Teaching academic skills to students with significant intellectual disabilities: A systematic review of the single-case design literature

A review of research on social studies instruction for students with intellectual disabilities

The content of social studies encompasses various topics such as culture, citizenship, values, geography, and history. However, social studies has historically been an under-researched academic content area for students with intellectual disabilities. The aim of this study was to identify and summarize empirical research on social studies instruction for students with intellectual disabilities. We searched for articles in two electronic databases from 2000 to 2023. We applied seven inclusion criteria to 1709 articles that emerged in databases. A total of 13 empirical studies met the inclusion criteria. We conducted a narrative review across these 13 studies. Results showed that students with intellectual disabilities improved social studies skills through effective instructional strategies including graphic organizers, technology-based instruction, time delay, and task analysis. Also, social studies instruction for students with intellectual disabilities mostly focused on history and geography. We discussed the findings along with their limitations and provided recommendations for future research.

Development of early numeracy skills in children with moderate intellectual disability

This study assessed the effectiveness of a program aimed at improving the early numeracy skills of students with moderate intellectual disability. The persistence of the acquired skills and the program's impact on learning were monitored. Feedback from the students and their mothers was also gathered. Using a multiple-probe design across subjects, the results were visually presented through graphical analysis. Three male students aged 8-9 years participated. After obtaining high-reliability findings from reliability analyses, results showed the program effectively increased students' number skills with a high effect size. These skills persisted post-intervention, and both students and mothers expressed positive views of the intervention.

The BEHAVE application as a tool to monitor inclusive interventions for subjects with neurodevelopmental disorders

In the last few years, many educational and therapeutic interventions for young people with neurodevelopmental disorders are based on systematic monitoring of the outcomes. These interventions are typically conducted using single-case experimental designs, (SCEDs) a set of methods aimed at testing the effect of an intervention on a single subject or a small number of subjects. In SCEDs, an effective process of decision-making needs accurate, precise, and reliable data but also that caregivers and health professionals can gather information with minimal effort. The use of Information Communication Technologies in SCEDs can support the process of data collection and analysis, facilitating the collection of accurate and reliable data, providing reports accessible also by non-experts, and promoting interactions and sharing among clinicians, educators, and caregivers. The present paper introduces the BEHAVE application, a web-based highly customizable application, designed to implement SCEDs, supporting both data collection and automatic analysis of the datasets. Moreover, the paper will describe two case studies of kindergarten children with neurodevelopmental disorders, highlighting how the BEHAVE application supported the entire process, from data collection in multiple contexts to decision-making based on the analysis provided by the system. In particular, the paper describes the case studies of Carlo and Dario, two children with severe language and communication impairments, and the inclusive education interventions carried out to maximize their participation in a typical home and school setting increasing their mand repertoire. Results revealed an increase in the mand repertoire in both children who become able to generalize the outcomes to multiple life contexts. The active participation of the caregivers played a crucial role in the ability of children to use the learned skills in settings different from the ones they were learned in.

Sex Education for Students with an Intellectual Disability: Teachers’ Experiences and Perspectives

Background: Sex education assists students in the development of a healthy sexual identity and relationships. However, students with an intellectual disability tend to receive less holistic sex education as compared to students without a disability. In this inclusive study, we explored the perspectives of 10 high school teachers through interviews and focus groups on how students with an intellectual disability are informed about sexual relationships and prepared for their future life living with as much autonomy as possible, including living with a partner and becoming parents. Method: The interviews and focus groups were analysed using the inductive content analysis. Results: Data analysis revealed three themes: (a) sex education; (b) self-determination and self-advocacy skills; and (c) teachers’ concerns. Conclusions: Several recommendations are discussed. These include incorporating sexuality education-related goals in an Individualised Learning Plan (ILP); teachers adopting a rights-based approach and focusing on students’ self-determination, agency, and rights regarding sex education; and providing schools with necessary resources to teach sex education.

Disability in children and adolescents: the extent of the impact on psychiatric disorders and educational deficits

Introduction

Most children/adolescents with disability live in low and middle-income countries and, worldwide, they are more likely to have mental health problems and achieve worse academic performance compared to those with typical development.

Objective

To assess whether Brazilian children/adolescents with four types of disabilities are more likely to have psychiatric disorders and educational deficits than children/adolescents with typical development.

Method

A multicenter cross-sectional study involving a school-based probabilistic sample of second to sixth graders (N = 1,674) from public schools in four Brazilian regions. The four types of disabilities (intellectual, visual, hearing, and motor) were assessed using the Ten Questions Questionnaire. Psychiatric disorders were measured with the Schedule for Affective Disorders/Schizophrenia for School-Age Children (K-SADS-PL), and academic performance was evaluated using the Teste de Desempenho Acadêmico – TDE (the academic performance test).

Results

A logistic regression model with cluster-robust errors identified the following statistically significant associations with three of the four types of disability (the exception was hearing). Intellectual disability was associated with anxiety (p < 0.01), depression (p < 0.01), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (p < 0.001), school failure (p < 0.01), and poor academic performance (p < 0.01). Visual disability was associated with depression (p < 0.01). Motor disability was marginally associated with ADHD (p = 0.08).

Conclusions

Presence of disabilities (intellectual, visual, and motor) in children/adolescents was associated with psychiatric disorders, school failure, and academic performance. It is therefore important to identify presence of disabilities and plan and deliver specific interventions and specialized educational care for the needs presented by these children/adolescents. This is particularly important in low and middle-income countries, where these disabilities are frequent among children/adolescents.

Constant time delay to teach reading to students with intellectual disability and autism: a review

The ability to read promotes academic success and serves as an essential prerequisite skill for many postsecondary opportunities. However, developing proficient reading skills is particularly difficult for many individuals with intellectual disability (ID) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Reading is an important life skill for all individuals, and it is essential for reading instruction to be grounded in research to achieve optimal learning outcomes. We conducted a review of the literature covering a 15-year period (2005-2020) to examine research measuring the effects of an evidence-based practice, constant time delay (CTD), when used as a reading intervention to teach participants with ID and/or ASD. Studies evaluated the acquisition of functional or academic reading skills across two instructional delivery methods: teacher-delivered and technology-based CTD. All reviewed research used a single case research design to experimentally validate the effects of CTD as a reading intervention, and findings across studies revealed a functional relationship between variables. That is, when applied as a reading intervention, CTD led to acquisition of academic or functional reading skills in participants with ID and/or ASD regardless of delivery method. Recommendations for research and practical application of CTD when teaching reading are provided.