There is a growing population of adolescent students with developmental disabilities (DD) in school settings. Educators are in need of evidence-based practices (EBP) to address the challenging behaviors of students with DD. A key consideration in determining whether practices should be considered as an EBP is whether these practices have been…

Effective professional development is critical for improving implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) in special education. The present systematic review sought to gather evidence exploring the effects and key components of in-service special education teacher training in EBPs. This review identifies six essential components of training…

This article presents a review of studies published between 2006 and 2016 on research into multi-sensory environments (MSEs), as part of a project to develop a community-based MSE. This scoping review aimed to identify the settings MSEs are used in, rationale for implementation, equipment installed and the reported effects of the MSE upon users.…

Special education teachers in rural settings face unique challenges related to providing transition services to secondary students with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (IDD). Geographically isolated school districts tend to have limited collaborative partnership opportunities and access to quality professional development to…

Point-of-view video modeling (POV), a variation of video-based modeling interventions, involves creating a video exemplar from a first-person perspective. The advantage is a significant reduction in extraneous stimuli, as well as increased efficiency in production. However, the lack of systematic analysis to evaluate differential impact on…

The involvement of paraprofessionals in the education of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) has been both complex and controversial. Many scholars and advocates have raised concerns about the roles these staff members play in schools and the degree to which there is empirical support for their direct work with…

This paper describes and evaluates a gymnastic program for children (ages 4-9) with autism and related developmental disorders. An introductory section reviews the literature on characteristics of children with autism and discusses how traditional education is inadequate for such children. Review of the literature on effective interventions notes…

This document contains 16 papers that were scheduled to be presented at a conference (which was canceled) on approaches and programs for helping developmentally disabled persons to be more self-sufficient. The book is divided into three sections: (1) unmasking vocational abilities, (2) enhancing functional independence, and (3) medical and…