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Background and Purpose: The unprecedented shift to distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic intensified educational inequities for students with disabilities, a historically marginalized population in terms of access to quality instruction. Caregivers assumed an integral role in access to education during distance learning, making it critical for school teams to understand caregiver experiences and priorities. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences, needs, and desires of caregivers of students with extensive support needs (ESN; i.e., intellectual disability, autism, or multiple disabilities) related to distance learning in order to support educators in program design during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond through the following research question: In what ways has mandated distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic maintained and/or transformed education for students with ESN and their families? Methods: We combine qualitative (interview) and quantitative (survey) data analyses to jointly explore caregiver experiences. A total of 92 caregivers completed the survey, and 11 were interviewed. Survey results provided frequencies of factors that have impacted families during the COVID-19 pandemic: for example, access to educational technology, types of educational supports received, and frequencies of social, emotional, and physical family experiences (e.g., increased anxiety, increased physical strain), as well as differences in experiences across subgroups of caregivers (e.g., single- and multiple-caregiver homes, different ethnicities), challenges, and silver linings. Interviews allowed us to contextualize and more deeply explore patterns that emerged from the survey data. Findings: Four themes were identified: (1) the intense physical, mental, and emotional impact of distance learning; (2) transformed access to instruction; (3) transformed access to social connections; and (4) transformed family--school interactions. Caregivers struggled to meet their own needs and those of their children during distance learning. Most reported that their children needed consistent support throughout the day to access their education and maintain health and safety. Despite struggling to meet their own needs, caregivers frequently maintained high expectations for academic learning and social connection, and they demonstrated agency in the development of educational programs. Caregivers appreciated increased collaboration with teachers, increased knowledge of their child's skills, and ways to work on those skills at home. Conclusion: Access to instruction became synonymous with the complex relationship between the availability of in-person support, the meaningfulness of instruction, and accessibility of the educational program. Findings highlight the importance of increased and sustained collaboration between school teams and families to maximize student access and success within distance learning and in-person schooling.

This systematic literature review updates and extends the findings of Hudson and Test's 2011 review of literature on shared reading, an interactive read-aloud practice, to promote literacy skills for students with extensive support needs (ESN). Thirty-two shared reading studies are assessed and described in terms of literacy skills investigated, intervention methods, materials used, interventionists, and settings in which shared reading has been evaluated for students with ESN. The quality of each included study was analyzed and the assessment of level of research evidence was conducted using systematic processes. Results indicate that there is a moderate level of evidence for shared reading as an intervention to promote comprehension, vocabulary, and emergent literacy skills for students with ESN. Implications for practice and areas of need for future research are presented.

Trends in the supplementary aids and services (SAS) written in individualized education programs (IEPs) for students with significant disabilities (a) in different educational placements, (b) with and without behavior support plans (BSP), and (c) with and without complex communication needs (CCN) are examined using multivariate analysis of variance. Results show no significant differences in SAS for students across separate, resource, and inclusive placements. Students with BSPs had significantly more collaborative and behavior SAS than those without BSPs. Students with CCN had significantly more social-communication SAS than those whose IEPs indicated little to no communication support needs; however, 51.1% of students with CCN had no social-communication SAS. Findings raise concern around the extent to which SAS are considered before placement decisions, the high frequency of paraprofessional support for students with BSPs, and the low frequency of social-communication SAS written for students with CCN. Implications for policy, practice, and future research are provided.

Modified books are frequently used as comprehension supports for students with extensive support needs (ESN), despite limited evaluations of their creation process or impact on comprehension. This study evaluates the impact of individualized book and comprehension question modifications made through a systematic decision-making process on student comprehension during nonfiction shared book reading in general education classes. A repeated acquisition single-case research design was used to compare student comprehension of nonmodified and modified books for one first-grade student and one fourth-grade student with autism and moderate intellectual disability in a suburban U.S. Midwest elementary school. Findings indicate student comprehension was higher after reading modified grade-level, nonfiction books compared with similarly matched nonmodified books. These findings show students with ESN can access grade-level books in general education settings with individualized modifications. Recommendations for research and practice are shared. These recommendations include a systematic process for identification of the type and intensity of book modifications that may support comprehension for students with ESN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the wide range of academic content and 21st-century college and career readiness (CCR) skills that need to be targeted in secondary classrooms, teachers must be prepared to plan and implement a variety of strategies to ensure the progress and participation of each student, including those with extensive support needs. The purpose of this article is to describe the Unit Co-Planning Guide (UCPG) to guide teachers to: (1) plan academic content with integrated development opportunities for CCR skills, such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity; (2) consider the needs of all students with universal design for learning (UDL); (3) identify specific student goals and preferences; and (4) design individualized supports, including embedded instruction, curricular adaptations, peer supports, and personnel supports. The intended use of the UCPG is to support collaboration between teachers in the design of academic and nonacademic content delivered to inclusive secondary classes with particular focus on the supports necessary to facilitate involvement and progress for students with extensive support needs.

Background/Context: Federal laws require equitable access to education for students with disabilities through educational placement in the least restrictive environment (LRE). However, research has determined students with significant support needs (SSN) are overrepresented in segregated educational placements. Focus of Study: This study explores justifications of LRE placement decisions for students with SSN through a critical qualitative analysis. We evaluated how individualized education program (IEP) teams interpret LRE and justify placement decisions for students with SSN. Additionally, we sought to understand how the interpretation of LRE permits or restricts access to general education for students with SSN. Population: Students with SSN are those who require support across multiple domains and often have disabilities in the categories of autism, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, and deaf-blindness. Research Design: We used a qualitative methodology situated in a critical geography framework. Data were derived from the LRE statements found in IEPs of students with SSN. Each statement included in this study was used to identify the three power relationship spaces derived from critical geography theory: utopia, dystopia, and heterotopia. Findings: Three types of placement decisions were identified. Students with SSN were most often offered conditional placements and less frequently closed or open placements. Rationales for LRE decisions revealed barriers to accessing general education contexts related to hidden power dynamics, attempts to maintain social norms, and the use of ambiguous terminology. Data analysis also revealed that LRE justifications generate special education heterotopias that create illusive access to the general education context and content for students with SSN. Conclusions/Recommendations: The application of critical theory assists in understanding the continued overrepresentation of students with SSN in placements that limit access to general education. Findings from this study suggest the discontinuation of the continuum of special education placements to dismantle the inequitable structures of special education for students with SSN.

Inclusive education is "a process that helps overcome barriers" to presence, participation, and achievement in school (UNESCO, 2017, p. 7) for all youth, including students who have been historically marginalized and students with disabilities. For youth with disabilities specifically, inclusive education is the provision of necessary special education services and supports as Congress intended, as described in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004). When schools engage in the process of inclusive education, students are not required to leave their peers to receive specialized instructional strategies or services. Research-based strategies for implementing effective inclusive educational practices are emerging (McLeskey et al., 2017). These include ecological assessment, curricular supports (i.e., accommodations and modifications), embedded instruction, and standards-based instruction focused on prioritized skills. Ensuring that students with disabilities have access to, and make progress in, the general education curriculum requires educators to identify strategies to make that curriculum both accessible and meaningful. The participation plans described in this article integrate a variety of research-based strategies into one process aimed at accomplishing this task. Together, educators can use these plans to develop effective instructional strategies for youth with disabilities in general education classrooms.

Parent input in individualized education program (IEP) development is the clear expectation in U.S. education law. Every IEP team must include parents, and their input must be equally considered when developing IEPs. The present study used content analysis of 88 IEPs of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities to explore team membership, concerns parents raised during IEP meetings, and evidence that parent concerns and priorities are reflected in IEP goals and supplementary aids and services. Findings reveal that although parents express a range of concerns and priorities, these are translated into goals or services only two thirds of the time. We provide implications of these findings for research and practice.

While legislation and research have promoted inclusive education and the importance of literacy instruction for students with extensive support needs, the majority of literacy instruction research continues to occur in separate self-contained special education settings. This article is a call to action to the educational research community to elicit research on literacy instruction strategies, including collaborative planning, teaching, and material preparation related to grade-level general education curriculum in general education school settings. Findings from current research on literacy instruction in separate special education and general education settings are presented. Suggestions for future research and action are discussed.

Special education consists of specially designed services available for students with disabilities, and should be available across placements. Students with the most significant disabilities continue to be taught in restrictive settings, despite accumulating evidence suggesting their special education services can be delivered effectively in general education settings. Every individualized education program (IEP) must contain a statement describing how the student will be provided a free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment. The present study used content analysis to examine least restrictive environment statements of 88 students' IEPs to determine what factors, including supplementary aids and services, were considered in making placement decisions. We further analyzed the classes and activities in which students participated in general education settings. Findings reveal supplementary aids and services were not considered in placement decisions, although a number of factors centering on curricular considerations, environmental demands, student deficit, and personnel requirements were noted in making placement decisions. We further found students primarily participated in non-academic instruction while in general education settings. Implications for policy, practice, and research are included.

Supplementary aids and services (SAS) have been a provision in special education law since PL 94-142, however, almost no guidance has been provided to help teams make decisions about their appropriate selection and use. In this exploratory study, we explore the types of SAS selected for students with significant support needs using a conventional content analysis of individualized education program (IEPs) from 88 students in Grades K-12. Results illustrate the wide variation in types of SAS chosen for students overall. Curricular accommodations and personnel supports were the most commonly identified supports, while supports to assist students to communicate and make meaning of curriculum (e.g., curricular modifications) were less common, as were less intrusive supports such as peer-assisted learning. Implications for policy, practice, and research are provided.

Every child has the right to an education, including children with disabilities. Research findings from across the globe have shown the benefits of inclusive education, and mandates for providing accessible, inclusive education can be found in national policies and international agreements as well. This article explores the perspectives of 11 international experts on the state of inclusive education in countries spanning 5 continents. Experts participated in a focus group discussion at "Inclusion International"'s 17th Annual World Congress 2018 in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Participants shared multifaceted factors impacting inclusive educational practices. Based on their experiences, participants also discussed strategies that were deemed effective or ineffective depending on varied contextual elements. Implications for policy, research, and practice are discussed.