The trial-based functional analysis (FA) is a promising approach to identification of behavioral function and is especially suited for use in educational settings. Not all studies on trial-based FA have included teachers as therapists, and those studies that have, included minimal information on teacher training. The purpose of this study was to…

The train-the-trainer (TTT) model, which has also been called pyramidal training, triadic training, and helper model training, focuses on initially training a person or people who, in turn, train other people at their home agency. The TTT model has promise of being both efficient and cost-effective. The TTT model may be especially useful in…

The members of the Council for Learning Disabilities' Research Committee convene annually to discuss what they have identified as "Must Read" articles published within the last year. For the 34th Annual International Conference, the members were asked to select articles that exemplified the conference theme: "Learning…

The role of teachers today in special education requires extensive background knowledge about various types of learners, their specific needs and the particularities of the stakeholders with whom the teacher is called to collaborate. The knowledge constructed by future teachers is acquired not only in the formal context of initial training, but…

The purpose of the study was to examine the potential efficacy of a professional development training model targeting IEP case managers of transition-age students. A training model was developed and a pilot study conducted to understand the promise of the model to improve the development of critical components within the IEP document that support…

Parent empowerment includes the ability to meet the needs of one's family while feeling in control. This phenomenological study seeks to understand the experience of 71 parents of children with disabilities who participated with pre-service teachers in a 16-week special education course between 2006 and 2010. Analysis of pre-course and post-course…

Limited evidence is available from the existing literature that relates teachers' career motivation to their attitudes towards special and inclusive education and their motivation for professional development in China. A mixed-method approach was used to investigate teachers' perspectives in this respect. A sample of teachers at seven mainstream…

The increase in the rate of autism diagnoses has created a growing demand for teachers who are trained to use effective interventions. Research supports behavioral interventions as effective methods for teaching children with autism, however dissemination of these methods has been problematic. Ineffective training and lack of ongoing support after…

The aim of this study is to analyze the effectiveness of staff training on discrete-trial teaching (DTT). Multiple baseline design across subjects was used in order to analyze the effect of the training program on the educators' performance on probing and intervention implementation. For teaching these two skills, presentation of an information…

Research on the positive impact of using concrete manipulatives in mathematics for students with high-incidence disabilities is clear. Maccini and Gagnon (2000) considered manipulatives to be a best practice in terms of educating students with high-incidence disabilities in mathematics. It would follow, then, that research on virtual manipulatives…

Using a realist grounded theory method, this study resulted in a theoretical model and 4 propositions. As displayed in the LINK model, the labeling practice is situated in and endorsed by a social context that carries explicit theory about and educational policies regarding the labels. Taking a developmental perspective, the labeling practice…

Insufficient supply and increasing demand have been two recurring themes of special education personnel studies for more than two decades. Critical and growing shortages of qualified special education teachers, related service providers, administrators, and college faculty are reported in every area of the United States. Nine of the 13 educational…

Special education faculty members (n = 12) from a large Western university participated in a four-year professional development program centered on increasing their cultural responsiveness. During the fourth year the primary investigator interviewed faculty members regarding their perceptions and the impact of the program. Each interview was…

In this article, the authors propose an agenda for special education teacher education researchers, with particular attention to policy work and studies of innovations in pre-service preparation, induction and mentoring, and professional development. Because previous research is limited and unfocused, the foundation for future research is weak,…

As the percentage of teachers participating in induction programs has increased over the past two decades and new state and federal mandates have been enacted to improve the quality of the teacher workforce, published literature on teacher induction and mentoring has grown. Despite an increasing research base, the current research has been…