Trends In Special Education Research Articles

National Trends in Special Education and Academic Outcomes for English Learners With Disabilities

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires annual data collection to monitor the provision of special education services, yet federal reports rarely disaggregate trends for English learners (ELs). In merging all available annual data files required under IDEA from 2006 to 2020, the present study provides the first large-scale examination of trends in the school experiences and outcomes of ELs with disabilities. Results show that while EL overrepresentation in special education is limited, the population has increased by more than 50%, with growth rates substantially higher by disability type (autism spectrum disorder and developmental delay) and geographic region (U.S. Midwest and Northeast). Analyses of school outcomes show consistently lower rates of suspension, general education inclusion, and high school graduation for ELs with disabilities relative to non-ELs with disabilities. Test score trends from the National Assessment for Education Progress reveal stagnation for ELs with disabilities and a consistent gap relative to non-ELs with disabilities. The study has implications for how schools prepare for changing student demographics in special education and improve student outcomes.

Systematic Review on Chinese Special Education and Inclusive Education: China's Solution in Globalization

Purpose This study provides a comprehensive review of the highlights and developmental trends in special education in China over the past decade. Design/Approach/Methods CiteSpace was used to analyze 1,564 academic papers published in the Chinese Journal of Special Education ( CJSE), the only academic journal focusing on special education in China. Findings Analysis revealed that the research highlights covered areas of special education governance, inclusive education (including learning in regular classrooms), teachers and the curriculum, the traditional “three basic disability types,” and the newly recognized category of Special Education Needs (SEN). The scope of research has expanded from a limited range of disability types to a wide range of SEN, policymaking has accelerated the development of China's special education, and curriculum reform has played a key role in facilitating the integration of general and special education systems. Originality/Value The published papers fully reflect international frontier research in the field of inclusive education over the past decade, revealing the discursive system and practice mode of inclusive education with Chinese characteristics.

When Salt Ain’t Enough: A Critical Quantitative Analysis of Special Education and Education Degree Production

Background/Context: An ever-growing list of scholars in the United States have highlighted the importance of racially/ethnically diverse teachers. There is evidence suggesting that White teachers, who represent most teachers in the United States, may act to the detriment of the academic and socioemotional outcomes of minoritized students. What has been given limited attention is the degree production within special education (SPED) and education (ED) baccalaureate programs. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study: Using data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), we examined degree production in SPED and ED degree programs by race. We began by analyzing trend data of SPED and ED degrees produced, specifically by race, to provide a foundation for further inquiry as to why the trends exist. Using a random-effects panel regression, we then conducted an exploratory analysis of relations between degrees produced in SPED and ED by race and institutional factors (e.g., cost of attendance and institutional racial demographics) and characteristics (e.g., Carnegie classification and HBCU [historically Black college and university] status), building on the analyses of trend data and providing some more direction for future research. Broadly, we ask: What is the recent history of SPED and ED degree production, and what institutional characteristics relate to degree production? An examination of this question provides a foundation for further inquiry that could lead to understanding issues in the recruitment of racially/ethnically diverse special education teachers and general education teachers into the profession. Specifically, we addressed the following research questions: (1) What are the overall trends in the distribution of baccalaureate degrees awarded in special education and education by race? (2) What are the within-race trends in the distribution of baccalaureate degrees awarded in special education and education? (3) What is the relative difference in the racial distribution of special education degrees awarded and the makeup of special students in K–12 public schools? (4) For each racialized group, what is the relation between the number of special education baccalaureate degrees produced and institutional characteristics? (5) For each racialized group, what is the relation between the number of education baccalaureate degrees produced and institutional characteristics? Research Design: For this study we used an exploratory quantitative research design guided by a quantitative criticalism (QuantCrit) as our conceptual framework. Using IPEDS data spanning 25 years (1995–2019), we examined trends in SPED and ED baccalaureate degree production by racialized categories, compared the racial distribution of SPED degrees produced to public school students receiving SPED services (2000–2018), and then, for each racialized group, used a random-effects panel regression to explore the relations between the number of degrees produced and institutional characteristics over the 25 years. Findings/Results: In general, the percentage of SPED and ED degrees awarded relative to all degrees has declined for all racialized categories since 1995. We found an increase in the percentage of SPED and ED degrees awarded to Hispanic/Latino students and a decrease in the percentage of SPED degrees awarded to Black/African American students. The racial demographics of the potential SPED teacher workforce has not matched the racial demographics of students receiving SPED services between 2000 and 2018. Finally, we found that an increase in the percentage enrollment for each racialized group is related to an increase the number of ED degrees produced for that group. HBCU status is positively related to ED degree production for Black/African American students, and cost of attendance is related to lower numbers of SPED degrees awarded to Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and White students and ED degrees awarded to American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and White students. Conclusions/Recommendations: Data analyzed in this study suggest that there is a general decline in the numbers of racial/ethnic minority teacher candidates in both SPED and ED, with the exception of Hispanic/Latino degree holders. If school districts and policy makers consider it important (as has been mentioned) to increase the number of minority teacher candidates in both of these teaching areas, there needs to be a better targeted approach to determine the best ways to entice this group to enter into baccalaureate programs, particularly ones that lead to teaching credentials. However, we also note that even with bringing in more candidates of color to obtain baccalaureate degrees and licenses in SPED and ED, there must be ways for schools and districts to address the many racialized challenges that these teachers face once in schools (e.g., being expected to be cultural brokers and disciplinarians, and taking on other tasks that are outside the normal teaching responsibilities because of their racial and gendered identities).

ANALYSIS OF THE STATE OF PARENT-CHILD RELATIONS IN FAMILIES RAISING CHILDREN WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES

New trends in special education require the active involvement of parents of children with special educational needs in correctional and developmental work. This article is devoted to the current issues of raising children with intellectual disabilities in the family. The article analyzes the study of thestate of parent-child relations in families of raising children with intellectual disabilities. The results of the experimental data obtained show that there is an urgent need for additional training of parents in the correct relationship building in the family for further socialization. The author suggests that the availability of advisory materials covering the process of preparing for interaction with a child, for participating in the implementation of individual developmental programs, for providing a child with corrective assistance at home will help parents to rethink family relationships.The topic under consideration will be of interest to specialists in the field of correctional pedagogy

Improving Selective Attention for All Students with Coordinative Bal-A-Vis-X Movement Breaks: A Pilot Study

ABSTRACT Brief coordinative movement breaks increase student attention and should be implemented by school-based occupational therapists to support the occupational potential of all students. Inattention is one of the most common reasons for student referrals to special education. Decreased physical activity is a contributing factor, yet movement opportunities are declining in schools. Despite these trends and the call from AOTA to support health promotion and prevention for all, 1:1 occupational therapy focusing on students identified with handwriting deficits continue to be prevalent in school-based practice. To remain a relevant service and keep pace with changing trends in special education and best practice, occupational therapists must broaden their scope to address inattention. This study explored Bal-A-Vis-X as an inclusive coordinative exercise intervention and found that 10-minutes of Bal-A-Vis-X twice per week for eight weeks improved attention in sixth grade students from d2 Test of Attention pretest to posttests. Immediate posttest improvements were statistically significant for processing speed (TN, t(27) = −7.27, p <.001), focused attention (TN-E, t(27) = −9.85, p <.001), concentration performance (CP, t(27) = −7.90, p <.001), and accuracy (E%, t(27) = 1.72, p = .048). Delayed posttesting was completed 90-minutes after the intervention with statistically significant improvements in processing speed (TN, t(21) = −10.37, p <.001), focused attention (TN-E, t(21) = −12.59, p <.001), concentration performance (CP, t(21) = −11.28, p <.001), and accuracy (E%, t(21) = 2.62, p = .008).

How do educational reforms change the share of students in special education? Trends in special education in Finland

Recent European and global trends in education have been to promote inclusive education and expand education, resulting in the increased provision of special education. In promoting inclusive education, recent special education reforms have also aimed to curtail the rise in identification rates for students in special education, for example, by focusing more on early support and discontinuing fiscal incentives to identify students with special educational needs. Using official special education statistics, we studied how Finland’s special education system reforms changed the share of students in special education. In addition, we examined variations in special education provisions among municipalities before and after the reforms, and identified municipal-level predictors of variations. This study utilised piecewise linear latent growth curve modelling to analyse changes, thereby providing an example of how this method can be applied in policy reform studies. The results indicated, in particular, that the funding reform has incentivised municipalities to decrease identification rates for students in special education and to diminish special education provision. However, different municipalities have different special education provisions and have changed these provisions in varied ways. In particular, we found that small and large municipalities differ in special education practices and reform implementation.

Analysis of Documents Published in Scopus Database on Special Education Learning Through Mobile Learning: A Content Analysis

Special education is one of the educational fields in which technology plays a significant role. Mobile technologies change our lifestyles as well as the way we learn. Mobile learning is the use of mobile technologies alone or in combination with other information and communication technologies to enable learning any-where, anytime. The purpose of this study is to determine the recent trends in special education through mobile learning. Technology integration studies in the literature generally focus on visual dictionaries, sign language, vocabulary exer-cises or story books. Besides, it is seen that the studies report the results, not the process. However, there are few studies describing the whole technology integra-tion process with a holistic approach. The study is conducted employing docu-ment analysis and related content analysis among the qualitative research method-ology. Through the search conducted on Scopus database with the keywords "mobile learning and special education" the study is based on the analysis of the documents published. All articles published in scopus were examined. Their dis-tribution by the years, subject areas, document types, country/regions and the af-filiated universities of the authors themes have been examined. The varied find-ings reveal that the analysis of the studies published on Scopus database is im-portant in terms of content for the significance of special education through mo-bile learning. Mobile learning method used in special education is among the ef-fective results. However, only a few researches have been conducted..

Toward a Systematic Review of Legal Cases: Secondary Transition and Students With Disabilities Over the Last 5 Years

With transition litigation on the rise in recent years, educators need access to current legal trends in special education. Traditionally, educators have been dependent on researchers and attorneys to report on the implications of legal cases to guide the education and services for students with disabilities. In response to this, the Three Dimensions of FAPE Rubric (FAPE3DR) was created to help educators analyze legal cases in a timely manner. Specifically, the authors applied this rubric to five recent legal cases that were decided in favor of the family or transition-age youth. Findings are reported within the scope of broader transition issues.

Inclusive Education for Students with Disability

This paper identifies and discusses major issues and trends in special education in Indonesia, including implications of trends for the future developments. Trends are discussed for the following areas: (1) inclusion and integration, issues will remain unresolved in the near future; (2) early childhood and postsecondary education with disability students, special education will be viewed as lifespan schooling; (3) transitions and life skills, these will receive greater emphasis; and (4) consultation and collaboration, more emphasis but problems remain. Moreover, the participant of the study in this paper was an autism student of twelve years old who lived at Maguwoharjo, Yogyakarta. This study was qualitative with case study as an approach of the research. The researchers conclude the autism that has good academic, communication and emotional skill are able to go to integrated school accompanied by guidance teacher. But in practice, inclusive education in Indonesia is inseparable from stakeholders ranging from government and institutions such as schools, educators, school environment, community and parents to support the goal of inclusive education itself. Adequate infrastructure also needs to be given to the school that organizes inclusive education for an efficient and effective students understanding learning-oriented of inclusive education. In short, every child has the same opportunity in education, yet for special education which is aimed at student with special educational needs.

Implicit Assumptions in Special Education Policy: Promoting Full Inclusion for Students with Learning Disabilities

Everyday millions of students in the United States receive special education services. Special education is an institution shaped by societal norms. Inherent in these norms are implicit assumptions regarding disability and the nature of special education services. The two dominant implicit assumptions evident in the American educational system are the view that disability is deviant and should be eradicated and the assumption that all special services should be delivered in a separate environment. A review of literature was conducted to reveal trends in special education. In particular, inclusive practices, Response to Intervention (RTI), and student achievement were examined. This paper argues that while federal policy was created in an effort to promote access to general education, the practices of our educational institutions perpetuate isolation. New assumptions must be created to promote access and equality for students with learning disabilities. True inclusion, where students with learning disabilities are fully included in the general education classroom, can help to reinforce new assumptions.

Opinion on Recent Developments and the Future of Special Education

Three encouraging trends in special education are greater focus on instruction, emphasis on positive approaches to problem behavior, and greater reliance on scientific evidence. Next steps involving instruction should include research on modifications of instruction needed to accommodate learners with disabilities and on the place in which these modifications can best be made. In using positive approaches to teaching and behavior management, next steps should focus on making them typical in special education first, then on encouraging their use in general education. Regarding scientific evidence, next steps should be unambiguous preference for science and training special education teachers to rely only on scientific evidence.

Development of Special Education in Selected Sub-Saharan African Countries

African countries South of the Saharan Desert are predominately rural. A review of literature on current trends in special education in selected Sub-Saharan African countries indicates a changing attitude toward individuals with disabilities. Modern practices have been influenced by the development of basic education, the enactment of national policies, and heightened public awareness created by the United Nations' International Year (1981) and Decade of the Disabled (1981–1991). This work provides an overview of the historical development of special education in several Sub-Saharan countries, describes current conditions, and makes recommendations for further positive change.

Speech and Prosody Characteristics of Adults with Mental Retardation

Audio-recorded continuous speech samples from forty 20-50-year-old noninstitutionalized persons with mental retardation were selected from a database of 192 samples. Descriptive data on segmental and suprasegmental characteristics were obtained using close phonetic transcription as input to linguistic analyses software. For this sample of adults with mental retardation, speech and prosody status were not statistically associated with gender or gross level of mental retardation, but were associated with estimated probability of independent living. Speech and prosody analyses and content analyses of transcribers' comments yielded diacritic-level profiles of these speakers' linguistic and paralinguistic behaviors in continuous speech. Additional analyses of the error data tested alternative sources of processing involvement within a four-stage speech production model. A cognitive capacity constraint, which limits the speaker's ability to allocate resources to phonological encoding, is proposed as a sufficient explanation for the obtained pattern of token-to-token inconsistency of articulation. An additional sociolinguistic constraint is hypothesized to account for reduced prosodic and paralinguistic competence in continuous discourse. Both constraints are amenable to intervention programming. Findings fail to support the view that the potential for long-term speech prosody competence in individuals with mental retardation is limited by speech-motor constraints. Discussion includes intervention considerations in the context of current trends in special education.

Transition in the 1990s: A Reply to Knowlton and Clark

Transition in the 1990s: A Reply to Knowlton and Clark The April issue of Exceptional Children (1987, Vol. 53, No. 6) addressed transition from school to adult life, which marks an important point in the history of special education. The issues raised by contributing authors signaled the shift in professional focus from accessibility concerns to the examination of outcomes associated with special education services. In little more than a decade, special educators have become advocates not only for the right of students with handicaps to educational services, but also for their right to lead productive and dignified lives as a result of attending our nation's public schools. The special issue of Exceptional Children concluded with a discussion of the future of transition efforts. Knowlton and Clark (1987) raised several important issues that practitioners will undoubtedly confront in the next decade and beyond. These issues include how the increase in national attention on academic excellence will affect programs serving secondary students with handicaps and the importance of preparing secondary special educators to deal effectively with the transition of these students. Knowlton and Clark pointed out that implementation of effective transition programs will require changing much more than recognition of the problem. We agree with Knowlton and Clark that system-wide change will be required, but we are concerned about two of their recommendations concerning the future of transition efforts. Specifically, we believe that ignoring an excellent body of literature because subjects were labeled is unwarranted. Moreover, refocusing the goals of transition programs to include independent living and social outcomes clashes with what we believe are important trends in special education. LABELING IN THE LITERATURE Knowlton and Clark suggested that severely handicapped persons have been overrepresented in the transition literature--and that the focus on these persons may alienate many potential consumers of transition services. Knowlton and Clark suggested that professionals may find that the existing literature is not relevant to their efforts to serve persons with or moderate handicaps. Nevertheless, pointing out the irony in this situation, the authors indicated that many of the severely handicapped subjects referred to in the literature could very well drift into a more moderately handicapped category with more careful assessment of their disability. We agree with Knowlton and Clark that the possible exclusion of some professionals and the clients they serve from the progress made in the field of transition would be unfortunate and unproductive. We do not believe, however, that changing the subject descriptors used by researchers will necessarily make the transition literature more palatable. Increasingly, special education is examining the outcomes of its efforts, including the provision of secondary special education and transitional services. We believe that the focus on outcomes should remain the basis for evaluating the relevance of special education and transitional services. Consumers must address the effectiveness of the procedures reported in research studies and examine the utility of the recommendations made by investigators. The results of transitional services research based on sound experimental designs are likely to be replicated at all levels. All professionals should be encouraged to judge research results on their technical merit rather than on the labels chosen by the investigators to describe their subjects. In this way, the large body of excellent work already existing on transition can be used for the benefit of all. It is our contention that, since its inception, transition has been a program targeted to all persons with handicaps who need services (Will, 1984). Knowlton and Clark's lament about the focus on persons with severe as opposed to mild handicaps seems out of place. …

Letters: Trends in special education

Journal of the British Institute of Mental Handicap (APEX)Volume 12, Issue 3 p. 123-123 Free Access Letters: Trends in special education Brian Black, Brian Black Deputy Headteacher, The Park School, Aylesbury, BucksSearch for more papers by this author Brian Black, Brian Black Deputy Headteacher, The Park School, Aylesbury, BucksSearch for more papers by this author First published: September 1984 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-3156.1984.tb00236.xAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume12, Issue3September 1984Pages 123-123 RelatedInformation

Comparing Predictions of Future Trends in Special Education

Comparing Predictions of Future Trends in Special Education

A Challenge to Group-Oriented Teaching: Typical Responses to Typical Rewards

AbstractAlthough operant techniques have been successfully used to modify the classroom behaviours of children, some recent suggestions for the implementation of specialist educational interventions have emphasized the need to individualize instruction which utilizes such methods. The present study shows evidence of individual variations within marked group effects in an operant situation. The presence of such variations to responses which are modified by powerful reinforcers suggests that recent trends in special education towards mainstreaming need to take individual characteristics of subject-behaviours into careful consideration when implementing policies in the normal classroom.

Trends in Special Education

Abstarct The notion that special educational provision for children with handicaps is a small and separate part of the educational system is giving way to a broader concept and practice which recognises the relative frequency of special needs and the necessity for a range of alternative forms of special educational provision. At the same time, it is necessary to extend special education into the preschool years and into further education and to further develop special methods and curricula required for the most handicapped pupils.

Locus of control: implications for special education.

Although there has been much research on locus of control in both education and psychology, it has had little impact on current trends in special education. This article examines the concept of locus of control, particularly in relation to its possible effect on the mainstreaming of mildly retarded children. The relationship of locus of control to achievement and the promotion of internality in children are discussed. Implications for classroom implementation and further research are suggested.

Current trends in special education in the United States

Special education programs must provide a rational and valid answer to the question as to what is “special” about them. Does their distinctive or special nature lie in the content to be taught, in the special skills that are stimulated, or in the design of the educational ecology? A full decade of rapidly expanding programs in the US has generated a promising base for an increasingly sophisticated answer to these questions for children with a variety of handicapping conditions.