Accurate diagnosis and treatment planning for children with autism are a growing concern. This study sought to address two questions: (a) Which domains of the of the "Behavior Assessment System for Children" (2nd ed.) Teacher Rating Scales (BASC-TRS) are most effective in discriminating students diagnosed with higher functioning autism from…

Literacy instruction for students with significant intellectual disabilities traditionally emphasizes isolated skills instruction focusing on sight words and basic vocabulary. Recent research suggests these students benefit from high-quality instruction that includes comprehension and storybook reading. This study examined the effect of a…

The current study reviews a computer-based math fluency intervention with 216 third- and fourth-grade students who were at risk for math difficulties. The intervention used a computer software program to practice math facts an average of three times per week for 8 to 15 weeks. Data were compared to those of 226 students in a control group. Results…

The implementation of response to intervention requires that interventions for struggling students be provided through general education prior to referral for special education. The authors surveyed elementary teachers (K-3) in one state to examine the characteristics of the supplemental reading interventions that their students receive through…

Despite the importance of literacy skill training for incarcerated youth, a very limited number of empirically based research studies have examined reading instruction in correctional facilities. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the Fast ForWord computer-assisted reading program improved the reading and spelling abilities of…

This article provides a methodological illustration of how to conduct randomized controls trials (RCT) for secondary levels of prevention within the context of three-tiered models of support. First, the authors demonstrate one method of using school-wide data to identify middle school students (N = 45) who were struggling in academic and…

Students with disabilities often have large vocabulary deficits that continue to increase over time if effective interventions that supplement daily academic instruction are not put in place. The current study used a simultaneous treatments design to analyze the comparative effects of whole-word vocabulary instruction and morphograph instruction…

Children in foster care compose a population of students very vulnerable to school failure. Placement and school instability and lack of collaboration between the school and child welfare agency are some of the barriers that impede their school performance. This study focused on the classroom context and questioned beginning general and special…

This study examined two areas. First, the authors looked at whether secondary individualized education program (IEP) teams who used the "Transition Planning Inventory" (TPI) in conjunction with a structured IEP meeting that based discussions and decisions on TPI data as a planning intervention generated significantly more transition-related IEP…

Although mentoring programs for novice special education teachers have been highly touted, there is scant research describing either novice needs or mentor roles. This study is based on a sample of 66 randomly selected national board certified teachers (NBCTs) in special education in an effort to determine the nature and extent of their…

Parents of 144 children with autism spectrum disorders were surveyed regarding their perceptions of and satisfaction with the education their children were receiving. This article focuses on an analysis of the parents' responses to the open-ended questions of this survey. Overall themes that emerged repeatedly across all questions concerned the…

Students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often have difficulty with reading comprehension. This multiple baseline across participants design with multiple probes study examined the effectiveness of a multicomponent reading comprehension strategy (TWA: Think Before Reading, Think While Reading, Think After Reading) taught…

This study investigated the effectiveness of "Math Explorer" at enhancing the word problem-solving skills of students with mathematics difficulties (MD). The study, which had a multiple-probe-across-subjects design, was conducted over 18 weeks. Four students with MD in Grades 2 and 3 participated. All students were able to use the four-step…

The participation and performance of students in statewide accountability and assessment systems are measures of student and school success. These accountability systems theoretically reflect performance for all students, including students receiving special education. Yet few examine the participation and performance of students in special…

Developmental trajectories of two self-concept constructs (self-confidence and importance beliefs) in three domains (academic, social, and self-image) were estimated in a nationally representative sample of approximately 3,500 students with disabilities ages 8 to 17 representing 11 federal disability categories. Students' self-confidence in the…