A person's ability to be self-determined begins to develop through the earliest interactions in life within the context of the family and caregiving environments. This qualitative phenomenological study of the experiences of eight parents representing seven families of young children explored how families promote their children's early development…

This Qualitative study was conducted to examine the perceptions of K-5 parents who homeschooled their students with disabilities and how they perceived homeschooling to influence the student's social-emotional development. Participants involved in this study decided to homeschool their child with disabilities as they perceived their child's…

Research suggests spending time outdoors and with natural materials can benefit all young children across different areas of development. However, children with developmental disabilities often have fewer opportunities to engage with nature as a result of the limited understanding and negative views about nature expressed by their caregivers and…

The purpose of this collective case study was to examine the perceived developmental transitions of preadolescent, twice-exceptional students to understand both the supports and barriers from the perspective of parents, teachers, and psychologists. The case for this study, located in a western U.S. state, was a private school educating…

Despite changes in laws and access to education, individuals with disabilities continue to have fewer positive postsecondary outcomes than their non-disabled peers (Shogren et al., 2015). Negative secondary and postsecondary outcomes for individuals with disabilities include failure to graduate from high school, lack of postsecondary education,…

The problem addressed is that inclusive classrooms lack consistent, collaborative learning opportunities for students with an identified learning disability (LD). A qualitative narrative inquiry was completed to collect teachers' stories and experiences. This study was framed by Vygotsky's social development theory, Bandura's theory of…

A relatively recent phenomenon of interest within the field of twice-exceptionality involves gifted children with autism. A literature search reveals a lack of published works about these individuals and empirical studies exploring the distinctive special educational needs of these children remain scarce (Nicpon et al., 2011; Rubenstein et al.,…

The purpose of this study was to perform a secondary data analysis to investigate the relationship between preschool setting and the developmental growth of all children receiving state-funded preschool special-education services in California in inclusive settings compared with all children receiving state-funded preschool special-education…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to expand the scarce information available on how mothers first observe their children's early development, assess potential problems, and then come to recognize their concerns. In-depth knowledge about mothers' perspectives on the discovery process can help social workers to promote identification of…

Childhood cancer changes the lives of all that it touches. The treatment is often as harmful as the disease itself and can impact the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development of the child. Long term effects can manifest years after treatment. This capstone was based on a vision of providing these young cancer survivors an opportunity…

Children with disabilities and special needs make up the vast majority of those currently being adopted internationally into the United States (U.S.). China has been a leading sending country for international adoption since the 1990s and remains one of the few nations with thousands of orphaned or abandoned children, many with congenital…

Little research about fathers with young children with developmental disabilities or delays and their participation in early intervention/Part C programs is available. This study adds to existing scholarship through a narrative inquiry into the experiences of six fathers with children who have participated in early intervention services. Emergent…

Executive functioning abilities have been associated with important behaviors such as adaptive skills and cognitive abilities in children with and without disabilities. Executive functioning has primarily been measured as a strong predictor of later abilities in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, such as attention-deficit/…

The use of paraprofessionals in general education classrooms has been increasing due to inclusion of students with disabilities into least restrictive environments (LRE). Paraprofessionals are hired by schools to work with students with disabilities and assist them in special and general education classrooms. The Individuals with Disabilities…

Extensive bodies of literature examining child language acquisition and early literacy development indicate that the language and literacy opportunities young children have at home and in school settings, including the nature of their language interactions with adults and their exposure to books and stories, are consequential for mastery of…