Community access and participation for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) depends in part on competent, committed direct support professionals (DSPs) who support people with IDD. With knowledge of the person's communication preferences, support needs, and environments where supports are provided, DSPs can support their…

Special education advocacy programs support families to secure services for their children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Although research demonstrates the efficacy of one such program (the Volunteer Advocacy Project), its effectiveness when replicated by others is unknown. Replication research is critical to ensure that…

The rapid growth of inclusive higher education opportunities for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) has contributed to improvements in students' academics, employment, social, and independent living outcomes. However, many college programs lack a focus on functional literacy, a critical skill for success in…

Time delay is one of the most established practices for teaching both functional and academic skills to students with extensive support needs (ESN). Students with ESN have intellectual or developmental disabilities and, in some cases, other support needs (e.g., physical disabilities, sensory impairments) and require comprehensive instructional and…

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face many barriers to meaningful inclusion, including limited language and communication skills. Professionals, such as speech-language pathologists (SLPs), can provide personalized instruction to promote skill development and inclusion. Providing opportunities for individuals to…

Purpose: Growing awareness of the importance of oral language for academic success, the underidentification of students with developmental language disorders, and the promotion of a multi-tiered system of supports have led to calls for universal oral language screenings. However, specific information, guidance, and related case studies for…

With a growing need for specialized training for direct caregivers and support staff of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) affected by dementia, the National Task Group on Developmental Disabilities and Dementia Practices (NTG) developed a comprehensive evidence-informed Dementia Capable Care Training (DCCT). To…

Background: Peer-delivered interventions are a best practice in mental health, yet no such intervention exists for young adults (YA) with intellectual/developmental disabilities with co-occurring mental health conditions. We evaluated YA with intellectual/developmental disabilities' ability to deliver a novel peer mentoring intervention with…

This paper aims to explore the impacts of a Learn to Play programme in specialist schools for children with multiple developmental issues. Specialist schools are schools dedicated to children with IQs below 70 and who may also have other developmental issues. The Learn to Play programme focusses on facilitating children's enjoyment and ability to…

Despite physically relocating "into" the community, many people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) fail to be meaningfully included "in" the community. The Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Settings Rule was introduced to expand community integration, person-centered services, and choice. The aim of…

The purpose of the current study was to examine the dosage and fidelity of EMT en Español strategies that are posited to drive change in child outcomes. The study is a re-analysis of data collected during the National Institutes of Health (NIH) R21 grant "Teaching Spanish-speaking Caregivers to Implement EMT en Español: A Small Randomized…

This study examined the effects of using behavioral skills training (BST) to teach peer models to engage students with moderate to severe developmental disabilities in interactive play. Two separate multiple-baseline across participants designs were used to determine the effectiveness of BST on the peer models' implementation of the procedural…

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…

Changes in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) over the last 5 decades has resulted in the emergence of the shared citizenship paradigm. This paradigm is currently guiding the development of IDD-related policies and practices, and providing a framework for application, research-based inquiry, and evaluation. A shared…

Social deficits are often a core area of development for students in special education, thus schools are charged with providing social skills interventions. Although many strategies are available, few schools successfully employ evidence-based interventions for students with autism and related disabilities. A way to address these concerns while…