Although paraprofessionals play a prominent role in the education of students with severe disabilities, little is known about the roles these school staff play in fostering self-determination. In this descriptive study, researchers examined the extent to which 347 paraprofessionals employed at 135 randomly selected schools (a) considered each of…

Given the centrality of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) to services for students with disabilities, the decision-making process during the IEP meeting deserves attention in research and implementation. In this case study, IEP team decision-making is examined as a socially situated practice. Transcripts of an initial evaluation and IEP…

This is an interpretivist qualitative study that explores the contexts and dynamics of friendships among three groups of young adults; each group included an individual with autism or severe disability and high school students without disabilities. Data were collected through ethnographic methods where friends interacted together. Particular…

This study reviewed published literature to determine the level of evidence for using shared story reading to promote literacy. Shared story reading was defined as a practice used to access age-appropriate literature through reader-listener interaction in which a story is read aloud and student interaction with the reader and the story is…

Incorporating general education peers into social skills instructional programs has been effective at increasing social interaction of high school students with intellectual disabilities and autism with their classmates. In this study, communication book use (Hughes et al., 2000), combined with providing the opportunity to interact, was associated…

A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted for articles published between 1985 and May 2009 to (a) examine the degree to which science content was taught to students with severe developmental disabilities and (b) and evaluate instructional procedures in science as evidence-based practices. The review was organized by a conceptual model…

People with extensive needs for support represent the last group of people routinely denied opportunities for literacy instruction. One of the major reasons for this lack of opportunity can be related to limited definitions of what constitutes literacy as a whole and reading and writing in particular. This article will explore the way in which…

The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers' perspectives on the appropriate skills and settings for literacy instruction, the factors influencing their decisions about literacy instruction, and the barriers to literacy instruction in general education classrooms. A sample of special education teachers (n = 69) of students taking the…

Current pedagogical approaches recognize literacy as a social practice and yet school-based conceptualizations continue to dominate understandings of literacy learning of individuals with intellectual disability. Such understandings lead to local or everyday literacy practices being devalued and overlooked. Thus, for adults with intellectual…

Reading and literacy are important not only for instrumental reasons such as knowing exit signs and recognizing initial consonants but also have tremendous human functioning implications in areas such as initiating and sustaining friendships, communicating care and affection, and enhancing work, leisure, and play. Many people with intellectual…

Although there is an increased focus on reading instruction in schools, little is known about how teachers of students with extensive support needs are prepared to provide literacy instruction for this group of students. This paper reports the results of an exploratory study of how literary instruction is addressed within teacher education…

This article presents information on instructional strategies and the effective use of personnel needed for educating students with dual sensory impairments in integrated learning environments. To counter the practice of educating students in separate environments according to their most apparent weaknesses and limitations, the authors contend…

Social interactions with peers are an important aspect of childhood development that is closely linked to emotional well-being and success in school. We conducted a comprehensive review of recent intervention studies evaluating strategies to improve the peer interaction outcomes of students with intellectual disabilities and/or autism. The purpose…

Previous research has suggested differences in the locus of control (LOC) orientations of students with intellectual disability, learning disabilities, and no disabilities, although this research has been characterized by methodological limitations. The purpose of this study was to examine the development of LOC orientations in students with…

Inclusive community recreation is an optimal environment for the development of recreation and sports skills and social relationships between people with and without disabilities. Although we know much about best practices for inclusion, little systemic change in recreation agencies has transpired. Diffusion of Innovation Theory is proposed as a…