Pub Date : 2026-02-09DOI: 10.1177/00144029251413482
Bradley S. Witzel, Jonté A. Myers, Pamela J. Mims
Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) is a legal and educational mandate that ensures students with disabilities receive individualized, evidence-based interventions to enhance their academic and behavioral outcomes. However, SDI is inconsistently implemented due to varying state policies, limited educator guidance, and disparities in defining research or evidence-based practices (EBPs). This study examined how state laws define and regulate SDI as well as incorporate EBPs to ensure instructional fidelity. We systematically analyzed state laws and policies to identify similarities, gaps, and inconsistencies within definitions of SDI, EBPs, and recommended instructional strategies. Findings indicate the need for a standardized definition of SDI, more precise policy guidance as to the planning and delivery of EBPs, and enhanced educator training to improve student outcomes.
{"title":"How are States Guiding Educators’ Implementation of Specially Designed Instruction: A Policy Documentation Review","authors":"Bradley S. Witzel, Jonté A. Myers, Pamela J. Mims","doi":"10.1177/00144029251413482","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00144029251413482","url":null,"abstract":"Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) is a legal and educational mandate that ensures students with disabilities receive individualized, evidence-based interventions to enhance their academic and behavioral outcomes. However, SDI is inconsistently implemented due to varying state policies, limited educator guidance, and disparities in defining research or evidence-based practices (EBPs). This study examined how state laws define and regulate SDI as well as incorporate EBPs to ensure instructional fidelity. We systematically analyzed state laws and policies to identify similarities, gaps, and inconsistencies within definitions of SDI, EBPs, and recommended instructional strategies. Findings indicate the need for a standardized definition of SDI, more precise policy guidance as to the planning and delivery of EBPs, and enhanced educator training to improve student outcomes.","PeriodicalId":48164,"journal":{"name":"Exceptional Children","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2026-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146146028","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-09DOI: 10.1177/00144029251410299
Daniel R. Espinas, Alexis Swanz, Allyson L. Hanson, Jessica A. R. Logan
We conducted a systematic review of missing data handling and reporting in a 1-year cross-section (2020) of group design special education intervention research. We identified 121 intervention studies. Of these 72 (60%) reported missing data at the case, variable, or item level. Few studies examined the mechanism underlying their missing data and most handled the missingness with either complete case analysis (listwise) or pairwise deletion. We discuss the implications of these findings and offer recommendations for improved reporting and handling methods.
{"title":"Missing Data Reporting and Handling in Special Education Group Intervention Research","authors":"Daniel R. Espinas, Alexis Swanz, Allyson L. Hanson, Jessica A. R. Logan","doi":"10.1177/00144029251410299","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00144029251410299","url":null,"abstract":"We conducted a systematic review of missing data handling and reporting in a 1-year cross-section (2020) of group design special education intervention research. We identified 121 intervention studies. Of these 72 (60%) reported missing data at the case, variable, or item level. Few studies examined the mechanism underlying their missing data and most handled the missingness with either complete case analysis (listwise) or pairwise deletion. We discuss the implications of these findings and offer recommendations for improved reporting and handling methods.","PeriodicalId":48164,"journal":{"name":"Exceptional Children","volume":"92 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2026-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146146029","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-09DOI: 10.1177/00144029251411003
Bryan G. Cook, Jesse I. Fleming, Tess Fruchtman, Katie Kostin, Amy K. Wasersztein, Danielle A. Waterfield, Suzanne McClain, Nathan P. Welker, Bruna F. Gonçalves, Francis Corr, Olivia Wallace, Stephanie Tatel, Amanda Eiser Hess
Access to published, peer-reviewed articles in special education is important to researchers and practitioners alike. However, much of the published literature base lies behind paywalls, inaccessible to many potential consumers. Although researchers can make their published work openly accessible in multiple ways, there is limited information on (a) the prevalence of open-access publishing, (b) predictors of open-access publishing, and (c) the costs of and options for accessing paywalled articles in special education. To address these gaps in the literature, we conducted a bibliometric analysis examining articles published in 2022 in 43 special education journals ( n = 1,678). In all, 55% of articles were openly accessible; results of a series of two-level logistic regression models indicated that funding for research, non-U.S. corresponding authors, and journal impact factor were positively associated with open-access publishing; and the average cost to access a paywalled article was approximately $36. Implications for equity, scientific progress, and the research-to-practice gap are discussed.
{"title":"Open-Access Publishing in Special Education Journals: A Multi-Level Bibliometric Analysis","authors":"Bryan G. Cook, Jesse I. Fleming, Tess Fruchtman, Katie Kostin, Amy K. Wasersztein, Danielle A. Waterfield, Suzanne McClain, Nathan P. Welker, Bruna F. Gonçalves, Francis Corr, Olivia Wallace, Stephanie Tatel, Amanda Eiser Hess","doi":"10.1177/00144029251411003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00144029251411003","url":null,"abstract":"Access to published, peer-reviewed articles in special education is important to researchers and practitioners alike. However, much of the published literature base lies behind paywalls, inaccessible to many potential consumers. Although researchers can make their published work openly accessible in multiple ways, there is limited information on (a) the prevalence of open-access publishing, (b) predictors of open-access publishing, and (c) the costs of and options for accessing paywalled articles in special education. To address these gaps in the literature, we conducted a bibliometric analysis examining articles published in 2022 in 43 special education journals ( <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">n</jats:italic> = 1,678). In all, 55% of articles were openly accessible; results of a series of two-level logistic regression models indicated that funding for research, non-U.S. corresponding authors, and journal impact factor were positively associated with open-access publishing; and the average cost to access a paywalled article was approximately $36. Implications for equity, scientific progress, and the research-to-practice gap are discussed.","PeriodicalId":48164,"journal":{"name":"Exceptional Children","volume":"247 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2026-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146146027","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-08DOI: 10.1177/00144029251408685
Alexandra Aylward, Alfredo J. Artiles, Catherine Kramarczuk Voulgarides, Adai Tefera, Sarah L. Alvarado, Pedro Noguera
Despite a policy framework aiming to provide equal opportunity and high-quality educational services, racially disparate outcomes persist within education. Under the Individual with Disabilities Education Act, states are mandated to identify and cite districts with “significant disproportionality” in special education. Notwithstanding policy, school districts continue to receive citations for disproportionality. We explored how district-level contextual variables related to the likelihood of a legal citation for racial disproportionality in special education among suburban districts, and how these factors covary with changes in citation status. Building on extant research on racial composition, we used discrete-time event history analysis methodology (EHA) to specifically examine how district-level racial segregation, measured with the dissimilarity index, related to the experience of a citation during the 2004–2005 to 2011–2012 school years. The results indicate that districts with higher Black–White segregation levels were far more likely to be cited. The findings suggest that national data obscure the actual situated, localized patterns of racial disproportionality.
尽管有旨在提供平等机会和高质量教育服务的政策框架，但在教育领域，种族差异的结果仍然存在。根据《残疾人教育法》（Individual with Disabilities Education Act），各州有义务确定并列举在特殊教育方面“严重不成比例”的地区。尽管有这样的政策，各学区仍继续收到不均衡的奖状。我们探讨了地区层面的背景变量如何与郊区特殊教育中种族不均衡的法律引用可能性相关，以及这些因素如何随引用状态的变化而变化。在现有种族构成研究的基础上，我们使用离散时间事件历史分析方法（EHA）专门研究了2004-2005学年至2011-2012学年期间，用不相似指数衡量的地区一级种族隔离与引文经验的关系。结果表明，黑人-白人隔离水平较高的地区更有可能被引用。研究结果表明，国家数据掩盖了实际的、局部的种族不均衡模式。
{"title":"Deepening the Study of Disproportionality in Special Education: A Contextual Analysis Within Suburban School Districts","authors":"Alexandra Aylward, Alfredo J. Artiles, Catherine Kramarczuk Voulgarides, Adai Tefera, Sarah L. Alvarado, Pedro Noguera","doi":"10.1177/00144029251408685","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00144029251408685","url":null,"abstract":"Despite a policy framework aiming to provide equal opportunity and high-quality educational services, racially disparate outcomes persist within education. Under the Individual with Disabilities Education Act, states are mandated to identify and cite districts with “significant disproportionality” in special education. Notwithstanding policy, school districts continue to receive citations for disproportionality. We explored how district-level contextual variables related to the likelihood of a legal citation for racial disproportionality in special education among suburban districts, and how these factors covary with changes in citation status. Building on extant research on racial composition, we used discrete-time event history analysis methodology (EHA) to specifically examine how district-level racial segregation, measured with the dissimilarity index, related to the experience of a citation during the 2004–2005 to 2011–2012 school years. The results indicate that districts with higher Black–White segregation levels were far more likely to be cited. The findings suggest that national data obscure the actual situated, localized patterns of racial disproportionality.","PeriodicalId":48164,"journal":{"name":"Exceptional Children","volume":"3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145920177","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-17DOI: 10.1177/00144029251403394
Michelle M. Sands, Hedda Meadan, Stacy N. McGuire
To ensure children with disabilities (CWD) have a successful transition to kindergarten, teachers have been encouraged to use high-intensity, or individualized, transition practices. Yet, there exists little research regarding principals’ perceptions of transition practice use for CWD. The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study was to better understand how principals’ perceptions are related to the reported use of transition practices by teachers to support CWD and their families, and their perceived importance and feasibility. A questionnaire designed for this study was used to understand what 150 principals from one midwestern U.S. state report about teachers’ use of kindergarten transition practices to support CWD, and their perceptions of transition practices. Next, interviews were conducted with 14 principals to further explain findings from the initial phase, using a purposeful sample and interview protocol developed using findings from the completed questionnaires. According to findings, principals perceived preschool teachers as having an essential role in the transition process and as using a higher number of transition practices when compared to those used by kindergarten teachers. Principals in this study perceived proximity of preschool and kindergarten classrooms as one contributing factor to the use of transition practices. Lastly, principals who reported teachers’ use of a higher number of overall and high-intensity transition practices were able to describe multiple benefits of their use. While these findings indicate a potential need for professional development to support principals’ understanding of best practices as they relate to kindergarten transition for CWD, further investigation using statistical methods of analysis and comparison to teacher perceptions is suggested.
{"title":"Principals’ Perceptions Related to Transition to Kindergarten for Children With Disabilities: A Mixed Methods Study","authors":"Michelle M. Sands, Hedda Meadan, Stacy N. McGuire","doi":"10.1177/00144029251403394","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00144029251403394","url":null,"abstract":"To ensure children with disabilities (CWD) have a successful transition to kindergarten, teachers have been encouraged to use high-intensity, or individualized, transition practices. Yet, there exists little research regarding principals’ perceptions of transition practice use for CWD. The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed methods study was to better understand how principals’ perceptions are related to the reported use of transition practices by teachers to support CWD and their families, and their perceived importance and feasibility. A questionnaire designed for this study was used to understand what 150 principals from one midwestern U.S. state report about teachers’ use of kindergarten transition practices to support CWD, and their perceptions of transition practices. Next, interviews were conducted with 14 principals to further explain findings from the initial phase, using a purposeful sample and interview protocol developed using findings from the completed questionnaires. According to findings, principals perceived preschool teachers as having an essential role in the transition process and as using a higher number of transition practices when compared to those used by kindergarten teachers. Principals in this study perceived proximity of preschool and kindergarten classrooms as one contributing factor to the use of transition practices. Lastly, principals who reported teachers’ use of a higher number of overall and high-intensity transition practices were able to describe multiple benefits of their use. While these findings indicate a potential need for professional development to support principals’ understanding of best practices as they relate to kindergarten transition for CWD, further investigation using statistical methods of analysis and comparison to teacher perceptions is suggested.","PeriodicalId":48164,"journal":{"name":"Exceptional Children","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145770720","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-08DOI: 10.1177/00144029251397173
Tessa L. Arsenault, Sarah R. Powell
Students with mathematics difficulty (MD) frequently experience difficulty with language and communication in mathematics (math). This can impact student performance in word-problem (WP) solving and math writing (MW), two skills required by state standards and on high-stakes assessments. In this study, we added a MW component within a WP intervention. The goal was to explore the potential of supporting MW performance and WP performance through practice in reasoning and communicating. Grade 4 students with MD were assigned to one of three conditions: WP and MW intervention (WP + MW), WP alone intervention (WP-alone), and business-as-usual (BaU) with no intervention from the research team. Results indicated an advantage for the students in the WP + MW condition compared to the students in the WP-alone and BaU conditions on a MW rubric proximal to the intervention. We also identified a nonsignificant, but encouraging trend for WP solving for the students in the WP + MW and WP-alone conditions compared to the students in the BaU condition. Additionally, students in the WP + MW condition reported positive perspectives on participating in MW instruction. The study results demonstrate the potential for combining a MW component with a WP intervention, indicating the need for a larger-scale examination of MW instruction within a WP intervention.
{"title":"Informative Mathematics Writing Within an Additive Word-Problem Intervention: Exploring Mathematics-Writing and Word-Problem Outcomes for Grade 4 Students With Mathematics Difficulty","authors":"Tessa L. Arsenault, Sarah R. Powell","doi":"10.1177/00144029251397173","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00144029251397173","url":null,"abstract":"Students with mathematics difficulty (MD) frequently experience difficulty with language and communication in mathematics (math). This can impact student performance in word-problem (WP) solving and math writing (MW), two skills required by state standards and on high-stakes assessments. In this study, we added a MW component within a WP intervention. The goal was to explore the potential of supporting MW performance and WP performance through practice in reasoning and communicating. Grade 4 students with MD were assigned to one of three conditions: WP and MW intervention (WP + MW), WP alone intervention (WP-alone), and business-as-usual (BaU) with no intervention from the research team. Results indicated an advantage for the students in the WP + MW condition compared to the students in the WP-alone and BaU conditions on a MW rubric proximal to the intervention. We also identified a nonsignificant, but encouraging trend for WP solving for the students in the WP + MW and WP-alone conditions compared to the students in the BaU condition. Additionally, students in the WP + MW condition reported positive perspectives on participating in MW instruction. The study results demonstrate the potential for combining a MW component with a WP intervention, indicating the need for a larger-scale examination of MW instruction within a WP intervention.","PeriodicalId":48164,"journal":{"name":"Exceptional Children","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145704139","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-05DOI: 10.1177/00144029251399962
Jahyun Yoo, Aydin Bal
This systematic review examines the systemic contradictions hindering the implementation of inclusive education for students with disabilities in U.S. elementary schools through the lens of Cultural-Historical Activity Theory. The present synthesis of 16 empirical studies identified systemic contradictions within and across the general and special education systems, including tensions in tools, rules, and roles perpetuating exclusionary practices. Findings show that entrenched individualistic and deterministic ideologies, fragmented collaboration, and inadequate resources exacerbate and perpetuate exclusionary practices, therefore marginalizing students with disabilities. This review underscores the critical need for systemic, equity-driven solutions, including reimagining accountability systems, fostering collaborative cultures and infrastructures, and addressing the intersectional needs of students with disabilities by amplifying the experiences, interests, goals, and dreams of students with disabilities and their families.
{"title":"Unpacking Systemic Contradictions in Inclusive Education Through a Cultural-Historical Activity Theoretical Analysis","authors":"Jahyun Yoo, Aydin Bal","doi":"10.1177/00144029251399962","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00144029251399962","url":null,"abstract":"This systematic review examines the systemic contradictions hindering the implementation of inclusive education for students with disabilities in U.S. elementary schools through the lens of Cultural-Historical Activity Theory. The present synthesis of 16 empirical studies identified systemic contradictions within and across the general and special education systems, including tensions in tools, rules, and roles perpetuating exclusionary practices. Findings show that entrenched individualistic and deterministic ideologies, fragmented collaboration, and inadequate resources exacerbate and perpetuate exclusionary practices, therefore marginalizing students with disabilities. This review underscores the critical need for systemic, equity-driven solutions, including reimagining accountability systems, fostering collaborative cultures and infrastructures, and addressing the intersectional needs of students with disabilities by amplifying the experiences, interests, goals, and dreams of students with disabilities and their families.","PeriodicalId":48164,"journal":{"name":"Exceptional Children","volume":"132 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145680338","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-02DOI: 10.1177/00144029251396747
Garrett J. Roberts, Greg Roberts, Philip Capin, Anna-Mari Fall, Brian B. Vedder, Anna Handy, Michelle Jestice
We investigate the efficacy of a reading intervention integrated with Engaged Learners, a program that applies behavioral and cognitive principles to increase student behavioral attention and reduce distractions during instruction. Using a three-arm randomized controlled trial, we randomized 159 Grade 3–5 students with co-occurring reading and behavioral attention challenges to a researcher-implemented small group reading intervention with Engaged Learners (READ + ENGAGE), an identical researcher-implemented reading intervention without Engaged Learners (READ), or a Business-as-Usual (BaU) condition. The READ + ENGAGE condition students demonstrated statistically significant greater behavioral attention according to direct observations and interventionist reports than READ condition students. The pattern of reading effect sizes contrasting the conditions suggests that the READ + ENGAGE and READ conditions were associated with higher performance on reading outcomes than the BaU condition and students in the READ condition significantly outperformed the BaU condition on measures of word reading, fluency and reading comprehension, and mid-transfer vocabulary and reading comprehension. We also explored whether integrating the Engaged Learners program in a reading intervention would be associated with improved reading outcomes by contrasting the READ + ENGAGE to the READ condition; however, the findings did not support this hypothesis. Future research could examine the effects of systematically fading the Engaged Learner supports over time and implementing the intervention over a longer duration. These findings demonstrate that an integrated intervention can be implemented with minimal training and coaching, increasing behavioral attention to reading instruction during small-group instruction for upper elementary students with co-occurring reading and behavioral attention challenges.
{"title":"The Efficacy of Integrating Engaged Learners Into Small Group Reading Instruction on Reading and Attention Outcomes: A Randomized Controlled Trial","authors":"Garrett J. Roberts, Greg Roberts, Philip Capin, Anna-Mari Fall, Brian B. Vedder, Anna Handy, Michelle Jestice","doi":"10.1177/00144029251396747","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00144029251396747","url":null,"abstract":"We investigate the efficacy of a reading intervention integrated with Engaged Learners, a program that applies behavioral and cognitive principles to increase student behavioral attention and reduce distractions during instruction. Using a three-arm randomized controlled trial, we randomized 159 Grade 3–5 students with co-occurring reading and behavioral attention challenges to a researcher-implemented small group reading intervention with Engaged Learners (READ + ENGAGE), an identical researcher-implemented reading intervention without Engaged Learners (READ), or a Business-as-Usual (BaU) condition. The READ + ENGAGE condition students demonstrated statistically significant greater behavioral attention according to direct observations and interventionist reports than READ condition students. The pattern of reading effect sizes contrasting the conditions suggests that the READ + ENGAGE and READ conditions were associated with higher performance on reading outcomes than the BaU condition and students in the READ condition significantly outperformed the BaU condition on measures of word reading, fluency and reading comprehension, and mid-transfer vocabulary and reading comprehension. We also explored whether integrating the Engaged Learners program in a reading intervention would be associated with improved reading outcomes by contrasting the READ + ENGAGE to the READ condition; however, the findings did not support this hypothesis. Future research could examine the effects of systematically fading the Engaged Learner supports over time and implementing the intervention over a longer duration. These findings demonstrate that an integrated intervention can be implemented with minimal training and coaching, increasing behavioral attention to reading instruction during small-group instruction for upper elementary students with co-occurring reading and behavioral attention challenges.","PeriodicalId":48164,"journal":{"name":"Exceptional Children","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145664489","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-24DOI: 10.1177/00144029251389391
Eline N. Desimpelaere, Dora Verreu, Els Ortibus, Bart Soenens, Peter Prinzie, Sarah S.W. De Pauw
Parental burnout (PB)—a condition characterized by intense exhaustion in the parental role, emotional distancing from one's children, feeling fed up with parenting, and contrast with the previous parental self—has gained increasing attention, predominantly among parents of neurotypical children. Research on PB in parents of children with complex care needs, such as children on the autism spectrum, is comparatively limited, despite indications of elevated PB levels in this population. This qualitative study aims to deepen the understanding of PB in mothers raising children on the autism spectrum by (1) examining the imbalance of stressors over resources mothers encounter before PB, (2) identifying the factors that push them over the edge into PB, and (3) exploring their lived experiences of PB. Fifteen mothers of children on the autism spectrum (aged 6 to 16 years) who experienced PB participated in a semi-structured interview. The thematic analysis revealed major stressors, including the child's challenging behaviors, the mother's perceived irreplaceability, the struggle to balance multiple roles, and inadequate social support. Although mothers shifted perspectives and found relief in activities beyond parenting, this proved insufficient to offset their overwhelming stress. This imbalance, compounded by loss of control, feelings of entrapment, and absence of a lifeline, culminated in PB. Interestingly, in the manifestation of PB, emotional distancing was less pronounced, and feeling fed up with parenting was closely tied to feelings of “living loss”. This study enhances the understanding of PB in mothers raising children on the autism spectrum and paves the way toward more tailored parent support.
{"title":"From Caring to Collapsing: A Qualitative Exploration of Parental Burnout in Mothers of Children on the Autism Spectrum","authors":"Eline N. Desimpelaere, Dora Verreu, Els Ortibus, Bart Soenens, Peter Prinzie, Sarah S.W. De Pauw","doi":"10.1177/00144029251389391","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00144029251389391","url":null,"abstract":"Parental burnout (PB)—a condition characterized by intense exhaustion in the parental role, emotional distancing from one's children, feeling fed up with parenting, and contrast with the previous parental self—has gained increasing attention, predominantly among parents of neurotypical children. Research on PB in parents of children with complex care needs, such as children on the autism spectrum, is comparatively limited, despite indications of elevated PB levels in this population. This qualitative study aims to deepen the understanding of PB in mothers raising children on the autism spectrum by (1) examining the imbalance of stressors over resources mothers encounter before PB, (2) identifying the factors that push them over the edge into PB, and (3) exploring their lived experiences of PB. Fifteen mothers of children on the autism spectrum (aged 6 to 16 years) who experienced PB participated in a semi-structured interview. The thematic analysis revealed major stressors, including the child's challenging behaviors, the mother's perceived irreplaceability, the struggle to balance multiple roles, and inadequate social support. Although mothers shifted perspectives and found relief in activities beyond parenting, this proved insufficient to offset their overwhelming stress. This imbalance, compounded by loss of control, feelings of entrapment, and absence of a lifeline, culminated in PB. Interestingly, in the manifestation of PB, emotional distancing was less pronounced, and feeling fed up with parenting was closely tied to feelings of “living loss”. This study enhances the understanding of PB in mothers raising children on the autism spectrum and paves the way toward more tailored parent support.","PeriodicalId":48164,"journal":{"name":"Exceptional Children","volume":"2 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145593583","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-19DOI: 10.1177/00144029251386280
Carlyn Mueller, Tanushree Sarkar
Literary works authored by youth with disabilities provide insightful perspectives on their lived experiences, understanding of disability community, and processes of disability identity development. In this paper, we respond to the question raised by Erevelles et al. (2019) , “What would curriculum studies look like if disabled people re-imagined the curriculum?” (p. 358) by examining literature written by disabled youth. We propose the existence of a disability justice generation whose perspectives are crucial to consider with the K–12 curriculum, particularly to extend existing notions of justice within education. Nine texts written by disabled youth about their lived experiences were analyzed to learn about their perceptions of disability and disability identity. The texts were analyzed using a disability justice framework. Results indicated that texts highlight the importance of the disability community and meaning-making related to disability identity. Intersectionality and the interdependence of their relationships with their peers with disabilities, educators, and families were important themes across the texts. Results highlight the rich and meaningful experiences of disabled youth, and we consider what stories of and by disabled youth can offer to curricula.
{"title":"Exploring a Disability Justice Generation With Youth-Authored Disability Texts","authors":"Carlyn Mueller, Tanushree Sarkar","doi":"10.1177/00144029251386280","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00144029251386280","url":null,"abstract":"Literary works authored by youth with disabilities provide insightful perspectives on their lived experiences, understanding of disability community, and processes of disability identity development. In this paper, we respond to the question raised by <jats:xref ref-type=\"bibr\">Erevelles et al. (2019)</jats:xref> , “What would curriculum studies look like if disabled people re-imagined the curriculum?” (p. 358) by examining literature written by disabled youth. We propose the existence of a disability justice generation whose perspectives are crucial to consider with the K–12 curriculum, particularly to extend existing notions of justice within education. Nine texts written by disabled youth about their lived experiences were analyzed to learn about their perceptions of disability and disability identity. The texts were analyzed using a disability justice framework. Results indicated that texts highlight the importance of the disability community and meaning-making related to disability identity. Intersectionality and the interdependence of their relationships with their peers with disabilities, educators, and families were important themes across the texts. Results highlight the rich and meaningful experiences of disabled youth, and we consider what stories of and by disabled youth can offer to curricula.","PeriodicalId":48164,"journal":{"name":"Exceptional Children","volume":"27 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-11-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145553735","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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