Introduction to the Special Issue: Educating People With Intellectual Disability and Related Developmental Disability

Abstract

Abstract This special issue on educating children and adults with intellectual disability and related developmental disabilities (IDD) highlights critical developments in theory, research, and practice related to teaching, learning, and schooling. The six articles in this issue focus on (a) how social-ecological understanding of disability and the supports paradigm can be applied in educational settings and activities; (b) core practices, dispositions, and orientations needed by educators of students with extensive support needs; (c) the roles and responsibilities of professionals from different disciplines in educating secondary-age students with complex health care needs in general education classrooms; (d) experimental findings related to the efficacy of an approach to teaching academic skills that are simultaneously aligned with standards from the general education curriculum as well as functional skills; (e) predictors of inclusive course enrollments at institutions of higher education that offer programs for students with intellectual disability (ID); and (f) international perspectives on the challenges and benefits associated with establishing inclusive school communities.