Receiving Special Education Services Research Articles

Special Education Directors and Special Education Teachers’ Self-Efficacy for Serving Students with English Learner and Special Education Needs

ABSTRACT This exploratory, descriptive study sought to determine the perceptions of special education (SPED) directors and their respective SPED teachers regarding self-efficacy in meeting the diverse needs of students who have English learning challenges and have been identified as having special learning needs. Also, general information regarding the various programs used and ideas concerning the work and interventions with English learners (Els) who receive SPED services were reviewed for possible discussion. Researchers utilised content analysis procedures to review and code the narrative responses from 24 SPED educators and 3 SPED directors. Peer-debriefing sessions occurred and allowed researchers to collapse categories and form themes from the narrative responses. Two themes derived from SPED teachers’ responses and one theme from SPED directors’ responses. Theme 1 (T1)-SPED Teachers Valued Research-Based Practices, and Theme 2 (T2)-SPED Teachers Expressed Frustration or Lack of Knowledge with the District’s ELs Curricular Program’s Connection with SPED Services. Researchers determined one viable theme, after two debriefing sessions, from SPED directors’ responses, Theme 3 (T3): SPED Directors Providing Outsourced Training Resources to Special Educators was a Source of Self-Efficacy. Researchers concluded more communication and the sharing of research-based instructional resources and coordinating cross curricular trainings were needed.

Over Diagnosed or Over Looked? The Effect of Age at Time of School Entry on Students Receiving Special Education Services

There is growing evidence that school starting age impacts children's likelihood of receiving special education services, but less is known about variations in this effect. Using a regression discontinuity design, I found that the youngest students in a kindergarten cohort are 40% more likely ( p < .001) to be placed in special education than are the oldest students, and that this effect persists through eighth grade. I found little evidence of heterogeneity by gender, race, or socioeconomic status, but some suggestive evidence that the effect is particularly great for White boys in early grades and for Black girls in the later elementary grades. I also found exploratory evidence that this effect is largest in schools with kindergarten cohorts that vary widely in age. These findings add new evidence to support policies to reduce age-induced bias in early special education placements, particularly those that address variation in this effect across students and schools.

Children Who Receive Special Education Services for ADHD: Early Indicators and Evidence of Disproportionate Representation in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS-K: 2011)

Approximately one in 10 children in the United States is diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a disability that can negatively affect academic achievement, yet relatively few children with ADHD are in special education. To better understand factors that determine which students with ADHD are in special education, we analyzed students in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010–2011 (ECLS-K: 2011). Using logistic regression, we looked to see which sociodemographic, academic, executive functioning, and behavioral skills, all measured in kindergarten, significantly influenced the odds a student would receive special education services for ADHD in fourth grade ( N = 220). Results showed that higher conflict with teachers and lower working memory significantly increased these odds. Furthermore, even when controlling for academic and social skills, students who are girls, Hispanic/Latinx, and/or living in a home where a language other than English is spoken were less likely to receive special education services for ADHD. Findings suggest early identification of students with ADHD and special education needs is possible and that sociodemographic characteristics play a significant role in determining who receives special education services for ADHD.

The 24-Hour Movement Guidelines and Body Composition Among Youth Receiving Special Education Services in the United States.

The purposes of this study were to examine the proportions of youth receiving special education services in the United States who individually and jointly met physical activity, screen time, and sleep duration guidelines, and to examine the impact of meeting none, one, two, and three of the guidelines on overweight and obesity. This cross-sectional analysis utilized data from the 2016 to 2017 National Survey for Children's Health data set on 3582 youth aged 10-17years who received special education services. The frequency of the participants' compliance with the 24-hour movement guidelines and body weight status (based on the age- and sex-specific percentile cutoffs) were estimated. Meeting guidelines was defined as: 9-11hours/night (5-13y) or 8-10hours/night (14-17y) of sleep, ≤120minutes per day of screen time, and ≥60minutes per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity. A multinomial logistic regression analysis was conducted to estimate the impact of meeting none, one, two, or three guidelines on body weight status, adjusted for potential confounders. Overall, 8.1% of youth met all three guidelines, 42.0% met two guidelines, 38.0% met one guideline, and 11.9% did not meet any guideline. Meeting all three guidelines was associated with an approximately 50% decreased likelihood of overweight than meeting no guideline, or sleep or screen time guidelines independently. This study extends the 24-hour movement framework to children receiving special education services and should prompt the continued study of its utility for understanding health disparities experienced by this population.

The Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management Program: Effects for Students Receiving Special Education Services

Many children with disabilities receive the majority of their instruction in the general education classroom where many universal programs are implemented. It is therefore important to examine the impact of evidence-based universal interventions on children with disabilities. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management (IY TCM) program has benefits for children in grades Kindergarten to third grade receiving special education services. Using data from a large randomized controlled trial conducted across 105 Kindergarten to third-grade classrooms and 1,817 children, we investigated the impact of IY TCM on children receiving special education services. Findings indicated that children who receive special education supports, who were in classrooms of general education teachers trained in the IY TCM intervention, had significant improvement in concentration problems, disruptive behavior, and social competence in comparison with children receiving special education in control classrooms.

Inclusive Instruction for Students Receiving Special Education Services for Emotional Disturbance: A Survey Development Study

Although the majority of students receiving special education services for emotional disturbance (ED) receive a significant amount of instruction in general education classrooms, evidence-based practices for educating students with ED in these settings have yet to be identified. As a result, school-based practitioners must primarily rely on professional recommendations and values when planning and delivering inclusive instruction for this student population. This study investigated the internal consistency and factor structure of a survey measure designed to obtain information on practitioner knowledge, use, and perceived effectiveness of recommended classroom-based practices for the inclusive instruction of students with ED. Results indicate adequate internal consistency. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed a four-factor structure: Behavior Support, Classroom Management, Differentiation, and Instructional Practices. Study limitations include a low response rate for the electronic survey and reliance on responses from practitioners from one geographic area. Future investigations are necessary to refine the survey instrument and to obtain data from teachers from other geographic areas.

Special education use in elementary school by children with nonsyndromic orofacial clefts.

Children with nonsyndromic orofacial clefts (NS OFCs) may require exceptional children's (EC) services for academic delays. We examined EC service use of children with and without NS OFCs in NC in elementary school. We included 559 children with NS OFCs and 6,822 children without birth defects who had NC educational records. We estimated prevalence ratios, trends in enrollment, and characteristics of eligibility classification using descriptive statistics and logistic regression by cleft subtype and race/ethnicity. We estimated the odds of third grade retention by EC enrollment using logistic regression with inverse probability of treatment weights. Children with NS OFCs were 3.02 (95% CI: 2.50, 3.64) times as likely to receive third grade special education (SE) services compared to unaffected peers. The prevalence odds was highest among children with CL+P (OR: 4.61, 95% CI: 3.49, 6.09) declining by 54% by fifth grade. The prevalence odds of SE for white children was approximately 1.50 times that for African American children in fourth and fifth grades. Approximately 33% of children with NS OFCs within each racial/ethnic group received SE in third grade. African American children were twice as likely to receive services under specific learning disability. Children with NS OFCs receiving EC services were 44% (OR: 0.56; 95% CI: 0.13, 2.38) less likely to be retained in third grade compared to children with NS OFCs who were not receiving services. Children with NS OFCs are more likely to receive SE services in elementary school compared to their unaffected peers. The eligibility category differed by racial/ethnic group.

Effects of special education on academic achievement and task motivation: a propensity-score and fixed-effects approach

ABSTRACTAs traditional teaching methods may fail to serve children with special needs, special education (SE) services aim to compensate for the shortcomings of conventional schooling. However, despite of numerous studies on the effectiveness of SE services, the influence of potential selection bias remains a real challenge, and only a few studies have applied methodology aiming to surmount these shortcomings. Therefore, by combining two methods (i.e. propensity score and fixed effects regression) to account for potential confounders, we examined the effects of receiving SE services in first and third grades on Norwegian students’ academic achievement and task motivation in third and fifth grades (n = 745). Thus, we controlled for a propensity score that was calculated based on observed selection into SE, and combined this with fixed effects regression that has the advantage of ruling out all time-invariant confounders (e.g. genetics). Results revealed that SE in third grade adversely affected math achievements in fifth grade, and SE had no effect on reading and writing achievements or task motivation for reading, writing and math. The efficacy of SE services is called into question, and potential explanations and solutions are explored.

Selection for special education services: the role of gender and socio-economic status

Children from some demographic groups disproportionately receive special education (SE) services. Due to methodological shortcoming in existing work, it remains unclear whether this is due to real differences in academic needs or cultural selection/bias. Hence, in a community sample of 1250 Norwegian children, we examined the role of third grade SE services, academic test scores, behavioural problems, and teacher’s level of helplessness in mediating the effect of family socio-economic status (SES) and students’ gender on fifth-grade SE services. Results revealed no direct effects of either gender or SES on fifth-grade SE, but four mediated pathways were identified: (1) Boys had a greater likelihood of receiving fifth-grade SE services when (a) they previously received SE and (b) they experienced more ADHD symptoms, both in third grade. (2) Students from low-SES families were more likely to receive SE services in fifth grade when (a) they performed poorly in math in third grade and (b) their teacher reported greater feelings of helplessness when teaching these students. The findings are discussed with respect to the differential-needs hypothesis, mechanisms of cultural selection and the possibility of gendered selection for SE at younger ages.

Development and Use of Curricular Adaptations for Students Receiving Special Education Services

This study is a quasi-experimental descriptive design, with existing educator-made adaptations evaluated. The goals of this study were to (a) describe how educators develop adaptations and (b) evaluate the effectiveness of educator-made adaptations in facilitating the learning of students with disabilities. Findings suggest that (a) most adaptations were made in core general education classes; (b) experienced educators created more simplified curricular adaptations, whereas novice educators created more functional alternative adaptations; (c) educators are generally satisfied with the adaptation they have created and believe it was effective in teaching the student; (d) educators spent on average 59.1 min creating the adaptation; (e) educators in rural areas and novice educators provided adaptations that were rated lower in quality and clarity than experienced and urban educators; and (f) general education teachers provided adaptations that were of lower quality and clarity than special education teachers and paraeducators. Recommendations for practice are provided.

Collaborating with Cultural and Linguistically Diverse Families of Students in Rural Schools who Receive Special Education Services

The changes in demographics in the United States are creating challenges in today's schools as more children from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds are identified with disabilities and live in rural areas. Collaboration with families is a foundation for the success of all CLD students with disabilities (Harry, 2008). This collaboration, however, can be difficult in rural schools due to historical challenges (e.g., distrust of school personnel and the special education process) and practical challenges (e.g., language differences, geographic isolation and lack of transportation). Understanding cultural issues, providing frequent informal encounters and formal meetings, and maintaining open communication can help teachers build trusting relationships with families. The development of family support systems, including cultural liaisons and parent-to-parent partnerships, can empower CLD families in rural areas and help them become comfortable with the special education process. When teachers focus on building relationships and empowering families in the school process, CLD families will have the opportunity to play a meaningful role in the appropriate education of their children.

The Characteristics and Experiences of Canadian Students Receiving Special Education Services for Emotional/Behavioural Difficulties

This paper provides a description of the demographic characteristics as well as the social and academic experiences of a nationally representative sample of Canadian students receiving special education services for an Emo-tional/Behavioural Difficulty (EBD) and a comparison group of students without disabilities (ND). Data summarized in this article were drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. Results reveal numerous areas of dif-ference between groups from student, parent, and teacher perspectives. In particular, the EBD group contained a significantly greater proportion of boys and students from low income families. Students in the EBD group reported hav-ing difficulty making friends and not liking school as much as their ND peers. Academic expectations reported by teachers and parents for children with EBD were significantly lower than for children without disabilities. Discussions of these findings as well as implications for practice and for future research are pre-sented.

Where Should Students with Disabilities Receive Special Education Services?

The question of where special education students should be educated is not new. In this article, the author reviews research studies and research reviews that address this question. She argues that research evidence on the relative efficacy of one special education placement over another is scarce, methodologically flawed, and inconclusive. She also states that “Where should students with disabilities be educated?” is the wrong question to ask, that it is antithetical to the kind of individualized planning that should be embodied in decision making for and with students with disabilities, and that it fails to specify where, for what, and for whom. The author calls for new ways of thinking about the problem and of conducting research so that progress can be made on improving results for students with disabilities.