Over the last few decades, several definitions of dyslexia have centered on phonological awareness as the sole linguistic risk factor for developing dyslexia. Although difficulties with the acquisition and application of speech sounds can affect reading and spelling development, additional factors can as well and are included in other…

Prevalence estimates of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) point to geographic and socioeconomic disparities in identification and diagnosis. Estimating national prevalence rates can limit understanding of local disparities, especially in rural areas where disproportionately higher rates of poverty and decreased healthcare access exist. Using a small…

The problem of propagating disinformation (a.k.a. "fake news") on social media has increased significantly in the last few years. There are several initiatives around the world to combat this serious problem. Maybe the most promising ones involve training people to identify "fake news." The use of digital educational games…

A school leader representation gap exists in the nation's public schools. There is an underrepresentation of public-school leaders of color, which results in inequity of cultural values and diverse leadership perspectives that impact recruitment, retention, and student success. Only 22% of school leaders identify as people of color, while 53% of…

Screening for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is an essential early step in the identification process and inaccurate screening may lead to significant delays in the onset of treatment. Past research has highlighted discrepancies in the performance of ASD screening tools such as the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) among certain racial and…

Early childhood classrooms provide an environment where children have many of their first social experiences, especially with others of diverse backgrounds. Studies of racial and ethnic concept development have primarily been experimental and highly prompted; little is known about racialized learning experiences during typical interactions in…

The need to identify and recognize school going children with giftedness remains a concern of the Republic of Kazakhstan's government. This concern motivated this study to examine the internal structure of the giftedness characteristic identification scale (GCIS) for use by Kazakhstan's school children. Exploratory quantitative research approach,…

The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan has been published for England and includes a recommendation for SEND Assessment and Review Teams guidance. These teams co-ordinate and monitor the statutory Education, Health and Care Plans detailing the needs and provision for children with…

Prescreening children for specific learning disabilities, e.g., dyslexia, is essential for effective intervention. With a quick and reliable prescreening result, special education coordinators (SENCOs) can provide students with early intervention and relieve their learning pressure. Unfortunately, due to the limited resources, many students in…

This study explores the experiences of second-year Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Teach For America (TFA) Corps Members in a South Texas city. Grounded in Critical Race Theory (CRT), semi-structured interviews and community circles/focus groups, the research seeks to understand how BIPOC educators made meaning of their experiences…

What are the key challenges facing the field of gifted education? In this qualitative study, we posed this question to some of the field's eminent leaders and scholars. Overwhelmingly, our respondents mentioned problems of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). Respondents also discussed problems concerning identification, the…

Teachers are at the forefront of identifying internalizing and externalizing behavioral symptoms in children; however, there are disparities in how these behaviors are addressed in the classroom, particularly in relation to disciplinary disparities. This study examined whether teacher education students, when presented with differing behaviors,…

Achieving proficiency in core foundational oral language (OL), reading, and writing skills remains difficult for students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) and foundational OL difficulty (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2022). Despite evidence linking OL skills in grammar (morphosyntax, syntax) and vocabulary (semantics) to…

The unprecedented racial justice movements of 2020, intensified by George Floyd's tragic murder, catalyzed a global mobilization. This dissertation investigates the intersection of these movements with sociotechnical tools that shaped the movement, focusing on the youth deeply engaged with socioalgorithmic systems and their developmental…

Purpose: Early detection of language delays is essential, as language is key for academic outcomes, well-being, and societal participation. Previous studies have focused on undetected delays in young children. Much less is known about referrals at older ages. In this study, we aimed to (a) establish how many children are referred at toddler age…