Evidence-Based Practices and Implementation Science in Special Education

2013 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan G. Cook ◽  
Samuel L. Odom
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Implementation Science ◽  
State Level ◽  
Significant Advance ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Evidence Based Practices ◽  
Disciplinary Field ◽  
Outcomes For Children

Establishing a process for identifying evidence-based practices (EBPs) in special education has been a significant advance for the field because it has the potential for generating more effective educational programs and producing more positive outcomes for students with disabilities. However, the potential benefit of EBPs is bounded by the quality, reach, and maintenance of implementation. The cross-disciplinary field of implementation science has great relevance for translating the promise of EBPs into positive outcomes for children and youth with disabilities. This article examines the history, extent, and limitations of EBPs and describes the emergence and current state of implementation science as applied in special education. Subsequent articles in this special issue of Exceptional Children address a range of issues related to implementation science in special education: the research-to-practice gap, dissemination and diffusion, adherence and sustainability, scaling up, a model for state-level implementation, and fostering implementation through professional development.

Evidence-Based Practices for Music Instruction and Assessment for PreK–12 Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

2019 ◽  
pp. 788-826
Author(s):  
Robyn Swanson
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Special Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Universal Design For Learning ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Music Educators ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Evidence Based Practices ◽  
Students With Autism

This chapter addresses the use of evidence-based practices (EBPs) by special education practitioners in instruction and assessment while providing music educators guidance toward implementing these practices in instruction and assessment for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) within universal design for learning (UDL) inclusive classrooms. Included are behavioral characteristics of students with ASD that music educators need be cognizant of in inclusive settings; federal education laws and policies that have provided students with disabilities rights to a quality education; and selected special education EBP and accommodations deemed as viable interventions for teaching and assessing PreK-12 standards-based music curriculum for students with ASD. Music educators may determine the PreK-12 music assessments aligned to appropriate EBP and accommodations for students with ASD are beneficial resources when designing and implementing curriculum, instruction, and assessment linked to the 2014 National Core Arts (Music) Standards (NCAS) with supporting Model Cornerstone Assessments (MCAs).

Evaluating Claims to Avoid Pseudoscientific and Unproven Practices in Special Education

2016 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 195-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason C. Travers
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Conservative Approach ◽  
Intervention Effectiveness ◽  
Evidence Based Practices ◽  
Education Professionals ◽  
Special Education Professionals ◽  
Made In

Special education professionals are charged with using evidence-based practices, but various unproven, disproven, and pseudoscientific interventions continue to proliferate. Unproven and ineffective interventions emerge and are adopted for various reasons. Ineffective interventions are inevitably harmful and require professionals to adopt a conservative approach that both minimizes potential for harm and maximizes potential for educational benefit. This is fundamental to the evidence-based movement, but special education professionals may not recognize and avoid ineffective interventions. This article aims to improve recognition of potentially ineffective interventions by shedding light on aspects of science, pseudoscience, and some mistakes frequently made in evaluating claims of intervention effectiveness. By becoming familiar with the distinctions between science and pseudoscience, and by developing an understanding of how errors in thinking are used to promote and defend interventions unsupported by empirical evidence, special education professionals can better protect their students with disabilities from potential harms associated with ineffective practices.

scholarly journals The Role of Performance Feedback and Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices for Preservice Special Education Teachers and Student Outcomes: A Review of the Literature

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Anne Schles ◽  
Rachel E. Robertson
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Performance Feedback ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
Teacher Preparation Program ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Evidence Based Practices

Given the importance of evidence-based practices (EBPs) for improving outcomes for students with disabilities, it is key that preservice special education teachers have the opportunity to implement EBPs with high levels of fidelity during their teacher preparation program. For this reason, the authors conducted a systematic review of the literature to answer the question: Does providing performance feedback improve preservice special education teachers’ fidelity of implementation of EBPs and outcomes for students with disabilities? Five studies were found which met inclusion criteria. These studies demonstrated a clear functional relationship between performance feedback and preservice teachers’ increased fidelity to the EBP(s). Across studies, there were mixed effects in student outcomes when preservice teachers increased their fidelity to EBPs. Limitations of the current analysis and the included studies are discussed along with future implications for researchers and practitioners.

Creating Culturally Responsive and Evidence-Based Lessons for Diverse Learners With Disabilities

2017 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 138-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ambra L. Green ◽  
Melissa Stormont
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Problem Behaviors ◽  
Challenging Behavior ◽  
Culturally Responsive ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Evidence Based Practices ◽  
Referrals For Special Education

Students with disabilities or who are at risk for disabilities, and from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds typically receive disproportionately more negative consequences in schools, including office disciplinary referrals and referrals for special education evaluation. In an effort to decrease the overrepresentation of culturally, ethnically, and racially diverse students receiving punitive disciplinary practices and inaccurate referrals for special education services, it is imperative that teachers utilize evidence-based practices and create lessons that are culturally responsive to increase the likelihood that students are engaged in instruction and not in problem behaviors. This article outlines how teachers can develop lessons that implicitly or explicitly focus on culture and incorporate key evidence-based practices for working with challenging behavior. A lesson planning tool is provided to assist teachers in their efforts to be systematic in their incorporation of discussed practices in their instruction.

A Systematic Review of Meta-Analyses in Special Education: Exploring the Evidence Base for High-Leverage Practices

2021 ◽  
pp. 074193252110634
Author(s):  
Gena Nelson ◽  
Sara Cothren Cook ◽  
Kary Zarate ◽  
Sarah R. Powell ◽  
Daniel M. Maggin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Special Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Special Education Teachers ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Evidence Based Practices ◽  
Intensive Instruction ◽  
Disability Categories ◽  
Meta Analyses

It is crucial that special education teachers are equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to improve outcomes for students with disabilities. Despite federal legislation and efforts of the field to identify and disseminate evidence-based practices for students with disabilities, it is uncertain whether all special education teachers provide instruction based on the best available research. To better prepare special education teachers, McLeskey et al. proposed 22 high-leverage practices (HLPs). We conducted this systematic review of meta-analyses to provide an initial investigation of the experimental evidence reporting on the effectiveness of the HLPs for students with, or at risk for, a disability. Results indicated the largest amount of evidence from meta-analyses related to intensive instruction, explicit instruction, and social skills, with few meta-analyses reporting on collaboration and assessment. The results highlighted disproportional evidence according to disability categories. Implications for future research, practice, and teacher education are discussed.

Implementation Science, Professional Development, and Autism Spectrum Disorders

2013 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel L. Odom ◽  
Ann W. Cox ◽  
Matthew E. Brock
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Implementation Science ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Evidence Based Practices ◽  
Science Professional Development ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Development Center

The increased prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has intensified the need for high-quality special education services designed for children and youth with ASD and their families. Implementation science provides guidance for moving innovation, such as utilizing evidence-based practices for students with ASD, into regular practice in schools. The National Professional Development Center on ASD (NPDC) incorporated the principles of implementation science, the scientific knowledge about evidence-based practices, and the measurement of program quality into an intervention approach for students with ASD. This article presents the NPDC model as an example of using implementation science to build systems of professional development that increase the quality of services and promote teachers’ use of evidence-based practices.

Moving Research into Practice: Can We Make Dissemination Stick?

2013 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-180
Author(s):  
Bryan G. Cook ◽  
Lysandra Cook ◽  
Timothy J. Landrum
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Education Research ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Evidence Based Practices ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
What Works ◽  
Effective Dissemination ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Practice Gap ◽  
Traditional Approaches

Although researchers in special education have made significant advances in defining and identifying evidence-based practices, scholars often constitute an insular group that disseminates research findings primarily through outlets and venues targeting like-minded researchers using traditional approaches. Thus, despite tangible results in determining what works, using dissemination approaches that fail to resonate with or influence practitioners represents an important but often overlooked contributor to the ongoing research-to-practice gap in special education. The authors argue that empirical and theoretical literature outside of special education may offer insight into how ideas take hold, which may be especially relevant to the effective dissemination of evidence-based practices. Drawing on Heath and Heath's (2008) model, the authors describe 6 characteristics of messages that are likely to “stick”: (a) simple, (b) unexpected, (c) concrete, (d) credible, (e) emotional, and (f) stories. The authors consider each in terms of implications for dissemination of special education research findings, and urge special education researchers to consider researching, refining, and applying dissemination strategies that can make special education research matter on a broader scale.

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