Life skills represent important skills needed for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Technology, including immersive and non-immersive virtual reality, presents options to support the acquisition and maintenance of life skills for students with IDD. In this study, researchers examined a non-immersive virtual…

Curriculum-based measures (CBMs), which allow educators to monitor progress over time and make instructional decisions based on student performance, represent a fixture of general approaches to reading and data-based instructional frameworks. However, evidence supporting the use of CBM for students with intellectual disabilities is limited. This…

Alternate assessments aligned to alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AAAS) are designed and implemented for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. Historically, these assessments have been described as reflecting reduced "depth," "breadth," and "complexity." Yet, the meaning of these terms…

With growing opportunity for students with intellectual and developmental disability to access a variety of inclusive higher education programs comes an increased need for program implementers to evaluate practices and outcomes alongside participants. This mixed-method, exploratory study examines self-determined goal setting, goal attainment, and…

Background: The global discourse on higher education underscores its pivotal role in personal development, societal progress and economic prosperity. However, actual implementation and practices within universities have not kept pace, and students with intellectual disability still struggle, as their journey towards accessing and succeeding in…

Special education placement is a debate among parents, educators, and policymakers. The Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) is a federal law that provides a guiding principle to assist the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) team with guidance when considering placement for a student with an exceptionality. Student placement decisions affect…

Calls to support inclusive educational experiences for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) have been longstanding. General education STEM classes may provide a rich context for promoting the inclusion of these students within a relevant curricular area. To assess inclusive class participation, we directly observed 15…

Including students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) well in high school general education classrooms requires intentional and individualized support. We examined the efficacy and social validity of peer support arrangements for enhancing the social and academic outcomes of three students with ASD, two of whom also had an intellectual disability…

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how elementary teachers and their respective administrators from rural Southwestern US school districts perceive the influence of general education curricular access--a dimension of UDL--on academic progress for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Universal Design for…

This international, mixed-methods study revealed parents' perceptions (N = 82) of the effectiveness of classroom accommodations for students diagnosed with Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS). PANS can transform a child's function suddenly and dramatically. These students demonstrate abrupt deficits in previously intact school…

Post-secondary education and students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) have not historically been viewed as compatible. In recent years, a growing number of colleges have offered opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities to take part in inclusive post-secondary education. This qualitative study was conducted…

Students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) require intensive supports, including those that target behavior, to make progress on literacy goals. In this study, we investigated whether computer-assisted instruction (CAI) may be one effective method to decrease challenging behavior and increase academic engagement. Participants…

This is a brief overview of the complete findings shared in the Annual Report of the Cohort 3 TPSID Model Demonstration Projects (Year 2, 2021-2022). Information is provided about the TPSID (Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disability) projects including program characteristics, student characteristics,…

Students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) have joined the ranks of college students in pursuit of personal independence, community integration, and employment. To achieve these aims, there is a need for a strong understanding of the college experience for students with IDD, including identification of the academic, social,…

As computerized speech-to-text (STT) technology has become more advanced over the past several years, more students with, and without, disabilities are using STT tools in the classroom and while taking assessments (Warren, Thurlow, Lazarus, & Strunk, 2018). Speech-to-text tools often are installed on school-provided computers or tablets and…