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Research has established that implementing evidence-based practices with a high procedural fidelity is integral in promoting positive outcomes for students with moderate-to-severe disabilities and more significant support needs. However, special education teachers who teach students with moderate-to-severe developmental disabilities often lack training in adopting and implementing evidence-based practices. This study used a multiple-baseline single-case experimental design to investigate the effects of job-embedded, individualized coaching on a special education teacher's implementation fidelity of systematic instruction for students with disabilities within natural teaching routines. Immediate and maintained increases in the implementation fidelity were found across all systematic instruction components, demonstrating the effectiveness of the individualized coaching intervention. Additionally, a brief social validity assessment at the completion of the study suggested that the coaching procedures were highly acceptable and useful for enhancing the implementation of an evidence-based practice in a natural setting.

Early childhood special education teachers require training and support in implementing function-based intervention for challenging behavior. Yet, teacher professional development practices are not universally effective, and teachers may benefit from differentiated supports. The purpose of this study was to pilot and evaluate a multilevel approach to teacher professional development for function-based intervention. The multilevel approach included behavioral skills training, practice-based coaching, and teacher self-monitoring and was evaluated using a multiple baseline across participants single-case research design. Results demonstrated that while all teachers benefited from the professional development, teachers required different levels of support within the multilevel approach. These findings support a growing body of work suggesting that teachers may require varying levels of support to implement evidence-based practices.

The practice of including students with disabilities in art education has existed longer than efforts to increase access to general academic instruction. However, most teacher education programs do not offer sufficient coursework or field experiences in training pre-service art teachers to teach students with disabilities. To examine how pre-service art teachers are trained to provide inclusive art instruction, semi-structured interviews were conducted with art education faculty and instructors across six institutions in the Midwest of United States and interview data were systematically analyzed at three levels, including within case, cross case, and conversation. Results indicate that while all programs offer a required course related to special education, exposure to students with disabilities in field experiences is limited and collaboration between art teachers and special education teachers or paraprofessionals is not emphasized. Recommendations for strengthening teacher education programs in teaching art to students with disabilities are offered based on study findings.

Technology has been widely used to teach reading skills to students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the quality of research backing up this practice has not yet been fully investigated. The purpose of this review was to examine the quality of research on technology-aided reading interventions for students with ASD and summarize study characteristics of research studies with meeting the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) design standards. A total of 31 studies using group design (n = 4) or single-case design (n = 27) were systematically aggregated, and 16 studies (52%) met the WWC design standards. Study features related to participants, intervention, technology usage, and outcome variables were synthesized for these 16 studies. Results indicated that two types of technology (i.e., computer, iPad) were used to deliver reading instruction through software programs or support interventionist-directed reading instruction. Finally, implications for research and practice are discussed.

Young children with intensive behavioral needs are often served by paraprofessionals, who are typically among the least trained and least supported staff in the school. While professional development opportunities to address challenging behavior are generally limited for special education teachers, such professional growth opportunities are often completely unavailable for paraprofessionals. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a program in which teachers served as coaches for paraprofessionals. Using a multiple-baseline design across paraprofessional-and-child dyads, we evaluated the effects of the teachers-as-coaches program on paraprofessional implementation fidelity and child engagement in challenging behavior and appropriate communication. The results showed that with teacher coaching, paraprofessionals increased their behavior intervention implementation fidelity to 100%. During the maintenance probes, two of the paraprofessionals implemented the intervention with 100% fidelity, and the third paraprofessional implemented the intervention with higher fidelity than baseline. Results also showed corresponding decreases in child challenging behavior and increases in appropriate communication. Implications for research and practice in supporting paraprofessionals are discussed.

Many individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (DD) encounter difficulties in performing daily living skills, which limits their self-sufficiency and autonomy. Caregivers, such as parents, are often the individuals who interact with individuals with DD the most during daily living skills routines. Therefore, it is critical to teach caregivers to implement daily living skills interventions with their children. A systematic review of the literature related to caregiver-implemented daily living skills interventions yielded 38 articles. Of those, 20 articles, with 21 experiments, were rated as high quality based on What Works Clearinghouse design standards. Behavior skill training was the most common strategy used to teach caregivers to implement interventions. Common daily living skills interventions included prompting, reinforcement, and task analysis. The most common form of prompting was verbal prompting, and the most common schedule of reinforcement was a continuous schedule of reinforcement. Of the 21 high-quality experiments, 86% demonstrated caregiver-implemented interventions yielded improvements in daily living skills. Several studies demonstrated generalization and maintenance of daily living skills. Implications for research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This single-case meta-analysis is the first to provide a quantitative synthesis of the published literature on mathematics word problem-solving intervention studies for English learners with learning disabilities and mathematics difficulties. A total of ten single-subject studies were included for analysis. The current study investigated the magnitude of the effect of mathematics interventions targeting the improvement of students' mathematics word problem-solving performance, and analyzed variables that moderated this effect. Results indicate a moderate overall effect size of 0.81 (95% CI [0.71, 0.90]) on word problem-solving performance for English learners with learning disabilities and mathematics difficulties. Moderator variables such as the implementer of the interventions, instructional focus, and word problem-solving content significantly moderated the mathematics intervention effects.

Dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which can be indexed by heart rate variability (HRV), has been posited to contribute to core features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, the relationship between ASD and HRV remains uncertain. We assessed tonic and phasic HRV of 21 children with ASD and 21 age- and IQ-matched typically developing (TD) children and examined (1) group differences in HRV and (2) associations between HRV and ASD symptomatology. Children with ASD showed significantly lower tonic HRV, but similar phasic HRV compared to TD children. Additionally, reduced tonic HRV was associated with atypical attentional responsivity in ASD. Our findings suggest ANS dysregulation is present in ASD and may contribute to atypical attentional responses to sensory stimulation.

Challenging behavior is a significant barrier in accessing the general education curriculum for students with developmental disabilities. This necessitates the identification of evidence-based practices for addressing challenging behavior in inclusive settings. The purpose of our meta-analysis is to (a) quantify the magnitude of effect of interventions targeting the reduction of challenging behavior in students with developmental disabilities in inclusive educational settings and (b) determine if participant and intervention characteristics moderate intervention effects. A systematic search of academic databases was conducted to identify studies, which were evaluated for methodological rigor and analyzed for effects using Tau-U. Results indicate a strong overall effect of 0.94 (95% CI [0.87, 1]) and moderating variables associated with behavior topography, interventionist, and intervention components were identified.

Functional communication training (FCT) is one of the most common treatments for challenging behavior and is considered an empirically supported practice for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, no previous systematic review has evaluated the quality of FCT for adults with ASD, and the empirical support for this practice among adults is unknown. The purpose of the current review was to synthesize the extant research, including a quality appraisal of the literature on the use of FCT to treat challenging behavior for adults with ASD. We identified 20 studies that evaluated the efficacy of FCT in reducing challenging behavior for adults with ASD. The quality of each article was evaluated based on the What Works Clearinghouse design and evidence standards. Following the quality and evidence evaluations, eight studies, including eight experiments, were found to have "moderate" or "strong evidence" of effectiveness. The current body of literature provides some evidence for the efficacy of FCT in reducing challenging behavior for adults with ASD, but additional research in this area is warranted.

Despite the wide usage of technology in educational settings, the overall evidence base of technology-aided reading interventions for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has not been fully investigated. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to quantify the effects of technology-aided reading interventions for students with ASD and determine if participant and intervention characteristics moderate intervention effects. Reviewed articles were systematically identified and evaluated for methodological rigor according to design standards suggested by What Works Clearinghouse (WWC). A total of 13 single-case studies that met the WWC standards (50%) were analyzed for effects using Tau-U and yielded 50 separate effect sizes with 33 participants. Results of this study found a moderate overall effect of.89 (CI95 [.83,.96]) for technology-aided reading interventions, and variables associated with using time delay moderated reading outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systematic reviews of single-case experimental research (SCER) in special education often use the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Standards to assess the methodological rigor of studies within a given literature base. While significant changes were made between the two most recent versions of the WWC standards, no research to date has evaluated the extent to which these standards would result in different evaluation outcomes. To examine potential differences, we applied version 4.1 and 5.0 of the standards to a sample database of SCER addressing the challenging behavior of students with autism in general education settings. Systematic search, screening, and review procedures resulted in a total of 20 articles included for this review. Findings indicated a 27% change in overall ratings across the studies, with version 5.0 leading to lower ratings than version 4.1, due to factors such as a lack of assessment of procedural fidelity, therapeutic baseline trends, and insufficient data points in the first baseline phase. We discuss implications for research based on our findings and recommend future directions for SCER in the field of special education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computation is foundational to learning many mathematics concepts, as well as a functional skill in everyday life. Yet students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have challenges in learning computation skills. The current study aimed to provide quantitative and descriptive analyses of single‐case experimental studies on computation interventions for students with ASD. Our systematic search and screening procedures yielded a total of 16 eligible studies for the final analyses. An analysis of publication bias indicated an absence of publication bias in the included studies. Tau‐U was used to calculate the overall intervention effect, resulting in an omnibus effect of 0.90 (95% CI [0.81, 1.00]), indicating a medium effect. Moderator analyses showed that variables such as study design, participant characteristics, intervention characteristics, and target skills did not moderate intervention effects. However, some evidence‐based practices were identified to significantly moderate maintenance effects. Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed. Practitioner Points: Interventions evaluated through single‐case experimental studies were overall effective for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in acquiring computation skills.The characteristics of participants included in the literature are generally representative of the range of characteristics that students with ASD have, including age, gender ratio, and co‐occurring diagnoses.Intervention characteristics such as duration, interventionist, setting, evidence‐based practices, and target skills, did not moderate immediate intervention effects. However, four evidence‐based practices (i.e., direct instruction, modeling, video modeling, reinforcement) moderated the maintenance effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a shared reading intervention on narrative story comprehension and task engagement of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A single-case multiple baseline design was used, and three elementary-aged students with ASD participated in this study. The shared reading intervention included before, during, and after reading strategies (i.e., topic anticipation, dynamic reading, story retelling). Results of this study indicated that all participants demonstrated noticeable improvements in reading comprehension. Despite the longer duration of intervention sessions as compared to baseline sessions, participants showed similar or better task engagement with intervention. Improved reading outcomes were maintained at follow up for all participants. Implications for practical implementation and future research were discussed.

Measurement concepts are an essential foundation for more advanced mathematical concepts. To address the challenges of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in learning measurement concepts, this study investigated the effects of using a combination of explicit instruction and virtual manipulatives (VMs) to teach measurement concepts to students with ASD in China. Using a single-case multiple-probe across skills design, researchers examined whether the intervention could support the acquisition and maintenance of measurement concepts in students with ASD. Based on visual analysis, a functional relation was found between the independent variable (i.e., explicit instruction with VMs) and student performance on solving measurement concepts problems. Implications for practice and research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current review summarized 54 peer-reviewed articles concerning the assessment treatment of self-injurious behavior (SIB) in adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Results indicated that functional analysis was most commonly used to identify the operant function of SIB. Noncontingent reinforcement, differential reinforcement, functional communication training and response blocking were found to be the most frequently implemented interventions across studies. The methodological quality of each study was evaluated using the Council for Exceptional Children quality indicator standards. None of the included studies met all indicators to be considered methodologically sound. Directions for future research and implications for practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]