Dr. Ann P. Daunic is an emeritus scholar in the School of Special Education, School of Psychology, and Early Childhood Studies in the College of Education at the University of Florida (UF). A graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, she has a PhD in special education from UF and an MS in psychology from Tufts University.

Educators use reading comprehension assessments to summarize academic achievement, make decisions in diagnostic evaluations, and identify intervention needs. A challenge, however, with using different assessments in practice is that student performance may change depending on which assessment is administered. This article guides educators in evaluating student performance across multiple assessments

Students with disabilities are likely to have contact with a police officer as either a victim or a perpetrator of a crime; however, media outlets often underreport the presence of a disability. The lack of acknowledgment of disabilities raises concerns regarding the ability of a police officer to support a person with a disability. Likewise, students need to be prepared to interact with the police

Research suggests that students are more invested in behavior interventions when they are involved in the development process. Tier 2 behavior interventions in a positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) framework can be tailored to embed student involvement and meet individual student needs. The purpose of this article is threefold. First, it explores the importance of student involvement

Teachers who work with students who display challenging behaviors need to implement interventions to support them in the classroom. A daily behavior report card (DBRC) is one intervention that research suggests can reduce challenging behaviors and replace them with more socially appropriate behaviors. With step-by-step instructions, this column describes how to implement and evaluate DBRCs to support

According to National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), students must develop a conceptual understanding of place value by second grade to understand that mathematics processes are more than a set of procedural steps. Yet, students with learning disabilities in mathematics typically struggle to understand place value in a deeper, conceptual sense, which can have a negative impact on their

Motivation and engagement in mathematics are important for academic success and are sometimes compromised in students with disabilities who have experienced a history of frustration and failure. This article explains how general and special education teachers can implement three research-supported strategies for boosting motivation and engagement for elementary students with or at risk of emotional

The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) requires that school counselors engage with and advocate for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), in addition to requiring competency in counseling culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students. However, few publications have called for increased attention to the intersectional needs of this population. This column provides

This article describes the Brazilian juvenile justice system and the educational rights of incarcerated adolescents with learning disabilities, to discuss how and why they are “invisible” and deprived of adequate treatment for their specific needs. The main reasons reside (a) in the complex national legal structure of the juvenile justice system; (b) in the lack of specific legislation concerning the

Rates of inclusion for children with disabilities continue to increase. Schools are also experiencing an increase in culturally and linguistically diverse students. As such, the diversity of children in classrooms across the country continues to dramatically shift and teachers are challenged to implement culturally responsive and relevant interventions. Social skills are a significant area of development

Mexico has general education and disability laws that guarantee special education services to children and adolescents with disabilities as part of their basic human rights. As youth with psychosocial disabilities, such as depression and anxiety, are not recognized within the special education system as a separate category, in practice, they are excluded from educational supports in public schools

Universal design for learning (UDL) is a construct that first appeared in the literature approximately 20 years ago. Yet, there is little agreement about what UDL looks like in the classroom. The purpose of this article is to assist students, educators, and parents in identifying universal usability designs, behaviors, and tools that reflect the practice of UDL in the classroom. Three types of exemplars

Various stakeholders continue to have concerns regarding the school performance of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). In an effort to improve student outcomes, schools may rely on improving student access to general education classrooms (e.g., inclusion). This trend occurs at a time when districts across the nation face heightened expectations regarding the provision of a free

Despite not having specific special education laws, Norway’s Lov om grunnskolen og den vidaregåande opplæringa (Act Relating to Primary and Secondary Education and Training) law provides individualized instruction to students who qualify for special education services after an extensive evaluation process. Improvements are recommended in special education competency among general education teachers

John Wills Lloyd is Professor Emeritus at the University of Virginia and co-editor of Exceptional Children. He earned his PhD from the University of Oregon and spent most of his career at the University of Virginia. Dr. Lloyd has been an integral part of many professional organizations, including the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division for Learning Disabilities, where he served as president

This is the third and final column of a special series on the topic of universal design for learning. Interested readers are encouraged to review the previous two articles: Enhancing Executive Function While Addressing Learner Variability in Inclusive Classrooms (Volume 56, Issue 3) and Classroom Menus for Supporting the Academic Success of Diverse Learners (Volume 56, Issue 4). In the following column

National rates of juvenile incarceration show that about 33% of the population in correctional confinement has disabilities such as behavioral disorders or specific learning disabilities. All students identified under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) as having a disability are entitled to special education and transition services when they are incarcerated if they

Costa Rica has developed a modality for people in vulnerable conditions to remain in the education system called Educación Abierta, Spanish for “Open Education.” This modality is described, and a lack of specific research is identified regarding minors with a disability and deprived of liberty. This article acknowledges the current good practices on local educational programs for this population, as

Juvenile delinquency is a major social problem in many countries. This Special Issue of Intervention in School and Clinic focuses on the intersection of youth with disabilities and the laws in the United States, Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Norway, which aim to ensure the provision of educational opportunities responsive to the needs of youth with disabilities who engage in behaviors that bring

This unique special issue features five articles that provide guidance for middle school special education and general education content-area co-teachers on how to implement enhanced co-teaching models including specialized literacy instruction and best practices for co-teachers (e.g., co-planning; using station teaching to differentiate instruction). The authors of each article were part of a research

Dr. Mitchell Yell’s career has focused on children and youth with significant behavior and emotional challenges. His career has focused on special education law, progress monitoring, and behavior management. Mitch has focused providing opportunities and experiences for others in the service of those students who pose the greatest challenges within the educational environment. In this conversation,

Significant disparities in civics achievement between students with disabilities and their peers constitute an urgent need to support and improve civics education and outcomes for students receiving special education services related to emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) and learning disabilities (LD). In the documented instances when social studies interventions are evaluated by researchers

It is essential that middle school content-area and special education co-teachers adopt evidence-based literacy practices that they can integrate into their content-area instruction to address the needs of all of the students in their classes. This article provides co-teachers with four planning tips to improve implementation of the practices they adopt. The planning tips are organized using the acronym

In co-taught classes, general education and special education teachers can improve the content-area learning and literacy skills of students with learning disabilities by helping them read texts effectively. Co-teachers can improve comprehension by providing students with background and vocabulary knowledge before reading. In this article, a routine for introducing background (world) and vocabulary

In the fairy tale Goldilocks, a young girl enters the home of three bears. As she explores the porridge, chairs, and beds, in each situation she is seeking what is “just right.” It seems that Goldilocks is the perfect metaphor for describing learners experiencing universal design for learning (UDL) as it highlights the importance of learner agency. However, who is in charge of designing the bear’s

The potential of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) has captured the imagination of policy makers, educators, administrators, teacher educators, as well as educational researchers. Over the past 20 years, there has been increasing interest in how the vision of UDL could be translated into practice. And yet, there is little agreement about whether or not UDL is a design intervention and therefore the

This article presents a checklist of 10 evidence-based practices for educators to apply in mathematics instruction for students with learning disabilities. The checklist is “actionable,” meaning the items on the checklist can be put into action immediately. It provides practical strategies teachers can adopt to fit their lessons regardless of their specific mathematical domain areas or student grade

Students with math learning disabilities have been shown to experience math anxiety at rates nearly double those of their typical peers. Anxiety about math is thought to disrupt learning by co-opting attentional resources that could be used in problem-solving and may be caused by the way in which students interpret their math-related experiences. This article describes a math intervention designed

The quality of the relationship that develops between a student and teacher has been connected to pivotal instructional and behavioral outcomes for students. The student–teacher relationship can specifically be harnessed to reduce minor behavioral infractions. However, it is an element of the learning environment that is often overlooked. This article outlines the importance of the student–teacher

Several strategies that demonstrate promise are available for educators to improve reading comprehension outcomes for students. However, some students, including students with and at risk for learn...

The Project CALI (Content Area Literacy Instruction) instructional framework is designed to enhance reading comprehension for all students, those with disabilities as well as their typically develo...

Being able to identify the main ideas within a complex multi-paragraph content-area text is an essential reading comprehension skill. It is especially important for content-area and special educati...

Readers with an interest in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) will recognize the fundamental challenge presented in this month’s guest column, “Classroom Menus for Supporting the Academic Success...

Self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) is an effective instructional approach used to teach academic strategies for skills such as writing and reading comprehension. Included in SRSD are direct...

Executive function is an umbrella term involving working memory, planning, organization, social inhibition, self-regulation, and cognitive flexibility. It is an area where many students with disabi...

Students may lack the motivation to read for many reasons, including inadequate access to interesting texts, limited encouragement to read for pleasure from adults, instructional practices that do ...

Transitioning young children with autism spectrum disorder from Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C to Part B 619 is a multifaceted process. This process may leave families st...

Dr. Judy Voress is the former periodicals director of PRO-ED; is Executive Director and a member of the Board of Directors of the Hammill Institute on Disabilities; and currently serves as Presiden...

Increased awareness of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has come with an increase in books that depict individuals with ASD. However, media representation of disabilities could be misguided. To integ...

Dr. Kristine (Kris) Melloy has enjoyed a varied career ranging from a teacher, special education director, principal, data coach, and professor. Her passion for those who have exceptional needs was formed early and has continued throughout her varied responsibilities. She has received honors and awards for her work and has provided leadership in numerous venues.

To support students with disabilities who do not respond to typically effective reading intervention, special education teachers are expected to implement evidence-based practices for intensifying intervention. Data-based individualization is an effective, evidence-based practice recommended in research to intensify intervention, but requires knowledge and skills in data use that many teachers are

The conclusion of the Cuban Revolution in January 1959 ushered in extensive changes to education in Cuba. One such substantial change was the formal establishment of special education in 1962. Sinc...

Dr. David Rose is perhaps best known for his connection to the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) and as a main and driving force behind the collection of instructional, assistive, and ac...

This article provides a conceptual framework for using fixed-interval praise delivery in the educational setting. Fixed-interval praise delivery can be conceptualized as an antecedent-based strategy that disrupts the natural behavior to contingency relationship in a four-term contingency model (Establishing operation–Antecedent–Behavior–Consequence). Historically, teachers are trained to deliver praise

This article describes a comprehension strategy that can be used by teachers to help students identify and construct the main ideas for expository texts. The BURNS Strategy (i.e., Box. Underline. Reread. Note. Summarize.) was developed as part of a larger reading intervention to improve the comprehension performance of struggling readers in the elementary grades. The BURNS strategy was designed to

This article provides key considerations and step-by-step procedures useful for any teacher to use when planning to enhance their writing instruction with technology. This includes understanding current writing initiatives as well as recognizing the common behaviors of skilled and struggling writers. Four types of underutilized, yet commonly available technology families are described with associated

As technology continues to provide new instructional options in the classroom, opportunities to embed new tools in their pedagogy are critical for teachers. One avenue that could encourage teachers to adopt new technologies in their classroom is professional development. This column outlines how a comprehensive program can be implemented to build teacher capacity for implementing new tools in their

Intervention dosage is an often-overlooked aspect of implementation fidelity. Tracking intervention dosage is critical for ensuring students with disabilities were present for and received the intervention for as many minutes as intended. Used in tandem with student performance data, intervention dosage can provide a clearer picture of intervention success. This article presents strategies for how

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders who display disruptive behaviors in general education settings are increasingly being educated in alternative education settings. Alternative education settings can vary widely, but they typically have smaller classroom sizes and educational staff who are trained to teach students who were not successful in their previous educational settings. This Current

Special educators are often considered the experts in their school when it comes to developing functional behavior assessments (FBA) and behavior intervention plans (BIP), yet rarely are they trained much beyond basic antecedents, behaviors, and consequences (ABC). This column discusses concepts that will expand special education professionals’ knowledge to make better decisions regarding interventions

Optimal service delivery for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often involves interdisciplinary care coordination between primary care clinicians, community-based providers, and school personnel such as school psychologists. Interdisciplinary care coordination includes communication and collaboration from multiple providers to facilitate comprehensive services that are accessible and continuous

Mental health–related disabilities are a leading cause of health issues worldwide. Because of this, an argument can be made that schools integrate mental health services for their students to positively impact their mental health outcomes. This article outlines how multitiered systems of support (MTSS) can assist schools in providing all students with mental health services including students with

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) experience some of the poorest outcomes of all students. They are also placed in alternative education (AE) settings more frequently than students in other disability categories. For some of these students, the ultimate goal is to return to the traditional school. A systematic, five-part process provides a framework that begins with planning for

Education jurisdictions across Australia have significant experience with initiating and building the implementation of positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) in schools. This column describes the nature of the Australian education system and contextualizes the way PBIS had been implemented. Future directions to enhance the scaled implementation of PBIS across Australia are also presented

With continued emphasis on inclusive practices, paraeducators are increasingly relied upon as an integral part of instructional service delivery for students with disabilities. However, research consistently reveals that the effective use of paraeducators depends largely on teacher leadership and supervision. Currently, few teacher preparation programs offer meaningful coursework pertaining to managing

Classroom teachers are responsible for providing high-quality instruction to multiple students simultaneously. When students engage in problem behaviors, instructional quality and instructional time may be negatively impacted. A multiple schedule of reinforcement is a behavioral intervention strategy that allows teachers to signal to students specific contexts under which behaviors will be reinforced

Students with disabilities encounter persistent barriers in writing, which manifest within all phases of the writing process. These challenges can involve both higher order processes (e.g., organization, idea development) as well as lower order processes (e.g., legibility, spelling) related to writing. Educators can apply the principles of the universal design for learning (UDL) to lesson design by

This column explores the value of eliciting perspectives from students with and without disabilities about their experiences in co-taught settings. Research focused on co-teaching and eliciting feedback from co-taught students is identified. Interviews, surveys, and exit slips are described as ways co-teachers can acquire feedback from students, which can also promote students’ reflective skills. Attention

Teachers of students with learning disabilities (LD) who also are emergent bilingual (EB) are tasked with meeting students’ individual learning needs and developing academic language. Teachers require specialized knowledge in second-language acquisition and the specific learning strategies to support students’ learning disabilities. Reading comprehension skills are the foundational skills that students

With the rising use of service dogs to support students with disabilities, it is important that teachers are knowledgeable about how they can be incorporated into their classroom. A recent ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court has highlighted the legal responsibility of schools to allow access to the service dogs of students. However, information focusing on the preparation of teachers for this possibility