Before creating and implementing a new program of research, it is necessary to consider a theoretical or conceptual framework to guide this planning process. Considering there are many models and frameworks available in terms of directing the development of research programs (e.g., the program development model, the logic model), researchers want…

Research on disproportionate representation in special education has potential to influence policy in ways that rectify educational inequities. In this study, we investigated how disproportionality researchers have operationalized dis-ability, identified key themes and theories used in disproportionality research, and evaluated the coherence…

This article provides a summary of selected research conducted on the sexuality, as well as sexual knowledge and behaviors of individuals with autism over the past 20 years. The discussion section reviews the research according to the following recurrent themes: the importance of sexuality in the lives of individuals with autism, the discourse of…

Using the emancipatory research paradigm as a conceptual framework, this autoethnography reflects upon participant and researcher relationships within a larger qualitative research study that involved participants labeled "other". Issues relating to fear of the "other", building reciprocal relationships, and who gains from the research are…

Recently, consensus among researchers and professionals has emerged about factors that contribute to postschool success of youth with disabilities. Prominent among these factors are targeted academic preparation, family involvement, youth empowerment, and service collaboration and linkages. Work experience and paid employment have been identified…

The major concept of epistemology--or epistemologies--is discussed, as well as related terms such as "paradigm" and "science". Also covered are two broad paradigms, the clinical and the cultural, that seem to drive theorizing, research, and practice regarding individuals who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing. The two paradigms emanate from different…

This article uses disability studies and the social model of disability as theoretical foundations for policy activism in postsecondary education. The social model is discussed and a model for policy activism is described. A case study of how disability studies and policy activism can be applied is provided utilizing the "3C Project to Provide…

RTI has the potential to meet the challenges of increasing diversity in student populations and the need for increasingly complex systems of instructional design. Three fundamental shifts in understanding systems and systems change must ground RTI policy and implementation work. First, RTI must be seen as an activity system nested within a larger…

Dynamic Ecological Analysis (DEA) is a model of practice which increases a teams' efficacy by enabling the development of more effective interventions through collaboration and collective reflection. This process has proved to be useful in: a) clarifying thinking and problem-solving, b) transferring knowledge and thinking to significant parties,…

Many books and articles have been written about a Response to Intervention (RtI) model of service delivery for students who are struggling learners. However, little has been written about this model's usefulness as a means of addressing the needs of advanced learners or twice-exceptional learners whose needs may be both remedial and advanced. The…

This paper discusses the practical ramifications of competing theoretical perspectives in special education. Despite the relationship between scholarly conceptions of special education and its ultimate practice, the paper concludes with empirical data that appears to indicate that many (if not most) practicing administrators fail to appreciate…

This article identifies and discusses key components of a research-based whole school approach to bullying prevention. Discussion focuses on ways to increase awareness and understanding, characteristics of targets (often students with special needs) and bullies, facts on bullying, and six bullying prevention practices, for example, train targets…

Evaluate three proposed models of the rehabilitation counselor judgment process. Counselors made multiple judgments about clients whose information systematically varied across three dimensions. These data were then analyzed using path analytic techniques to determine which of the models was the best description of the process rehabilitation…

The second edition of "Professional Issues in Therapeutic Recreation: On Competence and Outcomes" is greatly expanded to include a wider variety of introductory materials and updates on current professional issues. The second edition represents a timely review of the state of affairs in the profession of therapeutic recreation. This book contains…

This commentary on EC 602 595 questions cognitive referencing's validity as a model for allocating special services to young children with disabilities. The paper raises methodological issues in studies supporting use of the cognitive referencing model. These issues include the construct of delayed development, subject description, and use of a…