Search results

Given the complex and chronic nature of emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), the search for and use of evidence-based practices may be hindered by the way we frame questions of what works. Instead of asking “what works in EBD?” – a question that is framed around an eligibility category and not specific behavioral and academic needs – we argue that the question should be contextualized around the targets of intervention. With the right question in mind – “what works for addressing this problem?” professionals in the field must reach consensus on ways to evaluate the current knowledge base and provide guidelines for future research to answer the question. Interventions that address specific behavioral and academic needs, are simple to implement, explicit in their execution, and predictable in their outcomes are most likely to be useful to teachers and to contribute to an evidence base for EBD.

Several questions guide our analysis of behavioral concerns. First, are there in fact differences in children that predispose them to difficult behavior in school? For example, are there endogenous learning or behavioral characteristics, or learned behaviors that children bring to school, which make some children more likely to succeed in navigating the complex social and academic environments they will encounter? If so, can these characteristics be altered, can behaviors be changed, or can their impact be ameliorated through intervention? Reid (this volume) addressed many of these questions in his chapter on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), especially as the questions relate to academics. Using Barkley's (2006) theoretical work as a framework, and recent descriptive and longitudinal data, Reid discusses the academic status and trajectory of students with ADHD. Looking closely at possible causal factors for academic problems, Reid identifies and describes promising interventions, such as computer-assisted instruction, peer tutoring, and strategy instruction.

The gap between research and practice in special education places an artificial ceiling on the achievement of students with learning and behavioral disabilities. Evidence-based practices (EBPs) are instructional practices shown by bodies of sound research to be generally effective. They represent a possible means to address the research-to-practice gap by identifying, and subsequently implementing, the most effective instructional practices on the basis of reliable, scientific research. In this chapter, we provide a context for the subsequent chapters in this volume by (a) defining and describing EBPs, (b) recognizing some of important limitations to EBPs, (c) introducing a number of ongoing issues related to EBPs in the field of learning and behavioral disabilities that are addressed by chapter authors in this volume, and (d) briefly considering a few emerging issues related to EBPs that we believe will become increasingly prominent in the near future.

In this introductory chapter of volume 32 of Advances in Learning and Behavioral Disabilities, we provide an overview of the considerations of intensive, individualized interventions and preview the 10 chapters in the volume. We asked chapter authors to consider the full scope of delivering such learning and behavioral interventions – describing tiered systems of support, identifying students who require intensive and individualized interventions, presenting elements associated with such interventions, and identifying specific examples of intensive and individualized interventions.