Elementary-aged students with behavioral concerns and disabilities struggling to construct sentences stand a high likelihood for continued academic difficulty. Several studies have used sentence instruction with picture-word prompts to improve sentence level writing skills, including construction of simple sentences, syntax, capitalization, and…

Check In/Check Out (CICO) is a secondary tier intervention for those students who are not responsive to universal tier, school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports. The present study extended the implementation of CICO to six students with emotional and behavioral disorders in a residential facility whose behaviors were maintained…

This article explores the many issues involved in establishing the diagnosis of intellectual disability in a so-called Atkins (death penalty exemption) hearing. Among the issues addressed are the need to go beyond IQ scores in establishing intellectual deficits, the need to go beyond rating scores in establishing adaptive behavior deficits, the…

Disproportionality of African American males in special education and for disciplinary referrals has persisted for several decades. Culturally responsive social skill instruction, designed to teach critical skills and to involve peers from the learners' cultural group, can serve as a means to promote the overall social competence of African…

This article reports three studies that evaluated the test-retest and inter-rater reliability of the "Preschool Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale" (PreBERS) (Epstein & Synhorst, 2009). First, teachers rated 63 children receiving school services for disability on the PreBERS, with two ratings one month apart. Second, paraprofessionals rated the…

Young children who exhibit problem behavior are at-risk for a host of negative developmental outcomes. Early intervention at multiple ecological levels is crucial to interrupt what can be a detrimental transactional cycle between children and their caregivers, including their teachers. In this article we promote a strengths-based approach to…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and No Child Left Behind emphasize the use of scientifically based research to improve outcomes for students. From this emphasis, response-to-intervention has evolved. We present one perspective on the defining features of response-to-intervention and application of those features to school-wide…

The integration of primary, secondary, and tertiary interventions through positive behavior supports (PBS) can provide benefit for students, staff, and families (Bohanon et al., 2006; Turnbull et al., 2002). However, there is limited application of PBS to high schools settings (Sugai, Flannery, & Bohanon, 2004). However, preliminary data is…

When chronic problem behaviors occur in schools, the tendency is to react with stringent and restrictive consequences. Recently, emphasis has shifted toward proactive prevention strategies. In this article, we focus on what we know and need to know about school-wide applications of effective practices and systems for preventing problem behaviors.…

Young children with disabilities acquire behavior problems as a result of many factors. When planning interventions, it is important to remember that all children may display stages of inappropriate behaviors at various times during their early development. In most cases, the problems are short-lived and typically improve with guidance and age.…

Changes to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (Public Law 108-446) (now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004: IDEA) mandated new requirements for providing discipline to students with disabilities. These changes led to simplified procedures when students with disabilities commit infractions of…

The complex mix of systematic and unsystematic discipline that characterizes most schools creates heightened potential for variation and violation in school and classroom behavior. The challenge of maintaining order intensifies with teachers' concerns about the growing inclusion of students with emotional and behavioral problems in general…

In this article we describe the nature of attention deficit disorders (ADDs) within an individual differences model of abilities. In so doing, a model-based explanation for the sources of learning and performance difficulties among individuals identified with ADDs is provided. Earlier models of ADDs are discussed, and the proposed loci of ADDs…

This study examined the emotional and behavioral adjustment of children with traumatic brain injury (TBI) in school and its relationship to post-injury academic performance and educational interventions. Teachers' ratings of child behavior and academic performance were collected during a prospective, longitudinal study of 53 children with severe…

This synthesis paper summarizes research literature addressing challenging behaviours in children and youth with autism spectrum disorders and developmental disabilities in school settings. We conducted a comprehensive literature review to identify relevant peer-reviewed articles published between the years 2000 and 2011. The methodological…