Council For Exceptional Children Research Articles

A Systematic Review of the Ethics of Punishment-Based Procedures for Young Children With Disabilities

Punishment-based procedures are used to reduce challenging behavior in both special education and applied behavior analytic practices. Although commonly effective, these interventions are associated with an increased level of risk, making their use controversial. However, no research has specifically analyzed the extent to which researchers comply with the ethical standards of the professional organizations for special educators and behavior analysts (i.e., Council for Exceptional Children [CEC] and the Behavior Analyst Certification Board [BACB], respectively) when implementing punishment-based procedures. This might be especially important for young children with disabilities, who are a highly vulnerable population. We systematically analyzed the use of punishment-based procedures with this population to determine (a) characteristics of included children and treatments and (b) the degree to which researchers adhered to ethical standards during implementation. Results indicated a variety of punishment-based procedures have been used with this population and have generally resulted in decreased challenging behavior; these results were demonstrated across age, diagnosis, target behavior, and treatment type. However, researchers demonstrated minimal adherence to ethical standards, with no improvements over time. This indicates a need for improved ethical rigor of researchers implementing punishment-based interventions. Recommendations include (a) the creation and validation of an ethics code to assess the degree to which researchers demonstrate ethical practices, and (b) the development of tools to help practitioners recognize the ethical implications of punishment-based interventions and choose/implement appropriate interventions for behavioral interventions.

A Quality Review of School-Based Challenging Behavior Interventions for Adolescents with Developmental Disabilities

There is a growing population of adolescent students with developmental disabilities (DD) in school settings. Educators are in need of evidence-based practices (EBP) to address the challenging behaviors of students with DD. A key consideration in determining whether practices should be considered as an EBP is whether these practices have been implemented with fidelity. Yet, previous research has shown that many studies fail to report treatment fidelity data, which may compromise the outcomes of studies examining interventions to reduce challenging behaviors for adolescents with DD. Reported fidelity is essential for having increased confidence that the study outcomes were in fact due to the intervention rather than some extraneous variable. Thus, the purposes of this review were to systematically evaluate the quality of research on challenging behavior interventions for adolescents with DD and examine the reporting of implementation fidelity in high-quality studies. Fifty-three studies were evaluated against the quality indicators developed by the Council for Exceptional Children. Recommendations for future research and implications for practice are discussed.

Integrating family content in teacher preparation programs using intentional reflection and planning

ABSTRACTStrong family involvement in children’s education supports positive academic and social-emotional outcomes. Therefore, developing early childhood (EC) professionals’ competence in engaging and involving families in their children’s education is emphasized across state licensure requirements, personnel preparation standards, and professional recommendations (e.g., Division for Early Childhood, Council for Exceptional Children, InTASC, National Association for the Education of Young Children). Although many states have begun to require family course content as part of their licensure for educators, higher education faculty and instructors may struggle to integrate family-related content into their coursework and field experiences while also covering state standards in instructional strategies, assessment, and other content areas. In order to effectively and comprehensively include family content across university programs and courses, faculty need to evaluate their current content and systematically plan to include current and research-based family material. The purpose of this article is to provide a framework for faculty to evaluate, reflect, and plan their use of family content in university courses aligned with the Division for Early Childhood’s Recommended Practices: Family (2014). This article shares self-assessment and action plan tools for integrating family content into course materials, activities, and assignments.

Making the grade: teacher training for inclusive education: A systematic review

The role of teacher training, as it pertains to the adoption of inclusive education (IE) (European Journal of Special, 22, 2007, 367), is critical in realizing and achieving truly IE environments. Literature often reports poor or inadequate training with regard to IE practices (Preparing Teachers of the Deaf for a Complex, Jacksonville, FL). The purpose of this review was to examine North American and Australian research regarding teacher training for students with disabilities (SWD) with the goal of informing best practice. Of the 27 reviewed studies, teacher training interventions reported positive outcomes and showed improvements in the areas of teachers’ attitudes/perceptions, knowledge, and strategies/skill development (Teacher Education and Special Education: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children, 32, 2009, 166) regarding IE SWD. The researchers cautiously recommend the employment of workshop style approaches as they appear to have the capacity to tackle all three outcome variables concurrently and within the shortest timeframe. Our restrained recommendations for best practice are born out of the quality of evidence presented within the reviewed studies.

Re-examining Evidence Based Practice in Special Education: A Discussion

Abstract The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) recently released updated standards regarding how to determine whether any particular intervention may be deemed an evidence-based practice (EBP). As new criteria regarding the acceptance of any specific intervention as evidence-based become available, the question arises: Would the application of new standards to studies completed under the older guidelines result in changes to past conclusions? The current study examined if changes in EBP standards might change the classification of an exemplar practice that was previously designated as an EBP. In this case, we examined video modeling (VM), an accepted practice regarding skill acquisition in special education as an exemplar practice. In order to determine if the new CEC 2014 standards would impact a previously determined EBP finding, a re-examination of Bellini and Akullian's (2007) frequently cited meta-analysis that focused on VM as an intervention for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) was conducted. The results revealed that if Bellini and Akullian had conducted their review using updated CEC 2014 standards, VM applied to individuals with ASD would not have been classified as an EBP.

What Are High-Leverage Practices for Special Education Teachers and Why Are They Important?

Improving educational outcomes for students with disabilities and others who struggle in school largely depends on teachers who can deliver effective instruction. Although many effective practices have been identified to address the academic and behavioral needs of students who struggle in school, including those with disabilities, these practices are not used extensively in classrooms. This article provides a rationale for and description of major changes that are occurring in teacher preparation programs that are designed to improve the practice of beginning teachers. This is followed by a description of a set of high-leverage practices that was recently approved by the Council for Exceptional Children. These practices represent an initial attempt to delineate a core curriculum for special education teacher preparation to support the changes that are occurring in teacher education.

Acceptability assessment of school psychology interventions from 2005 to 2017

AbstractRecommendations from multiple professional organizations (e.g., American Psychological Association, Council for Exceptional Children, National Association of School Psychologists) suggest that collection of data on the social validity in practice and research is necessary. The purpose of this study was to systematically review the inclusion of acceptability measurement, which has been one of the most common way to measure social validity, within the intervention literature published across five school psychology journals between 2005 and 2017. Findings suggested just over one third of intervention studies included acceptability assessment. Intervention studies that were delivered individually, targeted behavior skills, and included treatment integrity data were significantly more likely to include acceptability assessment. When acceptability was measured it was typically evaluated one‐time following treatment completion using self‐report tools completed by teachers. Nearly half of studies employed one of seven published tools and the remaining half used researcher‐created measures. The published tools were adapted in a variety of ways and inconsistently reported either item or total scores making it difficult to summarize these data according to intervention target or delivery format. Implications of findings are described.

特殊教育における教職の専門職性にみる特異児童・生徒への深い関与 米国の1980年代前半の特異児童協会の活動を中心に

特殊教育における教職の専門職性にみる特異児童・生徒への深い関与 米国の1980年代前半の特異児童協会の活動を中心に

Finding a Common Lens

The Early Childhood Personnel Center (ECPC) was funded by the Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education to provide technical assistance to State Systems of Early Childhood Intervention and Institutions of Higher Education on issues related to personnel development. One initiative of the ECPC has been to collaborate with professional organizations to identify core cross-disciplinary competencies for all personnel serving infants and young children aged birth through 5 years with disabilities and their families. Seven national organizations representing disciplines providing services in early childhood intervention have been participating in this initiative: the American Occupational Therapy Association; the American Physical Therapy Association; the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association; the Council for Exceptional Children and the Division for Early Childhood; the National Association for the Education of Young Children; and Zero to Three. Alignments of personnel standards, practice guidelines, and competencies yielded 4 areas of competence that are common across service providers serving infants and young children with disabilities and their families. These are: Collaboration and Coordination; Family-Centered Practice; Evidence-Based Practice; and Professionalism.

A Review of the Evidence for Real-Time Performance Feedback to Improve Instructional Practice

In this comprehensive review, 32 studies were identified in which researchers investigated the effect of real-time performance feedback delivered via technology on interventionist implementation of instructional practices. Studies were evaluated for methodological rigor with quality indicators from the Council for Exceptional Children. Twenty-two single case designs and one group design met all quality indicators. The single case designs were analyzed using visual analysis and given success estimates calculated as a ratio of the number of demonstrated effects to potential demonstrations of effect. Methodologically sound evidence indicates that real-time performance feedback is an evidence-based practice for changing interventionist behavior during intervention sessions. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Promoting Caregiver Coaching Practices Within Early Intervention: Reflection and Feedback

Family-centered practices are a hallmark of early intervention (EI). Early intervention service providers are expected to engage in practices that emphasize family strengths, promote family choice and control, and develop collaborative relationships between professionals and families. In 2014 the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children released a series of revised recommended practices for the field of EI and early childhood special education. The seven topic strands include: assessment, environment, family, instruction, interaction, teaming and collaboration, and transition. This paper addresses practices under multiple topic strands including instruction and family. The purpose of this manuscript is to present strategies that: (a) encourage caregiver reflection—a critical, yet challenging, component of coaching, (b) guide service providers in providing feedback to the caregiver, and (c) enhance service providers use of self-reflection.

Evidence-Based Interventions for Learners Who Are Deaf and/or Multilingual: A Systematic Quality Review.

Purpose Many educators and speech-language pathologists have difficulty providing effective interventions to the growing population of d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) learners who use more than 1 language. The purpose of this review article was to identify evidence-based interventions for speech, language, and literacy used with DHH multilingual learners (DMLs), monolingual DHH learners, and hearing bilingual learners without hearing loss. Interventions used with these groups can inform the practice of professionals providing services to DMLs. Method This review article considered speech, language, and literacy interventions used with DHH and hearing bilingual learners from birth to 21 years of age. The following electronic databases were searched: Academic Search Complete/EBSCO (CINAHL, Education, ERIC), Linguistics & Language Behavior Abstracts, PsycINFO, and PubMed. Data describing article, participant, methodological, and intervention variables were extracted from studies. The methodological quality of studies was examined using the Council for Exceptional Children's (2014) standards for evidence-based practice in special education. Results A total of 144 studies were reviewed, describing over 9,370 learners aged 1.8-22.0 years. Two studies investigated DMLs, 76 investigated DHH learners, and 67 investigated hearing bilingual learners. A total of 146 different interventions were examined. Most studies reported positive effects. Only 17 studies met all quality indicators specified by the Council for Exceptional Children (2014): 7 examined DHH learners, and 10 examined hearing bilingual learners. There was insufficient evidence for any intervention to be considered an evidence-based intervention, although 6 could potentially contribute to evidence-based practice. Conclusions No evidence-based interventions for DMLs were identified. A small number of interventions examined in high-quality studies of DHH and hearing bilingual learners were identified, which may be appropriate for use with DMLs following further investigation. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.9108386.

Advocacy for the Education of Children With Disabilities by an American Professional Organization: Council for Exceptional Children

Advocacy for the Education of Children With Disabilities by an American Professional Organization: Council for Exceptional Children

High-leverage social, emotional and behavioural practices for students with disabilities in inclusive settings

ABSTRACT The use of evidence-based practices (EBPs) is a tenant of effective instruction for students with disabilities in general and special education classrooms. In fact, it is essential that teachers use EBPs across content areas as they would benefit all students and maximise opportunities for those with special needs. Often, students with disabilities have difficulty meeting the academic, social, emotional, and behavioural demands of inclusive classroom settings when effective EBPs are not consistently implemented. In 2017, the Council for Exceptional Children and the CEEDAR Center at the University of Florida identified a set of evidence-based, high-leverage practices (HLPs) with the goal to guide teacher educators and professional development providers in the task of teacher preparation. This article discusses the application of four HLPs related to social, emotional, behavioural and instructional practices for students with disabilities in inclusive settings. The four HLPs addressed in this article are connected to the teachers’ ability to integrate multifaceted learning goals into instructional planning and delivery to create effective learning environments that may improve learning outcomes for students with (and perhaps without) disabilities across settings and content areas.

Effects of the High-Probability Instructional Sequence in Children With Feeding Disorders: A Synthesis.

The high-probability (high-p) instructional sequence is an intervention commonly used to increase compliance in a variety of skill domains, including compliance with low-probability (low-p) mealtime demands in children with pediatric feeding disorders. However, the effects of the high-p sequence on feeding have varied across studies, a systematic synthesis of the literature to guide practice and further research is lacking, and whether the high-p sequence, as an intervention for feeding problems, meets current evidence-based practice standards in special education is unknown. First, we conducted a systematic multistep search, identified seven studies that met inclusion criteria, and synthesized participant and study characteristics. Then we compared the evidence with the 2014 Council for Exceptional Children (CEC): Standards for Evidence-Based Practices in Special Education. The results suggest that (a) the high-p sequence can improve compliance with low-p mealtime demands in young children with feeding disorders but that more research is needed to clarify relevant contexts and for whom the intervention is likely to be effective, (b) additional research should examine the effects of the high-p sequence on feeding in older children or adults with disabilities as more intrusive procedures based on escape extinction become inappropriate, and (c) the evidence falls short of meeting the CEC standards for an evidence-based practice. We conclude with preliminary practice guidelines.

A Systematic Review of the Evidence Base for Active Supervision in Pre-K–12 Settings

Active supervision is a proactive, low-intensity strategy to minimize challenging behaviors and increase desired behaviors. To examine the evidence base of this strategy, we applied the Council for Exceptional Children’s (CEC) Standards for Evidence-Based Practices in Special Education to the body of research exploring the impact of active supervision with Pre-K–12 students in traditional school settings. In this systematic literature review, we identified seven peer-reviewed, single-case design, treatment-outcome studies meeting inclusion criteria. All studies met a ≥80% weighted criterion of CEC’s quality indicators. These seven studies included 15 cases aggregated at the school, classroom, or grade level, collectively involving 1,686 participants. Three studies included three or more cases and demonstrated positive effects across primary dependent variables (with one study showing neutral effects on a secondary dependent variable). Based on available evidence and using CEC criteria, we determined active supervision to be a potentially evidence-based practice. We discuss implications, limitations, and future directions.

Reading Interventions for Students With or At Risk of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Review

Empirical evidence suggests inattention and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are related to reading fluency, reading comprehension, and academic failure. Students with ADHD are served in both general and special education settings, but limited research explores effective reading interventions for this population. The purpose of this synthesis is to investigate reading studies for participants identified with or at risk of ADHD. We address the following research question: What are the effects of reading interventions on the reading outcomes of students with or at risk of ADHD in Grades 4 to 12? In total, 16 studies met inclusion criteria. Intervention findings are presented in an attempt to document evidence-based practices. Although findings contribute to the evidence base of instructional practices that may be effective for students with ADHD, no interventions meet criteria outlined by the Council for Exceptional Children to be classified as evidence-based practices. However, studies in this review document evidence of positive intervention effects for study participants.

The Impact of Coaching on Teacher-Delivered Behavior-Specific Praise in Pre-K–12 Settings: A Systematic Review

In this systematic literature review, we examined the effects of coaching (e.g., written, emailed, visual, video, and self-monitored performance feedback; in vivo bug-in-ear prompting; combinations) teachers and other educators to increase their use of behavior-specific praise, a low-intensity teacher-delivered strategy previously determined to be a potentially evidence-based practice based on Council for Exceptional Children’s (CEC) Standards for Evidence-Based Practices in Special Education. Research has shown that traditional lecture-style short-duration professional development does not typically lead to lasting change in teacher behavior, but follow-up observations with continued support (e.g., school-wide professional development for all, small group support for some, individualized support for a few) are much more likely to produce desired outcomes. As such, we examined the evidence base for coaching educators to increase behavior-specific praise by applying CEC quality indicators and standards, and concluded that coaching educators to increase behavior-specific praise meets CEC guidelines to be considered an evidence-based practice. Educational implications, limitations, and future directions are presented.

Meta-Analysis and Quality of Self-Monitoring Behavior Interventions with Children and Adolescents

Self-monitoring is an intervention that has been used for decades to improve academic fluency in reading, mathematics, spelling, and promote strategies for solving problems, and increasing attention to task and decreases off-task related behaviors. There have been a few reviews of self-monitoring on the variables listed previously, but only one examined study quality and no meta-analysis of self-monitoring behavior (versus academic tasks) has been undertaken. The purpose of this review was to conduct a meta-analysis of the 20 studies that focused on self-monitoring behavior and apply the Council for Exceptional Children’s eight quality indicators. Results from standard mean difference, improvement rate difference, and Tau-U effect size calculations were all in the effective range. Implications for practice are presented.

Practical Strategies to Promote Reflective Practice When Working with Young Children with and At-Risk for Disabilities

The complex and collaborative work of early childhood practitioners (e.g., educators, speech and language pathologists, occupational therapists, social workers) and families requires effective implementation of evidence-based practices. Effective implementation of early childhood practices can be hindered by deeply held assumptions practitioners relate to their own capacity, the capacity and culture of families, and the needs and capacity of the child at the core of their collective work. Transformative learning theory offers a helpful lens to support practitioners in recognizing and shifting assumptions or perspectives hindering their work through reflective discourse strategies. This article explores potential practitioner assumptions and provides guidance on how reflective discourse may facilitate a transformation in practitioners’ assumptions to more successfully implement evidence-based practices, such as those outlined by the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division on Early Childhood.