Purpose: Family Peer Advocates (FPA) are used in healthcare broadly to facilitate engagement and address disparities in care. We previously reported on the benefit of FPAs in the care of autistic children on caregiver stress. Caregivers of autistic children report significant levels of caregiver stress, in particular when associated with…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) governs the Early Intervention (EI) system for families of children aged zero to three with developmental delays and disabilities. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many states offer telehealth as a way for families to receive their EI services. Given the limited EI providers in…

Educational Technology (EdTech) plays a significant role in enabling learners with disabilities to access learning at school and reduce educational and social exclusion. It also enables them to enjoy the benefits of a full school curriculum and to participate in activities in different educational arrangements. The purpose of this review was to…

With this position paper, we advance the case for reformation of U.S. special education law and praxis. These have undergone mostly incremental changes over the five decades since their inception despite a substantial body of evidence amassed over this period, which points to a major gap between extant policy and praxis, and contemporary cultural…

Sexual health education among adolescents with intellectual disabilities is an area of concern among parents and educators. Special educators play a vital role in teaching sexual health and safety to their students with disabilities. The present study explores special educators' concerns in teaching sexual health among adolescents with…

This study examined the differences among the typically developing, low-achieving, and young offender participants on indices of oral and silent reading, listening comprehension, the Raven and behavior scales, and parental status. A convenient sample of 81 males and females from the same geographical region in the Sultanate of Oman took part in…

The purpose of this paper is to define and describe the 'Telos' or purpose of special education. We argue that special education has three main (tripartite) functions: (a) research, (b) a distinct system, and (c) special instruction. The overall Telos of special education is to provide an educational service to better serve students whose…

The purpose of this article is to compel educators to think critically about how the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a prominent school-based legislation in the United States, and caregiver/parental participation relate to each other and to equity in special education outcomes. I use two illustrative case studies to show how…

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities have the right to access appropriate and comprehensive sexuality and relationship education (SRE), but face a long history of exclusion from SRE in the USA due to myths about the sexuality of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, biases against people with disabilities, and…

This exploratory, descriptive study sought to determine the perceptions of special education (SPED) directors and their respective SPED teachers regarding self-efficacy in meeting the diverse needs of students who have English learning challenges and have been identified as having special learning needs. Also, general information regarding the…

Neurodiversity refers to the idea that all brains--no matter their differences--are valuable and should be accepted. Attitudes toward the neurodiversity perspective can have real-life impacts on the lives of neurodivergent people, from effects on daily interactions to how professionals deliver services for neurodivergent individuals. In order to…

This research study was a qualitative narrative inquiry study guided through two theoretical frameworks, LatCrit and DisCrit. The experiences of six Latinx elementary school principals as students, educators, and leaders were researched to see how their experiences and knowledge influence their leadership while leading at a predominantly Latinx…

In 2019, children with disabilities in Cambodia were three times less likely to access educational opportunities than their peers without disabilities. Several barriers impede their ability to access inclusive educational opportunities. These include limited capacity of mainstream schools to enroll children with disabilities, lack of teachers who…

A person's ability to be self-determined begins to develop through the earliest interactions in life within the context of the family and caregiving environments. This qualitative phenomenological study of the experiences of eight parents representing seven families of young children explored how families promote their children's early development…

The reading trajectory of African Americans males within the PreK-12 special education system has been at the forefront of scholarship. This case study was to understand how Zion's misidentification may have influenced his reading experiences. The inequalities Zion encountered in Special Education are examined through the Critical Race Theory and…