The number of students with disabilities educated in the general education classroom has increased over time. As a result, administrators in inclusive settings have more expectations and responsibilities as an instructional leader. Therefore, the research problem addressed is that administrators are struggling to provide instructional leadership…

A systematic review of literature, complemented by an analysis of state Letters of Determination, was conducted to determine how Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) standards might be applied to increase the quality of leadership in special education programs. Currently, there are no national credentialing standards for the role…

As autistic individuals grow into adulthood, they are much more likely to experience a need for employment-related skills, with research on these skills lacking relative to child-focused research. Accordingly, this dissertation examined existing literature on employment-related skill development and based on community consultation, developed…

Promoting health equity necessitates the diversification of healthcare workforces. Disability is one aspect of diversity that is increasing in healthcare. While the number of Disabled students in health professions increases, barriers in their work integrated learning (WIL), such as placements in hospitals or clinics, persist. While literature has…

Since students' writing skills are largely shaped by the quality of instruction they receive, we can learn from what teachers report about their beliefs and approaches to the teaching and learning of writing. This study explores the state of writing instruction at secondary levels with deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students through a…

While technology-based interventions enhance instruction and improve outcomes for students with disabilities, implementing and integrating technology in authentic learning environments continues to be a challenge. Based on the experiences of a variety of Stepping-Up Technology Implementation projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education,…

Since students' writing skills are largely shaped by the quality of instruction they receive, we can learn from what teachers report about their beliefs and approaches to the teaching and learning of writing. This study explores the state of writing instruction at secondary levels with deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students through a…

Coaching caregivers of young children on the autism spectrum is a critical component of parent-mediated interventions. Little information is available about how providers implement parent coaching for children on the autism spectrum in publicly funded early intervention systems. This study evaluated providers' use of parent coaching in an early…

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of parents with students with a high incidence disability (HID) and barriers that hinder their involvement in their children's education. Students with HID have significant educational needs, necessitating special education services or support coupled with…

Special education researchers have for decades emphasized the importance of intervention effectiveness and procedural fidelity, but relatively little attention has been directed toward understanding intervention intensity. This review focused on extracting details of intervention intensity as reported in peer-reviewed studies of scripting and…

Even compared with students with other disabilities, students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience poor postsecondary employment outcomes. Video-based intervention (VBI) has been effective in teaching a variety of skills to students with ASD, but there has yet to be a quantitative synthesis evaluating its effectiveness to teach…

Educator attitudes towards inclusive education impact its success. Attitudes differ depending on the SEN cohort, and so the current systematic review is the first to focus solely on students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Seven databases searched yielded 13 relevant articles. The majority reported positive educator attitudes towards ASD…

In a recent review of explicit and systematic, scripted instructional programs for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Plavnick et al. ("Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders," 2, 55-66, 2015) found that only 1 of 9 studies met all eight quality indicators outlined by Horner et al. ("Exceptional…

The purpose of this practice article is to describe group counseling conducted with young adults with intellectual disability enrolled in a comprehensive transition program at a university in the southern United States. There are very few guidelines available for counselors working with young adults with intellectual disabilities. The aim of this…

Past research suggests that children, particularly those with autism spectrum disorder, with general behavioral inflexibility to objects, persons, and environments may be at risk for feeding problems. However, questions remain about whether feeding problems are better predicted by behavioral inflexibility or sensory sensitivity, and whether…