Although special education advocates have played an essential role in obtaining rights for individuals with disabilities, there is still much unknown about their motivations, challenges, roles, and the meaning they made from their experiences. Research into Saudi parent advocates of children with disabilities and their complex daily life issues…

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was introduced in Australia in 2013 to address the inadequacies of a fragmented and underfunded service system for people with disabilities. For young children with developmental disabilities, NDIS services fall under the early childhood early intervention (ECEI) approach, the impact of which is yet…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act requires that functional behavior assessments be conducted under certain circumstances for students with disabilities. Functional assessments may include indirect assessments (e.g., rating scales, interviews), direct-descriptive assessments (e.g., direct observations with conditional…

This study was designed to examine the effects of literacy-based behavioural interventions (Bucholz et al., 2008) to decrease acts of physical aggression with kindergarten and first grade students. The study used a multiple baseline design across three participants. The results showed a decrease in acts of physical aggression by students with…

Although positive regard for the needs of people with disabilities was apparently uncommon by many accounts prior to the 20th century, this may be a misconception of history. There were likely many people who responded to the needs of their family members and others in need of assistance because of their disablities, and their physical and…

This paper describes the FAB (Functionally Alert Behavior) Strategies approach to improve behavior in children and adolescents with complex behavioral challenges. FAB Strategies include evidence-based environmental adaptations, sensory modulation, positive behavioral support, and physical self-regulation strategies. FAB Strategies can be used by…

Assessment systems are needed that are sensitive to employees' work performance as well as their need for support, while incorporating the input from both employees and their supervisors. This study examined the correspondence of one such evaluation system, the Job Observation and Behavior Scale (JOBS) and the JOBS: Opportunity for…

Achieving positive postschool outcomes continues to be a challenge for many students. These challenges are compounded for students with disabilities, even years after the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (1990; IDEA) required systematic transition planning. In this era of accountability through high-stakes testing, schools and families…

Equine-assisted therapies are interventions that use the unique qualities of a horse to assist persons with disabilities to improve their gross motor, language, social, and self-help skills. Programs offering these services are varied and operate on all major continents across the world. The effectiveness of equine-assisted therapies is generally…

Background: Although work stress can impede the capacity of direct support professionals and contribute to mental health challenges, external (i.e. work social support) and internal resources (i.e. an internal locus of control) have been shown to help DSPs cope more actively. We examined how work stress was associated with depression, with a…

Autism is the most common condition in a group of developmental disorders known as the autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Although autism is considered a low-incidence disorder, many music educators in schools today teach students with autism each week. Students with ASDs usually require similar educational interventions that are adapted to their…

Purpose: To compile and then validate a set of evidence-based best practices related to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and its role in fostering the inclusion of students with severe disabilities in general education classrooms and other inclusive settings. Method: A comprehensive review of the literature pertaining to AAC and…

The extent to which the influences of family-systems intervention practices could be traced to variations in parent-child interactions and child development was investigated by meta-analytic structural equation modeling (MASEM). MASEM is a procedure for producing a weighted pooled correlation matrix and fitting a structural equation model to the…

The report describes the Kona Infant and Child Development Program for developmentally delayed/disabled/high risk children in the rural areas of West Hawaii. The first chapter of the report presents geographic and demographic background information and reviews the services prior to 1978 when the Kona program began. Chapter 2 describes the three…

The Preschool Learning Development Program (PLD) in Long Valley, New Jersey, was designed to identify preschoolers with developmental handicaps and provide them with systematic, individualized, instructional intervention to enhance developmental rate prior to entry into public school. The PLD Program consisted of three components: candidate…