The primary objective of this study was to compare the syntactic complexity of informational texts produced by fifth-grade students (a) with and without language impairment and (b) with and without native English-speaking proficiency on a curriculum-based reading and writing task. Expository writing samples produced by 114 children enrolled in the…

The problem was that professional learning communities (PLCs) have not focused on topics relevant to teachers of students with developmental disabilities, limiting these teachers' professional development (PD) and their students' educational opportunities. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore whether fifth grade…

Self-advocacy is an essential skill for effective and successful integration into the wider social environment and is important for psychological and physiological well-being. The Performative Drama Model Ars Vitae was trialled to improve students' assertiveness and performance in real life. A 12-year-old boy with learning disabilities and…

Education to address sexual education that prevents unplanned pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and misinformation is necessary for promoting health and safety among school-aged children. Teachers provide sexual education in educational settings in several states across the country; however, teachers are not prepared to educate students…

Background: There is extremely limited population-based research on social (pragmatic) communication disorder (SCD). Population-based samples have the potential to better characterize the SCD phenotype by mitigating confounds and biases that are typical of convenience and clinical samples. Aims: The aims of this preliminary epidemiologic study…

Purpose: The current study examined (a) the relation between morphologically complex word (MCW) use (words containing at least one derivational morpheme such as prefixes and suffixes) and teachers' ratings of writing quality, (b) average change in MCW use in writing across the school year, and (c) differential change in MCW among students with…

In this study the effectiveness of social story (SS) interventions combined with the Orff approach in teaching musical skills to children with developmental disabilities (DD) was examined. Three middle school children -- 2 girls and 1 boy with DD between 11 and 13 years old participated in the study. In this research, a single-subject with…

Researchers determined virtual manipulatives, on their own or as part of an instructional sequence, to be an evidence-based practice for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD; Long et al., 2022). Yet, the majority of research looking at virtual manipulative-based instructional sequences involves the phases learned in a…

This study examined the effectiveness of a Derived Relational Responding (DRR) program in improving reading comprehension accuracy among upper elementary students without intellectual or developmental disabilities who struggle to meet grade-level reading standards. Addressing a gap in current interventions, the study investigated whether DRR,…

Although adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are reported to experience high rates of bullying victimization, rates vary based on adolescent versus parent-report. The current study conducted interviews to explore whether adolescents with IDD perceive and describe school-based bullying victimization experiences…

Understanding science allows students with and without developmental and behavioral-based (DB) disabilities to better appreciate the world around them as well as prepare them for the growing science-related job market. However, students in the United States consistently underperform on science achievement tests compared to students from other…

Understanding science allows students with and without developmental and behavioral-based (DB) disabilities to better appreciate the world around them as well as prepare them for the growing science-related job market. However, students in the United States consistently underperform on science achievement tests compared to students from other…

Although the impact of peer-mediated interventions on students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) has been studied extensively, little attention has focused on the peers without disabilities who are so central to these interventions. We reviewed 98 studies to examine the portrait of more than 3,000 peers without disabilities…

Purpose: Learning new vocabulary has been identified as a challenge for students with (developmental) language disorder ((D)LD). In this study, we evaluate the effects of two active learning methods, (a) retrieval practice (RP) and (b) rich vocabulary instruction (RVI), in a group of students with (D)LD in secondary school. Method: A…

There has been a sharp increase in mental health support for children in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a growing demand for school-based mental health services due to gaps in the US youth mental health infrastructure. This dissertation presents an action research study conducted in a Title I middle school in Arizona, exploring a school…