Individualizing Instruction for Students With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in China: Teachers' Perceptions and Practices.

This study investigated Chinese special education teachers' perceptions and practices of individualizing instruction for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Semistructured interviews were conducted with 31 teachers who taught elementary Chinese language arts and math in six public special education schools for students with IDD in Shanghai. In addition, lesson plans written by 19 of the 31 teachers were collected. Thematic analysis revealed that teachers recognized the necessity of adapting instruction. However, practices and beliefs associated with one-size-fits-all approaches to teaching were prevalent. Although all teachers described making efforts to address individual differences, these efforts appeared to be inadequate. Teachers perceived fully addressing the needs of individual students as difficult and described challenges in four areas.

The Efficacy and Impact of a Special Education Legislative Advocacy Program Among Parents of Children with Disabilities.

With the looming reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), it is important for parent input to inform legislative changes. Unfortunately, parent input has been limited in past IDEA reauthorizations. Thus, it is critical to develop and test interventions to improve parent legislative advocacy. With 37 parents of children with disabilities, we conducted a randomized controlled trial to determine the efficacy and impact of an advocacy program. Results indicate significant increases in special education knowledge and special education legislative advocacy activities for the intervention (versus waitlist-control) group. However, there were no significant changes in civic engagement. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Perspectives about adult sibling relationships: A dyadic analysis of siblings with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Most siblings of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) report positive sibling relationships. However, extant research often only examines the perspective of the nondisabled sibling; it is unclear whether siblings with IDD report close sibling relationships. Thus, the aim of this study was to understand adult sibling relationships from the perspectives of both siblings with and without IDD. Using dyadic interviews, we examined the perspectives of eight adult sibling dyads. The study was conducted in the United States. Data were analyzed using constant comparative analysis and cross-case analysis to identify themes within and across dyads. Overall, siblings with and without IDD reported enjoying spending time with one another. However, siblings with and without Down syndrome (versus autism spectrum disorder) reported more reciprocal sibling relationships, more frequent contact, and a greater range of shared activities. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Content development, accessibility and feasibility of a self-report tool for use in programmes serving youth with cognitive disabilities: The Participatory Experience Survey.

INTRODUCTION: Participation in community-based recreation and leisure activities may afford valuable opportunities to young people with cognitive disabilities (CD) to develop important self-determination skills needed for success in adulthood. To evaluate whether these programmes are achieving their intended impact, it is important to have a tool that captures the perspective of the participants using an accessible method. This article describes the content development and evaluation of accessibility and feasibility of the Participatory Experience Survey (PES). METHOD: Participant observation and focus group sessions were conducted in conjunction with a summer youth programme hosted by a special education advocacy organisation. Photos were used to guide identification of factors influencing both negative and positive experiences. Findings informed question content. Three groups of stakeholders, parents of youth with CD (Group 1), service providers (Group 2), and experts in cognitive disability and/or programme planning (Group 3) reviewed the PES to provide feedback on the relevance and accessibility of the measure. After stakeholder feedback was incorporated, cognitive interviewing was conducted with young people with CD to assess instrument accessibility and appropriateness for use in context. RESULTS: Youth described their participation in three categories: personal, social and environmental. Stakeholder Groups 1 and 2 identified 15 questions as needing revisions. Seven additional questions were added based on suggestions from stakeholder Group 3. Cognitive interviewing led to revision of 13 questions and removal of 16 questions due to issues related to vocabulary, item meaning, response bias, repetitiveness and length. CONCLUSION: The PES has the potential to offer programmes a means to more fully include young people with disabilities in programme evaluations, leading to better-structured, more supportive programmes. Additional validity and feasibility work is needed to confirm these initial findings.

Parent Involvement in Meaningful Post-School Experiences for Young Adults With IDD and Pervasive Support Needs.

Despite initiatives supporting young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to engage in post-secondary education and integrated employment, those with more intensive support needs are not as easily involved in these post-school experiences. In an effort to learn from positive examples, we examined parent involvement in meaningful post-school experiences by eight young adults with IDD and pervasive support needs. Secondary analysis of data from a prior interview study yielded this smaller sample of eight young adults with meaningful post-school experiences. Their parents were actively involved as fierce advocates and creative problem solvers. The active involvement of parents included: a) attitudinal facilitators, b) advocacy efforts and perceptions, and c) strategic actions. Implications for future research and practice are described.

"I like others to not try to fix me": agency, independence, and autism.

This article is based on an interpretevist, qualitative research project conducted with individuals labeled with autism who type to communicate. Researchers engaged in participant observation and conducted open-ended interviews with 9 participants who were working to develop independent typing skills. Three findings emerged from this research. First, participants shaped a notion of independence that included dependence on various supports. Second, researchers recognized the concept of agency in the interactions between participants and their communication facilitators. Third, participants exercised control of their lives through these expressions of agency.