Research has suggested that youth with severe developmental disabilities (with and without ASD) benefit both academically and socially from inclusive school environments. The primary service delivery approach used for supporting the social, academic, and extracurricular experiences of adolescent students with significant developmental disabilities is individually assigned, one-to-one paraprofessionals and special educators. While this approach can serve an important auxiliary role in supporting these students' experiences, there is a stark absence of empirical evidence for this approach. Peer-mediated interventions have emerged as a promising alternative to one-to-one adult-delivered support models for improving academic and social outcomes for students with severe developmental disabilities. Research is needed that explores and describes the occurrences of social communication behaviors (SCB) that adolescents with severe disabilities exhibit and how their outcomes are influenced by peer-mediated interventions. The present study used data from a randomized control trial (RCT) to systematically: (1) explore and identify SCB occurrences among high school students with significant developmental disabilities with and without ASD; (2) explore and identify the SCB occurrences among high school typically developing students; (3) compare and contrast the SCB occurrences of both groups in relation to different student variables; and (4) investigate the quality of social interactions between typically developing high school students and high school students with DD before and after the implementation of peer-mediated interventions. Study data used direct observation event recording software and narrative recording. Results indicated statistical and clinical support for the peer support condition as compared to other treatment conditions in promoting various types of SCB among students with severe developmental disabilities, specifically those with ASD. A student's disability severity was found to modulate the occurrences general initiations exhibited by them. Little change was detected in social interaction quality attributes among disability groups between treatment conditions. Findings have positive implications for increasing SCB among students with DD who present with ASD. Findings have implications for assessing SCB and increasing social interactions and engagement among adolescents with severe developmental disabilities, specifically ASD, in general education settings.

This title captures real-life lessons and documents the best practices for internet-based synchronous learning. Synchronous e-learning or live learning presented in real time, has many benefits including immediate feedback, live group learning, just-in-time presentations and the stability of the classroom experience. This Survival Guide does not focus on a specific software platform. Rather, it covers effective synchronous design, facilitation and communication techniques. All content is very specific and the practical examples shared throughout are designed to help the creators of synchronous training transition from the traditional practices of delivering classroom training.

An important component of Division TEACCH's mandate from the Department of Psychiatry of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and the North Carolina State Legislature is to conduct research aimed toward improving the understanding of developmental disabilities such as autism and to train the professionals who will be needed to work with this challenging population. An important mechanism to help meet these goals is our annual conference on topics of special importance for the understanding and treatment of autism and related disorders. As with the preceding books in this series entitled Current Issues in Autism, this most recent volume is based on one of these conferences. The books are not, however, simply published proceedings of conference papers. Instead, cer tain conference participants were asked to develop chapters around their pres entations, and other national and intemational experts whose work is beyond the scope of the conference but related to the conference theme were asked to contribute manuscripts as weil. These volumes are intended to provide the most current knowledge and professional practice available to us at this time.

This authoritative handbook reviews the breadth of current knowledge about developmental disabilities: neuroscientific and genetic foundations; the impact on health, learning, and behavior; and effective educational and clinical practices. Leading authorities analyze what works in intervening with diverse children and families, from infancy through the school years and the transition to adulthood. Chapters present established and emerging approaches to promoting communication and language abilities, academic skills, positive social relationships, and vocational and independent living skills. Current practices in positive behavior support are discussed, as are strategies for supporting family adaptation and resilience.

Decades of research have demonstrated that the parent-child dyad and the environment of the familyâ€"which includes all primary caregiversâ€"are at the foundation of children's well- being and healthy development. From birth, children are learning and rely on parents and the other caregivers in their lives to protect and care for them. The impact of parents may never be greater than during the earliest years of life, when a child's brain is rapidly developing and when nearly all of her or his experiences are created and shaped by parents and the family environment. Parents help children build and refine their knowledge and skills, charting a trajectory for their health and well-being during childhood and beyond. The experience of parenting also impacts parents themselves. For instance, parenting can enrich and give focus to parents' lives; generate stress or calm; and create any number of emotions, including feelings of happiness, sadness, fulfillment, and anger. Parenting of young children today takes place in the context of significant ongoing developments. These include: a rapidly growing body of science on early childhood, increases in funding for programs and services for families, changing demographics of the U.S. population, and greater diversity of family structure. Additionally, parenting is increasingly being shaped by technology and increased access to information about parenting. Parenting Matters identifies parenting knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with positive developmental outcomes in children ages 0-8; universal/preventive and targeted strategies used in a variety of settings that have been effective with parents of young children and that support the identified knowledge, attitudes, and practices; and barriers to and facilitators for parents' use of practices that lead to healthy child outcomes as well as their participation in effective programs and services. This report makes recommendations directed at an array of stakeholders, for promoting the wide-scale adoption of effective programs and services for parents and on areas that warrant further research to inform policy and practice. It is meant to serve as a roadmap for the future of parenting policy, research, and practice in the United States.