Background: The Welfare Reform Act (2012) has been criticised for harming claimants, particularly through functional assessments. Although many people with intellectual disabilities in the UK receive welfare benefits, their experiences of undergoing functional assessments are under-researched. Method: Eight participants with intellectual…

Secondary students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) can often demonstrate skill deficits and problem behaviors in general education classes. Teachers generally understand how to implement intensive interventions, yet may not know how to address skill deficits and off-task behaviors using a function-based approach or may encounter barriers…

Intensive, individualized interventions are certainly the hallmark promise of special education. In a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS), tier 3 interventions are the most intensive and require individualized delivery to address the learning and behavioral needs of students who are most often identified for special education services. MTSS,…

Between 10% and 15% of people with a learning disability have behaviour that challenges others, and half of these people live within the family home (Emerson et al., "Research in Developmental Disabilities," 2001; 22, 77). Current best practice in managing challenging behaviour combines person-centred planning, functional analysis, and…

Systematic literature reviews have supported the effectiveness of behavioral Tier 2 interventions, with research being particularly plentiful in relation to Check-In/Check-Out (CICO) and social skills training (SST). Though findings indicate either approach is effective in isolation, a recent study suggested these approaches might be particularly…

Students with learning disabilities (LD) experience pervasive academic deficits requiring extensive academic intervention; however, they may also engage in problem behaviors that adversely affect teaching and learning, thus lessening the potential impact of specialized instruction and supports. The learning deficits of students with LD are…

A high school student with a learning disability struggles under intense pressure to meet standards of a state's standardized testing. Fearing that his failure will cause teachers to be fired, he acts out in ways to be punished. This interview shows how valuable it is to drain off intense emotions and make sense of a situation following a…

We used an AB design with a control condition to examine the effects of an academic strategy on a student with a learning disability during a 5th grade math class. During baseline the student had high rates of disruptive behavior, low percentages of intervals of on-task behavior, and low percentages of correct responses. An antecedent-based…

There are many instructional approaches that had been arranged in special education, especially with learning disabilities. Although the field of learning disabilities has been a safe harbor for dozens of techniques, a number of others had been beached. It is regrettable that data rarely played a role in whether a technique was dispatched or…

Children and young people with learning disabilities who present sexually harmful behaviour are marginalised and do not always participate in community activities. This case study describes a multi-component intervention that successfully reduced the sexually harmful behaviour of a 16-year-old boy with a mild learning disability. The intervention…

A comprehensive function-based intervention was developed to address the chronic, high levels of off-task behavior by a 15-year-old ninth grade Caucasian male with learning disabilities and ADHD. A descriptive FBA identified that the student's off-task behavior was reinforced by peer attention and task avoidance. Intervention involved the…

In more districts than ever, Response-to-Intervention programs are gaining ground, nipping learning problems in the bud and keeping more students out of unnecessary special education classes, which is the goal. RTI, a multi-tier intervention used to diagnose and address potential learning or behavioral problem early, is also increasing in…

This article presents a due process hearing case study of a mother who contended that his son, D.J., has been denied of a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) of his School District after being suspended from school. D.J., an elementary student, had been described as hyperactive, inattentive, defiant, and often volatile. He was identified…

Attributions of laziness, reflected in teacher comments such as "Just try harder and you will shine", may mask specific cognitive, learning, attentional or emotional problems that could explain low motivation in some children. This paper reports findings from an investigation of 20 children, aged 7 to 10 years, who were regarded as lazy…

Children with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) face many demands when completing their rehabilitation and returning to school. Although the prognosis can be favorable for many children, the course of recovery poses unique challenges for children and staff alike. To this end, a functional assessment of TBI children within a Response-to-Intervention…