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There is a need for meaningful inclusion of people with disabilities in faith communities beyond physical presence. Although it has been recommended that evidence-based practices be used to increase the meaningful participation of people with intellectual disability in faith communities, there is a lack of empirical studies. The purpose of this study was to examine the use of video modeling and the system of least prompts in teaching individuals with intellectual disability to participate in a community activity. The results indicated the intervention was effective in teaching the tasks in simulated situations and following acquisition, the behaviors generalized to the actual worship service or faith community setting.

In the midst of the COVID-19 global pandemic, teachers were forced to quickly determine how to deliver a free appropriate public education to their students when in-person instruction was not possible. School districts and states have a variety of ways to provide supports to their teachers. One method for providing technical assistance, professional development, consultation, and mentoring to teachers is through the use of regional cooperatives. In this Practice in Action article, two educational cooperative consultants present their experiences in supporting their teachers in the face of the pandemic. Successful strategies the cooperatives developed for teachers included providing trainings in online formats, creating an organized list of resources appropriate for online teaching, and facilitating opportunities for teachers to work together to problem solve in the era of the novel COVID-19. Challenges for teachers providing instruction for their students when schools were closed to face-to-face instruction are discussed.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of a system of least prompts procedure and use of a graphic organizer to teach the academic literacy standard of comparing characters in text for elementary students with moderate and severe intellectual disability. A multiple probe across participants design was used to evaluate the results. The results indicated the system of least prompts and graphic organizer intervention was effective in teaching the skill to one student. The intervention, with modifications, was effective for two additional students. All participants maintained and generalized the skill. Directions for future research and practical implications are discussed.

The University of Kentucky provides an alternative certification program to prepare teacher candidates in moderate and severe disabilities. Observations occur every semester that candidates are in the 2-year program and must be conducted all across Kentucky, often many miles away from campus. University researchers placed cameras in the classrooms of teacher candidates and measured reliability of teacher observations conducted face-to-face and remotely. The researchers also surveyed perceptions of the teacher candidates and university observers and analyzed the cost-effectiveness of the two observation methods. The results indicated that the observers achieved similar results on an observation form regardless of the observation method used. The remote observations were the most cost efficient of the two methods both monetarily and in the time commitment needed by the observers. The findings include the perceptions of the teacher candidates and university observers for benefits and challenges of each observation method.

A multiple probe across participants design was used to examine the effectiveness of a treatment package to teach students with moderate intellectual disability how to solve simple linear equations. The investigator read realistic scenarios of a problem, used actual items as manipulatives, presented a visual aid of the equation, and used a system of least prompts procedure to teach the students to solve the problems. The results revealed the treatment package was effective in teaching students with moderate intellectual disabilities to solve linear equations. Participants generalized the ability to solve algebraic equations to problems in the natural environment.

Interest in documenting the history and evolution of the American Council for Rural Special Education (ACRES), from the perspective of its original members, resulted in distribution of a survey and interviews. The data collected recount the original mission of ACRES and describe the organization's impact over the past 37 years. Overarching themes that emerged from the data include the unique needs of rural special education, ACRES's voice for rural environments, people with a passion for rural special education, and friendliness of the organization. The results identified future directions of the organization.

We systematically reviewed more than 25 years of applied research examining the system of least prompts response prompting procedure with individuals with disabilities. We identified 123 peer-reviewed studies including 413 participants receiving instruction with the system of least prompts. A total of 252 experimental designs were evaluated, with 51 designs indicating a functional relation and the presence of 154 demonstrations of effect across 91 individuals. Our data indicate that the system of least prompts is an evidenced-based practice for teaching chained responses related to community, self-care, and vocational skills to individuals with moderate intellectual disability who are 13 years of age or older. In addition, we present and discuss a method for analyzing and aggregating data from single-case studies to account for noneffects and publication bias when identifying if an intervention meets standards as an evidence-based practice.

Little is known about the implementation of assistive technology (AT) services for students in rural areas. This study investigated the AT service delivery in 10 rural districts across six states. The results indicated that students use AT across functional areas, but considerably fewer number of devices than do those not living in rural areas. AT experts attended a low percentage of IEP meetings, and the AT expertise of related service personnel is rated highly. Teachers reported that rural students have access to the technology they need; however, they also indicated they needed more training on available technology for their students.

The reauthorization of IDEA mandates that students with a disability must be considered for assistive technology (AT). However, in order to implement the mandate, teachers and related service personnel must be knowledgeable about many aspects of AT. The purpose of this study was to gauge the extent to which personnel preparation programs believe they prepare their graduates to implement AT in their future roles. Participants from 231 institutions of higher education (IHEs) completed the survey. Results indicate that the majority of the respondents provided some AT instruction but had a "limited number" or "no" AT devices available to them. Participants also indicated the major barriers to including AT in their curriculum; however, of value are the suggestions for promising practices that could benefit other IHEs that are providing or wanting to provide AT coursework. Ideas for practice are categorized and include collaboration strategies, college initiatives, student assignments, and alternate instruction. (Contains 3 tables.)

In the current study, the researchers evaluated the effects of simultaneous prompting and computer-assisted instruction on the story-writing responses of 3 males with autism, 7 to 10 ears of age. Classroom teachers conducted all probe and training sessions. The researchers used a multiple baseline across participants design to evaluate the efficacy of the intervention. In addition, they used pre-posttest measures to assess the generalization of acquired skills across untrained story topics and different response topographies. The data indicated that simultaneous prompting and computer-assisted instruction were effective in improving the story-writing skills of all 3 participants. Two of the participants demonstrated maintenance and generalization of trained responses. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)

The use of response cards is a research-based strategy to increase active engagement, on-task behavior, and academic responding. With new and affordable mobile technologies, teachers now have access to a host of high-tech digital student response systems to increase engagement. This article describes the logistical, management, and pedagogical considerations for teachers using such systems. This article provides guidelines for teachers when planning, implementing, and monitoring the use of student response systems. A classroom example is provided along with data sheets and a graphing system to use when collecting data and evaluating effectiveness. This article also provides a table of digital student response systems including their descriptions and features.

Professionals, families, and individuals with disabilities must work together to advocate for policy and legislation that will improve the lives of those with disabilities. Rural areas have unique issues that make targeted advocacy efforts necessary. While families and parents have a personal interest in advocacy, professionals have ethical principles related to advocacy they must uphold as a member of their field. This article outlines steps to use when working with state and national legislators including (a) knowing the issues, (b) identifying allies, (c) working with others, and (d) sustaining advocacy efforts. Specific tips are provided for individuals making face-to-face visits with legislators to increase chances of positive outcomes.

Special education teachers have a unique set of skills and opportunities to become leaders in the field of education. Some rural special education teachers, however, may not see themselves as potential leaders or believe they have opportunities to be leaders. This article provides guidelines for rural special education teachers to consider in becoming leaders at the school, community, and national levels.

This study used a multiple probe (conditions) design across behaviors to investigate the effects of an app for the tablet computer to teach spelling of academic content words to four students with developmental disabilities. The app delivered instruction using a model-lead-test format and students typed on the on-screen keyboard. The study also evaluated the acquisition of nontarget information presented by the app in the form of identifying photos and definitions of the spelling words. The results indicated that all students learned their spelling words using the app and generalized the spelling to paper and pencil. They maintained most of their stimuli and learned the majority of the nontarget information to which they were exposed. Findings are discussed in the context of using technology-aided instruction and interventions that incorporate systematic instruction to teach academics and deliver nontarget information.

Within the context of a multiple baseline design, the researchers in this investigation used a constant time delay (CTD) procedure to teach two classroom support personnel (i.e., paraprofessional, peer tutor) to use a simultaneous prompting (SP) procedure when teaching a high school student with a moderate intellectual disability to (a) identify words from science core content, (b) identify words from social studies core content, (c) make Kool-Aid, and (d) alphabetize last names by their first letters. The classroom teacher implemented the CTD procedure with a high degree of fidelity, the paraprofessional and the peer tutor implemented the SP procedure with high levels of fidelity, and the student increased his ability to perform the targeted skills.

An important part of quality of life for people with moderate and severe disabilities (MSDs) is being involved in extracurricular and community activities. However, volunteers, who may not have experience with including people with MSDs, lead most community activities. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the effectiveness of teacher coaching on a volunteer church school teacher's use of effective teaching behaviors (opportunities to respond, behavior-specific praise, and opportunities to participate) in educating a child with MSD. The investigators used a multiple-baseline-across-behaviors design to evaluate the effectiveness of coaching. The results showed a functional relation between coaching and an increase in the number of teaching behaviors used by the volunteer.

We compared the effects of simultaneous prompting and constant time delay in teaching two solitaire card games to five high school students with moderate intellectual disability. An adapted alternating treatments within a multiple probe design was used to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the procedures. Both procedures were effective with four of five students, while simultaneous prompting alone was effective with the remaining student. Simultaneous prompting was more efficient in sessions through criterion for three of four students, and constant time delay required fewer sessions for one student. Simultaneous prompting produced a lower percentage of training errors, and constant time delay produced a lower percentage of probe errors. Independent and dependent variable reliability, maintenance, and generalization measures showed no substantial differences.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a simultaneous prompting procedure in teaching four secondary students with moderate intellectual disability to acquire and generalize core content embedded in a functional activity. Data gathered within the context of a multiple probe design revealed that all participants learned the following core content during a cooking activity: (a) reading--reading and defining age appropriate content, (b) math--computing percentages in an applied problem, and (c) science--applications of force. Practical implications are discussed for teaching academic core content within meaningful and functional activities for students with moderate intellectual disability.

Although religion and spirituality have received relatively limited attention in the literature addressing people with disabilities, each is strongly associated with a host of positive outcomes, including enhanced quality of life. One way to participate in religious activities and enhance spirituality is to participate in a faith community. In this article, we report findings from a survey of 416 parents exploring the ways in which they and their children with disabilities participated in their congregations and examining factors associated with participation and inclusion in those communities. Consistent with findings from general social surveys, the majority of parents indicated their faith was important to them and many--along with their sons or daughters with disabilities--participated in congregational activities. Although parents reported their sons and daughters with disabilities participated in somewhat fewer types of activities than they did, this involvement occurred most often in activities involving peers without disabilities. However, parents generally were not satisfied with the level of supports provided by faith communities, and they highly valued a welcoming and supportive attitude by the community. We discuss implications for extending inclusive efforts into congregational contexts and suggest future research directions.

Systematic instruction including frequent collection and graphing of data is essential for effective and efficient instruction of students with significant disabilities. The system of least prompts procedure is a systematic strategy often used to teach tasks to students; however, the traditional method for graphing the data collected using this procedure can be labor intensive and may not provide an adequate representation of student progress. This article presents an alternative method for graphing the system of least prompts data and provides guidelines for making instructional decisions based on the data. Examples of the system are provided. (Contains 4 figures and 1 table.)

With the heightened emphasis of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 on inclusion in the general curriculum and meeting the associated standards, assistive technology (AT) has become a necessary consideration to ensure a free appropriate public education and to promote education in the least restrictive environment for students with disabilities. An analysis of 10 states revealed that most of the states provided a combination of information that related specifically to AT and information that related generally to the individualized education program (IEP). Recommended practice in AT supports the development of clear guidelines related to AT in the IEP to promote consistency and improved AT decisions. However, this can occur at the local level. Despite differences in how AT was addressed, the 10 states offered examples of quality AT policies that can directly impact directors of special education, IEP teams, AT teams, teachers, service providers, and, ultimately, students with disabilities. The summary includes 12 frequently overlooked topics that all states and districts should include to strengthen their AT policies. (Contains 4 tables.)

The use of an implementation plan or similar form will help guide teams thinking through and planning for the unique features that are associated with assistive technology (AT) implementation. Too often teams receive AT devices for their students, but proper implementation fails to occur--thereby preventing adequate students progress. In this article, the authors describe the steps for using the AT implementation form. (Contains 3 figures.)

Details delivery of Individual Education Program objectives to K-3 students with low-incidence disabilities. Presents data on which teachers were present in the classroom and who delivered the teaching opportunities, frequency of IEP instruction, and instructional context of the lesson. Discusses the low level of IEP-related instruction in terms of improving instructional quality of instruction for mainstreamed students with disabilities. (JPB)

Describes a checklist for the implementation of a collaborative model for conducting field-based research. It is designed to assist university personnel in implementing quantitative single-subject research investigations in field-based settings with classroom teachers, practicum students, or related service personnel implementing the intervention and assisting in data collection. (Author/CR)

This article identifies principles of the constant time delay procedure for teaching skills to students with disabilities and details a graphing method for efficiently monitoring student progress when teaching chained tasks. The method results in a line graph and response grid which show progress and analyze performance on each step of the task analysis. (DB)

The use of predictable and unpredictable trial sequences during small-group instruction was evaluated in teaching word and abbreviation identification to 4 students (age 8-10) with learning disabilities. No consistent effects of the trial presentation methods were found across 3 investigations, which involved progressive time-delay procedures and a model-test procedure. (Author/JDD)

Three moderately mentally retarded students, aged 8-11, were taught to read words commonly found on community signs. Error percentages were similar for both progressive time-delay procedures and constant time-delay procedures, but the constant time-delay procedure was slightly more efficient in direct instructional time and number of sessions to criterion. (Author/JDD)

The study compared the effectiveness and efficiency of constant time delay and system of least prompts in teaching two eight-year-old students with autism to name numerals. Results indicated that both procedures were effective but the constant time-delay procedure was more efficient with these two subjects. (Author/DB)

This paper reviews 31 studies which directly compared two or more instructional strategies used with students who display moderate to severe handicaps. The efficiency and effectiveness of 13 strategies are reported, including error manipulation strategies, response prompting strategies, naturalistic teaching strategies, and stimulus modification strategies. (JDD)

While efforts have been made in the last two decades to educate professionals about the nature of assistive technology (AT) devices, successful implementation of technology is impossible without the support and provision of appropriate AT services. The current investigation, designed and conducted by the National Assistive Technology Research Institute, examined the status of AT services delivery for students with disabilities across the nation. Professionals serving students who use AT were asked to report the AT services received by their students. Survey responses from 14 states and 60 school districts revealed three themes: federally defined AT services (40.2%), unclassifiable AT services (19.6%), and services that were not AT services (40.2%). Data were also gathered on the professionals providing AT services, the top three services provided by each professional, and the degree to which school systems were seeking AT services from contracted professionals outside the school system. Findings suggest the need for training and increased awareness of AT services among teachers and other professionals working with students with disabilities.