Augmentative and Alternative Communication and Remote Learning

For rural locations, the use of remote learning may provide schools the opportunity to meet student needs without the need for students to travel long distances to access services. It is critical that teachers of students with disabilities understand how to support learning and know how to use the accommodations, modifications, and assistive technologies listed in student Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) in online classrooms. Students with language disabilities sometimes require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems to effectively communicate. This article provides teachers with practical tips of teaching students to use AAC online and supporting its continued use in the virtual classroom.

Examination and Redesign of Inclusive Special Education Service Delivery in a Rural School

In this article, we describe the self-directed change made by a rural elementary school in response to a data-based examination of its service-delivery model that revealed its lowest performing students were spending most of their time with the school’s least qualified staff. This mixed-method case study describes (a) why and how the school shifted personnel deployment and utilization, (b) factors that facilitated the shifts in service delivery, and (c) perceived effects of the changes. Findings demonstrate how implementing data-based decision-making through strong collaborative leadership led to recognizing, exploring, and modifying the school’s overreliance on paraprofessionals by increasing the availability of more highly skilled personnel to facilitate more inclusive instruction and collaboration. Participants also described challenges and perceived negative aspects related to change. We conclude with implications for practice, including how this study could inform similar change efforts in small rural schools, and suggestions for future research.

Advocacy Experiences Among Rural Parents of Children With Disabilities

Parent advocacy is an essential component to help children with disabilities receive appropriate school services. However, there are limited studies about parent advocacy for children with disabilities living in rural areas. To address this issue, semistructured interviews were conducted with 12 parents of children with disabilities. The purpose of the study was to identify and define unique barriers and facilitators to advocacy among families of children with disabilities living in rural areas. Constant comparative analysis was used to analyze the interview data. The findings suggest that families living in rural areas lack the necessary resources to advocate successfully for their children with disabilities. Notably, participants expressed that advocating and maintaining relationships with school personnel took an emotional toll. Participants also reported that relationships with school personnel outside of school impacted their experiences with advocacy. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

A Model Rural Inclusive Postsecondary Program for Students With Intellectual Disability

Lions Connected (LC) is an inclusive postsecondary program approved by the U.S. Department of Education; thus meeting rigorous program standards and accountability. Equally important is that it gives eligible students from rural areas the opportunity to receive federal financial aid to attend college. The purpose of developing LC was to meet the needs and desires of the surrounding rural communities by providing postsecondary opportunities for students with intellectual disability (ID) to enhance their social, academic, and employment skills alongside peers without disabilities. This article describes the program in detail as well as program outcomes, including employment in rural home communities. LC students receive a true college experience while preparing to become contributing members in society regardless of where they live. By following LC’s program structure, there are multiple opportunities for supporting students with ID in rural settings and helping them garner a college experience and become successfully employed in their community and reach their full potential.

Using Caregiver Support to Promote Efficacy of Nontraditional Instruction Provided to Students With Extensive Support Needs

The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the most dramatic and far-reaching events to impact education in recent years. At the onset of this global crisis, schools were required to pivot, with little warning or planning, to educate the more than 50 million school-aged children in the United States through some form of nontraditional instruction (NTI), which often involved technology-based distance education. While shifts to NTI for short time periods may be feasible for many students, the potential impact of long-term NTI on students with extensive support needs (ESNs) and their families, especially in rural areas, may be particularly acute. In this article, we discuss specific strategies that address and incorporate what we know about extended NTI in rural school districts, including both lessons learned and areas of concern, with particular attention to the role and importance of caregivers. We outline ways that caregivers can be supported and how natural environment teaching provides one useful framework for efforts to reduce skill regression and to increase the overall potential for skill generalization when traditional schooling is interrupted.

Examining National Trends of Teacher Certification in Autism: Implications for Rural Schools

This study examined the national trends of teacher certification in autism in an effort to better understand the characteristics of individuals who seek this credential, how these characteristics change over time, and where teachers with this certification are currently working in an effort to identify recruitment and retention strategies to areas most in need. This ex post facto study consisted of a secondary analysis of the 2011 to 2012 Schools and Staffing Survey Teacher Questionnaire and the 2015 to 2016 National Teacher and Principal Survey Teacher Questionnaire. The results suggest that the majority of licensed teachers who receive an autism certification are working in special education. In addition, while overall trends indicate an increase in the number of teachers who report an autism certification, fewer teachers with this certification are working in rural school districts. These results have important implications for school-service delivery for students with autism spectrum disorder, specifically those living and attending school in rural communities.

Distance Delivery of Function-Based Skill Training for Providers in Rural Settings

Children with diagnosed disabilities, teachers and classroom staff, and families living in rural areas have difficulty accessing any and all behavioral services, including parent training, due to a lack of providers, distance to clinics, cost of transportation, low income and/or inadequate health insurance, and confidentiality concerns from living in small communities. In this study, Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) was used to train early childhood professionals on how to implement Prevent–Teach–Reinforce for Young Children, which is a step-by-step manualized approach to the assessment and treatment of challenging behavior that reflects a commitment to evidence-based practice. Results of the pilot study, study limitations, and future directions are discussed.

Teacher Knowledge in Transition Planning: Does Locale Matter?

The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act mandates transition planning to occur in conjunction with the individualized education program for secondary age students with disabilities beginning by age 16, or earlier. To fulfill this mandate, teachers must possess a depth of content and pedagogical knowledge related to the transition planning process. However, the majority of special educators do not receive coursework dedicated to transition in their undergraduate programming. Furthermore, teachers in under-resourced and underserved rural districts may have inequitable professional development opportunities to bolster their transition planning knowledge. This lack of transition-related education potentially leads to inadequate and noncompliant transition plans for students with disabilities. The current study examined differences in teachers’ knowledge based on locale: rural ( n = 75), suburban ( n = 48), and urban ( n = 64) from one southern state. Determining whether differences are identified by locale can inform the allocation of resources to provide high-quality, evidence-aligned professional development models to improve teacher knowledge in underserved and under-resourced rural locales. In addition, identifying gaps in teacher knowledge will inform pre-service and in-service teacher preparation. We provide an avenue of needed future research to improve transition-planning processes for students with disabilities.