Adaptive skills are crucial for students with intellectual disability (ID) particularly in preparing for post-secondary transition and long-term independence as it allows them to take care of themselves, communicate effectively, and participate fully across settings. Special education teachers and related service personnel play a major role in…

Self-advocacy skills enable active student involvement in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) planning process. However, some students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) lack appropriate self-advocacy skills and may require specific instruction in how to prepare for and participate in their own IEP. Special educators may have…

Extended time for testing is frequently recommended despite the possibility that it may have unintended negative effects. Test process data, now commonly available "via" computer-based testing programs, can offer objective information about who uses and experiences higher scores when using more than typical testing time. NWEA MAP test…

College and career readiness is crucial to success in postsecondary education, employment, and independent living. The College and Career Readiness for Transition (CCR4T) assessment is valid and reliable and can assist in transition planning for students with disabilities. The CCR4T assessment was designed for planning with students with and…

This study is a phenomenological analysis of the experiences of members of an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) team when an appreciative approach is taken during the IEP process in a middle school in rural New England. The specific phenomenon studied is individuals' experience when student strengths are discussed explicitly as an IEP is…

K-12 students with disabilities in the United States are increasingly enrolling in online schools and educational programs. Therefore, K-12 online public and charter school special education (SpecEd) teachers must be prepared to develop and implement individualized educational plans (IEPs) that meet the procedural and substantive requirements of…

Academically talented students with autism, also known as twice-exceptional students with autism (2eASD), are increasingly identified in school. These students present challenges to educators who attempt to plan and implement successful instructional opportunities, as teachers' knowledge and use of evidence-based practices (EBPs) for students…

Executive functions, which begin developing in early childhood, are necessary for the tasks of daily life, such as decision making and planning. Despite their early development, often without teaching, many teens with disabilities need explicit instruction to acquire and apply executive functions each day. Gaps in executive functions directly…

Adolescents who have been diagnosed with disabilities constitute a significant portion of the school population in the United States. For example, the National Survey of Children's Health identified one in four children ages 12 to 17 as having special healthcare needs in 2019 (Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health, n.d.). In the…

Act 419 of the 2021 Louisiana Legislative Session requires each public school governing authority to submit a report to the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) annually relative to the occurrence of dyslexia. Act 622 of the 2022 Louisiana Legislature updated the due date of the report to December 15 to better align with reporting cycles. The…

Since schools are an ideal setting for students to receive mental health services, Mental Health Action Plans (MHAPs) were developed to define and detail the ways in which student mental health needs can be addressed at school. Similar to Individualized Education Plans and 504 plans, MHAPs are individualized plans, grounded in person-centered care…

Students present with mental health needs and posttraumatic stress symptoms, yet they largely do not receive necessary services. Since schools are an ideal setting for students to receive mental health services, Mental Health Action Plans (MHAPs) were developed to define and detail the ways in which student mental health needs can be addressed at…

This study documents teachers' perceived impact of a massive open online course (MOOC) entitled The Self-Determined IEP: Supporting "Success for Students with Behavioural and Adjustment Difficulties" using Coldwell & Simkins' (2011) model for evaluating continuing professional development in education. Employing pre-experimental…

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) may benefit from specific instruction on ways to prepare for and participate in their own Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings. In this article, we describe the application of a research-based self-directed IEP process that can be used by educators to effectively foster…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether peer mentors and inclusive practices in the Foundations program increased students' IEP goal progress. Study participants consisted of 8th grade typical peers and 6th through 8th grade students in the Foundations Program in the Appoquinimink School District. Peer mentors inquired and were selected…