Educators and families develop individualized education programs (IEPs) to address unique needs of individual students with disabilities. Addressing all student needs is critical to ensuring students receive a free and appropriate public education. To understand how IEP teams address the needs of students with complex support needs, we examined…

This study employed a meta-analytic approach to examine the effectiveness of graphic organizers (GOs) in improving academic and behavioral outcomes for K-12 students with disabilities, drawing from the single-case special education literature. Moderators at participant and study level were analyzed in addition to the main effects. A comprehensive…

The relationship between schools and parents has evolved over recent years and is now recognized as a valuable and bi-directional partnership in the educative process. This partnership is of particular significance for parents with a dyslexic child, playing a vital role in ensuring success within the school and beyond. Using a unique conceptual…

Bullying has deleterious effects on the health of youth, families, schools, and communities. These effects are especially pronounced for youth with special education needs specific to emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Much of what is understood concerning the effects of bullying has been limited to face-to-face contexts. Despite the…

Although applications (apps) for technology-based self-monitoring have received little attention in the literature for college-level students with intellectual disability (ID) in inclusive postsecondary education (IPSE) programs at institutions of higher education, novel tools regularly arrive and are applied within current support structures.…

Family-school partnership is an essential component of the special education process for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Latinx families especially face systemic barriers when participating in education decision-making for their children with IDD. However, few interventions have been developed to facilitate and…

High quality family-professional partnerships promote the personal, social, and academic growth of students with disabilities. However, due to systemic barriers, such partnerships can be difficult, especially for families from low-resourced communities. Using the Sunshine Model, the purpose of this systematic literature review was to characterize…

In 1974, the Education for all Handicapped Protection Act was signed into law by President Gerald Ford. This law which was renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1990, established a federal entitlement to special education for eligible students with disabilities. In 1982 and again in 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court…

Special education stands at a pivotal juncture, confronting both existential challenges and transformational opportunities. The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is not upholding its mandate of promoting the Individualized Education Program (IEP). I underscore the centrality of the IEP in the…

The history of the people, problems, and politics surrounding the establishment of federal special education policy is rich with useful illustrations for advocates and educators. As the 50th anniversary of IDEA approaches, we use a historical perspective to consider how the promise of the law -- to ensure access to a free appropriate public…

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 social movement toward cultural relativism has led to a growing distrust and even disbelief in the value of scientific inquiry regarding the effects of, or the need for, special education for students with disabilities. The authors examine the basic underpinnings of scientific methodology and its fundamental role in establishing best practice…

We overview several key issues of the past, present, and near future of special education for students with severe disabilities. We contextualize the Telos of special education by briefly remarking on its historical roots in the United States, then delve into several issues we believe are critical for advancing toward better outcomes for students…

There have been many calls for the development of discipline-specific argument writing interventions to integrate science-specific and general literacy standards and goals. Yet, adolescents with and without exceptionalities struggle to meet existing writing demands. This explanatory sequential mixed methods design draws from the strengths of…

Family involvement is an essential component of the special education process for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). In addition to the legal requirement that parents should be equal partners in the decision-making of the student's individualized education program (IEP) program (IDEA, 2004), a bulk of empirical research…