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AbstractPromoting the flourishing of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) requires consideration of the same breadth of life domains that might matter to any other person. Like anyone else, many people with IDD (as well as their families) consider spirituality and religious participation to be central to their personal thriving. Yet, this dimension of their lives is often overlooked or ignored in the areas of assessment, planning, practice, and support. This article addresses the salience of spirituality and religion; their impact on QOL; the complexities of addressing these areas among people with IDD; the ways in which they can be conceptualized and assessed; and implications for policy and practice.

Faith is central to the flourishing of so many children and adults with significant disabilities and their families. For congregations striving to be a place of inclusion and belonging for their entire community, the theological call to welcome people with disabilities can introduce a host of questions: What does it mean to be a community marked by belonging? What strategies and supports should we adopt to include people well? How can others assist us in this essential endeavor? This article presents a framework for reflecting on the practices and commitments of local congregations that contribute to belonging within a community of faith.

Introduction: "High-tech" assistive technology (AT) plays a critical role in the lives and educational experiences of students with visual impairments (i.e. those who are blind or have low vision). However, little is known about how these students actually use AT within their educational programs. Methods: A survey examining AT use and services among 51 students with visual impairments addressed their personal characteristics, device characteristics, device usage, AT assessment, and AT instruction. In addition, 12 teachers provided perspectives on their district's AT services and policies. Results: Students primarily used commercially available AT to access print. Some variations in use were found between elementary and secondary students. Instruction of devices was highly aligned with students' device use. Discussion: High-tech AT can meet diverse needs among students with visual impairments. Individualization of AT selection and services remains essential. Implications for Practitioners: Educators should consider AT for a broad range of student needs, promote device use at home, reflect on their instruction, and pursue professional development in this area.

Students with visual impairment (VI) often have limited social interactions in inclusive classroom settings. This study used a multiple-probe-across-participants design to evaluate the impact of peer support arrangements on the social interactions of three students with VI in general education classes. Students experienced higher levels of peer interaction while participating in peer support arrangements while maintaining high levels of academic engagement during the intervention. Most students and teachers reported that peer support arrangements provided positive experiences, resulted in multiple benefits, and could be implemented feasibly and acceptably in inclusive classrooms. We offer recommendations for research and practice aimed at enhancing the quality of inclusive experiences for students with VI.

Increasing the participation of youth with severe disabilities in general education has remained a consistent and prominent focus of legislative, policy, and research initiatives. We examined the perceptions of high school staff regarding the goals, barriers, benefits, outcomes, and supports associated with including adolescents with severe disabilities in general education classes. We found that general and special educators, paraprofessionals, and administrators both converged and diverged in their evaluations of different aspects of general education participation. Despite broad agreement regarding the benefits of and instructional priorities in general education classrooms, stakeholders differed significantly in their perceptions of barriers associated with including students with disabilities in general education classes at their high schools.

Research indicates that peer interaction can have a substantial impact on the lives of adolescents with disabilities. However, social interaction among adolescents with intellectual disabilities and their general education peers typically occurs infrequently in secondary schools. This paper provides a critical analysis of twenty-six empirical interventions aimed at promoting social interaction among adolescents with intellectual disabilities and their general education peers in middle and high school settings. Findings are analyzed with regard to intervention components; student characteristics; interaction settings; measures of interaction; observation procedures; experimental designs; intervention components; and measures of generalization, social validity, and treatment integrity. Based upon findings from this literature, we present recommendations to guide future research and the development of effective social interaction interventions for adolescents with intellectual disabilities in middle and high schools.

Introduction: This study examined the naturally occurring social interactions of adolescents with visual impairments during lunch. Methods: We observed nine middle and high school students with visual impairments during multiple lunch periods (i.e., 44 total observations). We used interval recording (15 s observe, 15 s record) to collect data on our three primary variables: social interactions, social engagement, and proximity to others. We also took notes on quality of interaction (i.e., degree of reciprocity, appropriateness of content, affect of students and their peers, response relevance). Results: Students sat in close proximity to peers without disabilities for more than half of the observed lunch periods. However, students interacted with another person during only one-third of lunch periods. Interactions were more common with peers than with adults. Moreover, students without an additional cognitive impairment had higher quality and more frequent interactions with peers than adults; the opposite was true for students who had cognitive impairments in addition to visual impairments. Discussion: The findings of this study demonstrate that some students with visual impairments are very socially engaged during lunch, while others, namely those with additional cognitive impairments, have infrequent or low-quality interactions with peers during lunch. Implications for Practitioners: This study should prompt educators to consider the cafeteria as a context for supporting peer interaction and social skill development.

Peer-mediated interventions (PMIs) are evidence-based practices that improve outcomes for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Determining whether peers also benefit substantively from their involvement in these widely used practices is key to establishing the reciprocity of PMIs. This study examined the breadth and depth of ways that peers perceive they are impacted by their experiences in PMIs and the factors that shape this impact. More than 250 secondary and postsecondary peers completed the Peer-Mediated Impact Survey for Peers ( PMIS:P). Peers reported being impacted in multiple positive ways clustered within seven thematic areas: rewarding impact, advocacy impact, changes in views, future impact, social impact, skill and intrapersonal development, and self-worth impact. Several factors were associated with variations in peer impact, including having supported at least one student with autism, supported at least one student who was nonverbal, prior familiarity with a student, received ongoing support from an educator or other school staff, and more time spent together. We provide recommendations for research and practice aimed at addressing the myriad benefits of involving peers in PMIs.

Equipping paraprofessionals to implement evidence-based instructional practices with fidelity can enhance the education of students with visual impairments. We used a multiple probe across participants design to evaluate the ability of paraprofessionals to follow constant time delay procedures with high fidelity when teaching braille words. We delivered performance feedback by e-mail and examined student learning outcomes. All three paraprofessionals achieved 100% correct implementation of constant time delay and maintained this high level of implementation over time. All three students successfully learned the targeted words. The combination of the training and support with e-mail feedback was effective at equipping them to deliver an evidence-based practice. Paraprofessionals affirmed the social validity of the intervention and considered e-mail performance feedback as an easy-to-understand way of receiving much-needed guidance. E-mail feedback is a cost-effective and simple tool for providing constructive feedback, while also ensuring paraprofessionals deliver instruction with high fidelity.

Although many students with severe disabilities are enrolled in general education classrooms, general educators rarely receive strong training and guidance on supporting the academic and social participation of these students. A multiple probe across participants design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of a collaborative planning and consultation framework on the academic engagement of four middle school students with severe disabilities and the instructional behaviors they receive from their general educators. The intervention package increased each focus student's academic engagement with classwide instruction and changed the types of instructional behaviors some general educators directed toward these students. Recommendations are offered for research and practice aimed at engaging general educators in the design and delivery of inclusive interventions.

Instruction and support for students with intellectual disability in general education classes should be informed by research-based interventions. In this systematic review, we examined the focus and impact of interventions delivered in inclusive classes to support middle and high school students with intellectual disability. We identified 40 intervention studies involving 177 secondary students with intellectual disability attending a range of core academic and elective classes. These multicomponent interventions fell within five primary categories: systematic instruction, peer support arrangements, self-management strategies, peer-mediated communication interventions, and educational placement changes. Although the overall focus was fairly balanced across academic, social, and behavioral outcomes, each intervention approach prioritized somewhat different dependent measures. Moreover, although the impact of the interventions on most outcomes was positive, the methodological quality of these studies was somewhat varied. We offer recommendations for future research and practice aimed at strengthening the availability and implementation of effective interventions within inclusive secondary school classes.

Although the importance and influence of spirituality in the lives of youth and young adults have garnered much attention, few studies have focused on the religious and spiritual lives of young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). We examined the congregational activities, spiritual practices, and strength of religious faith of 440 individuals with IDD (aged 13-21 years) as reported by their parents. Such activities and practices were described as having particular prominence, with most youth participating in multiple ways both in a local congregation and at home. However, participation patterns were individualized and strongly associated with the importance of faith in their lives. We offer recommendations for families, congregations, agencies, and researchers aimed at better understanding and supporting this often-overlooked dimension of the lives of youth with IDD.