Article 24 of the "Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities," along with "General Comment 4," explicitly outlines the right of every person to an inclusive education at every level. And yet, even amongst supporters of inclusive education, it is not uncommon for some students to be considered 'too disabled' to be…

Postsecondary education students with intellectual and multiple disabilities are often supported by same-aged peer mentors. A single-subject multiple baseline design was used to examine the relationship between training with and without performance feedback and a peer mentor's fidelity of implementing a student's function-based intervention plan…

Background: Families struggle to support family members with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD), especially in low resourced settings where formal services may not be available. Method: The adapted Family Community Participation survey, measuring perceptions of community participation, was administered to 67 primary caregivers…

The present study evaluated a systematic instructional package including the system of least prompts (SLP) to teach differentiation and selection of tangible symbols to continue activities for two children with complex support needs and deafblindness (DB). A multiple probe design across three symbols was used to evaluate the intervention package…

Shared reading focuses on the interaction between an adult and one or more children as they experience a book together. While research has documented classroom shared reading practices among students with diverse characteristics, few have focused on students with significant support needs. Using a conversation-analytic approach, this study sought…

Background: All children have the right to express their views about matters affecting them and participate in decision-making for their future irrespective of their intellectual ability. This study explores the adult role in understanding the views of children with profound and multiple learning difficulties who are not using a formal…

Background: Participation is a central aspect of quality of life, and it is indicative of high-quality outcomes for people with intellectual disabilities. However, participation is difficult to achieve for adults with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. Aim: To describe staff members' perceptions of what participation means for adults…

Background: Parents of children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) have extensive care duties. This study describes the phenomenon "parenting a child with PIMD." Method: We conducted in-depth interviews with 25 Dutch parents. A reflective lifeworld research was used. Findings: The essential meaning of the…

Students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) were particularly vulnerable to the school closures that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. We sought to obtain a baseline understanding of the instructional experiences of students with IDD before March of 2020 to assess the nature and degree of the pandemic's impact. We recruited…

Engagement is important for learning. Because of their atypical expression, measuring engagement for students with multiple and severe disabilities (MSD) is challenging. Group activities often enhance engagement of children and gross motor activities include an expanded variety of behaviors by which engagement may be measured. The purpose of this…

This brief covers issues related to the assessment of dual sensory loss in students with significant cognitive disabilities, including the impact of suspected dual sensory loss on communication and learning and recommendations for assessment.

The primary aim of this paper is to address how empathy curriculum can be applied to training needs of paraprofessionals working with students who have multiple disabilities. A thorough review of the literature on the role of the paraprofessional and implications for training and supervision is provided. This is juxtaposed with a review of the…

Background: Parents' knowledge of their child with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) is seen as crucial in the support and care for their child. The aim of this study was to explore the nature and transferability of this knowledge. Method: We conducted an interpretative synthesis, searched PubMed, CINAHL, Philosopher's Index…

Supporting children and young people's mental health and well-being is central to UK Government policy, with statistics suggesting post-16 students and those with learning difficulties are vulnerable. This case study explored how practitioners at a special school for students with severe and profound and multiple learning difficulties promote…

This article reports on a small-scale, school-based enquiry regarding the views and reflections from practitioners working with children and young people who have complex learning needs (termed 'Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties' (PMLD) in England). The study was built around a series of key questions which enabled the participants to…