers. Using data from the 2018 BC Adolescent Health Survey–a population-based survey of youth ages 12-19 in BC, Canada–we focused on youth who had experienced government care (foster care, group homes, custody centre, or youth agreements) at least once in their lifetime (n=1948). ANOVA contrasts with post hoc Tukey test at p<.05 were used to compare adolescents by sexual orientation–heterosexual/questioning (HET/Q), mostly straight (MoHET), bisexual/pansexual (BI/PAN), lesbian/gay (L/G)–on dichotomous measures of mental health and access to care. We included percentages to contextualize significant differences between groups. Significantly fewer BI/PAN (20%) and MoHET (42%) youth who had been involved in the child welfare system rated their mental health as good/excellent compared to their HET/Q peers (64%). During the past 30 days, 44% of BI/PAN and 33% of MoHET adolescents had experienced extreme stress compared to 16% of HET/Q youth; moreover, 40% of BI/PAN and 27% of MoHET youth felt extreme hopelessness compared to 13% of HET/Q youth. 67% of BI/PAN and 43% of MoHET adolescents had experienced an anxiety/panic attacks versus 26% of HET/Q adolescents. More L/G (72%), BI/PAN (67%), and MoHET (46%) youth had self-harmed than HET/Q youth (30%). In the past year, more BI/PAN (69%) and MoHET (49%) youth experienced suicidal ideation than HET/Q youth (30%) and a greater number of BI/PAN (34%), L/G (33%), and MoHET (21%) adolescents attempted suicide than their HET/Q peers (12%). 65% of BI/PAN and 44% of MoHET youth vs. 23% of HET/Q reported having an emotional/mental health condition. More L/G (52%), BI/PAN (66%), and MoHET (47%) youth reported depression than HET/Q youth (26%). More BI/PAN adolescents stated that they had ADHD/ADD (28%) and PTSD (24%) than HET/Q youth (15% and 10%, respectively). 59% of BI/PAN and 50% of MoHET adolescents had missed out on much-needed emotional/mental health care in the past year versus 26% of HET/Q youth. Among adolescents with government care experience, SM–especially BI/PAN and MoHET–youth report worse mental health than their heterosexual counterparts, suggesting marginalization within society exacerbates the mental health challenges of those in government care. SMY mental health disparities must be considered when creating/improving current and future mental health services. Child welfare workers and mental health providers need LGBTQ+-competency training to ensure youth feel comfortable and understood rather than stigmatized and unwelcome. Government care workers should be aware of and connect youth to LGBTQ+-friendly services regardless of whether they have disclosed their sexual orientation.

The current study evaluates lessons learned from a feasibility and acceptability trial of the Think, Be, Do, curriculum (a mental health literacy curriculum) for transition age students (14-21) in special education classrooms. Six teachers and sixty-two students from a northwest state in suburban and rural settings participated in the intervention group and were exposed to the Think, Be, Do curriculum twice a week for five weeks. Data were collected from students, teachers, and observers. A mixed methods approach captured quantitative and qualitative data from participants. Results from the implementation suggest the curriculum was feasible to implement, acceptable to teachers for their classrooms, and had preliminary increases in student mental health literacy. Lessons learned from the initial implementation and implications for research and practice are discussed.

Identifying student strengths is central to transition planning. However, school personnel use few assessments that operationalize behavioral and emotional strengths, and the psychometric functioning of those measures have not been established with transition-age students. In this two-part study, we used a national sample of transition-age students to examine validity evidence for scores from the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale-3: Teacher Rating Scale (BERS-3 TRS). Study 1 evaluated the internal structure and test score reliability of the scores for 275 students with exceptionalities. Study II used a sample of 566 students to examine differences in scores between students with and without exceptionalities. Findings from these studies represent evidence for the validity and interpretation of scores for transition-age students with exceptionalities.