Background: Tailored sexuality education for adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities is a crucial, yet unmet, need as this population is particularly at risk for sexual abuse and victimisation. However, there are no evidence-based interventions to specifically address this need. This paper presents the development of an…

Background: Although older adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities face high risks of maltreatment, there are few interventions available to reduce these risks. This study describes the development of a research-based intervention that aims to reduce the risks of maltreatment for this population. Method: The development involved…

One of the most persistent areas of difficulty in mathematics for children with learning disabilities (LDs) and difficulties is fractions. We report the development and initial testing of an intervention designed to increase access to and advancement in conceptual understanding. Our asset-based theory of change--a tested and confirmed learning…

Adults with disabilities experience disproportionately high rates of stress and stress-related conditions, such as anxiety. Over 1 in 4 adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) has a co-occurring anxiety disorder. For the growing number of young adults with ID pursuing college, there is an increased risk of stress during this transitionary…

Background: Young adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities and co-occurring mental health conditions (IDD-MH) experience significant mental health disparities. Barriers to services include transportation and stigma associated with services. Peer mentoring (PM) may be one solution to these barriers. Methods: We conducted exploratory…

There is a grave need for additions to the school psychologist's toolbox to support students with intellectual disability (ID) and sexual trauma. These children are especially vulnerable to adverse life experiences overall and are at a particularly high risk of experiencing sexual abuse and resulting trauma. Children with ID are less likely to…

Bullying is a public health priority but to date, there is a lack of evidence-based anti-bullying programmes or interventions designed for use in special schools. KiVa is a successful anti-bullying programme for mainstream schools currently used in 23 countries. This brief paper outlines the co-development and adaptation of two KiVa lessons into…

Special educators serve a diverse population of students with unique strengths and needs, and adaptive interventions that account for individual differences before and during the intervention are an important tool to moving the field toward more individualized practices. The purpose of this article is to detail the conceptualization and…

The relationship between learning disabilities and behavior disorders is well documented and has led to the development of integrated interventions that target both academic and behavior deficits in elementary students. This paper describes the rationale, development, and implementation of an integrated academic-behavior intervention called…

Pupils with intellectual disabilities are one of the most bullied groups in the school system and in local communities. Moreover, young people also play a significant role in hate crimes against people with intellectual disabilities of all ages beyond the school gates. This paper describes the development of a research informed program of lessons…

Autistic university students face stigma. Online trainings have been used to improve explicit autism stigma (social distance) and knowledge among university students in different countries. However, autistic university students have not typically been involved in developing such trainings. We developed two autism trainings: a participatory…

Background: The prevalence of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) in people with Mild Intellectual Disability and Borderline Intellectual Functioning (MID-BIF) is high and evidence-based treatment programs are scarce. The present study describes the development of a personalised SUD treatment for people with MID-BIF. Method: The personalised SUD…

Prior research suggests that physical activity aids students with children affected by attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who are more likely to exhibit high levels of inattentive, hyperactive, and impulsive behaviors that result in difficulties in academic and social settings. Because of the lack of alternative treatments, the…

Emotion dysregulation (ED) underlies psychiatric symptoms and impedes adaptive responses in autistic individuals. The Emotion Awareness and Skills Enhancement (EASE) program was the first mindfulness-based intervention designed to target emotion dysregulation in autistic adolescents (12-17 years old). This project partnered with stakeholders to…

Special education and related professionals often understand the importance of adhering to intervention procedures (i.e., fidelity), but may be less familiar with concepts of intervention intensity. In some cases, professionals may correctly apply an intervention, but with insufficient intensity. This can result in an intervention failing to…