In addition to the demographic disparities between educators and students, many preservice general and special education teachers report limited exposure to students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds and perceive themselves as ill prepared to address the learning needs of diverse populations of students with and without…

Early intervention supports infants and toddlers with confirmed or suspected autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in achieving optimal outcomes, and caregiver-implemented NDBIs are recommended as a developmentally appropriate intervention approach for very young children and their families. Research highlights discrepancies between early…

Providing foundational academic support to Indiana's culturally and linguistically diverse students is a cornerstone of the state's educational goals. Over 139,000 Indiana students speak a language other than English at home, and there are over 295 different languages represented in Indiana schools. Of these, over 83,000 students have been…

Written by experienced leaders in gifted education, this book is a foundational guide for supervisors, administrators, and districts seeking to create culturally responsive and equity-focused gifted policies and programs. Engaging chapters supported by real-world vignettes and interactive contemplation corners outline key elements of culturally…

Virtual visits are a telehealth service where patients and providers communicate in real-time using audio and/or video technology. Setting up a virtual visit is complex and may pose challenges for some autistic adults. We conducted semi-structured interviews with autistic adults (n = 7), family members of autistic adults (n = 12), and clinic…

This paper presents a small-scale Critical Participatory Action Research (CPAR) study, investigating school leaders' efforts to enhance families' engagement in their children's learning, through classroom teachers' use of social media. The study occurred within three Australian primary schools, situated within a culturally and linguistically…

A southeastern state engaged in a systematic landscape study to identify needs and priorities for young children and their families. Early childhood and research methods experts, representing five Institutions of Higher Education (IHE), along with equity and family engagement experts developed three strategies to collect data from various…

In this article, we introduce active supervision as a simple, feasible strategy for teachers and families to increase student engagement as well as decrease off-task and disruptive behaviors across a range of contexts. We provide step-by-step guidance to illustrate how active supervision can be used by teachers in in-person and virtual learning…

Background and aims: Participatory research involves academic partners working together with the community that is affected by research to make decisions about that research. Such approaches often result in research that is more respectful of, and responsive to, community preferences -- and is vital in the context of autism research with…

A long-standing issue in the United States has been the disproportionate representation of African American males in special education (Chin et al., 2020). This interpretive qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of implicit bias in the special education referral process for multidisciplinary team members and the…

Students with intellectual disabilities (ID) have reduced access to sexuality education at school, tasking families with filling the gap. This limited access contributes to persistent health inequities, psychosocial risk, and reduced self-determination for individuals with ID. To understand the resources that families may encounter when filling…

Background: People with intellectual disability who require cancer services face several barriers and inequities, including delayed or unrecognised cancer diagnosis and inadequate attention paid to their specific concerns, needs and preferences about care. Methods: In this case report, we present a case report of a 33-year-old male with severe…

In this article we propose a model of collaboration for school teams as a guide to the provision of effective, individualized and culturally responsive school-based mental health supports. When school teams embark on this process, they must be ready to provide a continuum of care within a comprehensive plan. Collaboration is essential when working…

The field of early intervention is rapidly expanding. Individuals trained in Human Development and Family Science programs are uniquely situated for work in this setting, due to their diverse understanding of human development, from birth through death, and the role of the family system in influencing development. More specifically, individuals…

In the concept of early childhood education and care (ECEC), certain foundational principles stand out as vital and of paramount importance for ensuring ideal child development through different stages during the age of 1-5 years. While rooted in extensive research and best practices, the following five principles serve as guiding lights for…