Applicants to a Special Education Advocacy Training Program: "Insiders" in the Disability Advocacy World.

Although social groups have "insiders," this construct has not been measured within the disability advocacy community. Examining 405 individuals who applied for an advocacy training program, this study examined the nature of insiderness within the disability advocacy community and ties to individual roles. Participants showed differences in mean ratings across 10 insider items. A principal components analysis revealed two distinct factors: Organizational Involvement and Social Connectedness. Non-school providers scored highest on Organizational Involvement; family members/self-advocates highest on Social Connectedness. Themes from open-ended responses supported the factors and showed differences in motivation and information sources across insiderness levels and roles. Qualitative analysis revealed two additional aspects of insiderness not addressed in the scale. Implications are discussed for future practice and research.

A Tale of Two Adaptations of a Special Education Advocacy Program.

Special education advocacy programs support families to secure services for their children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Although research demonstrates the efficacy of one such program (the Volunteer Advocacy Project), its effectiveness when replicated by others is unknown. Replication research is critical to ensure that programs can remain effective. The purpose of this study was to explore the adaptation process for two agencies that replicated an advocacy program. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected to examine feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness. Although it took resources to replicate the advocacy program, agencies reported ongoing implementation would be easier once adaptations were completed. The adapted programs were effective in increasing participants' knowledge, empowerment, advocacy, and insiderness. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Educating Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Is Teacher Certification Area Associated with Academic Outcomes?

Although typically taught by special educators, few studies have examined if certification area is associated with academic outcomes for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The purpose of this study was to determine whether students with ASD scored better on language arts and mathematics state assessments depending on teacher certification, and whether these associations varied by assessment type. We analyzed 3 years of state administrative data from students with ASD in grades 4-8 receiving special education services. Results showed students taking the regular or alternate assessment had similar academic outcomes regardless of teacher certification. Students who were taught by special education certified teachers and took the modified assessment had lower academic outcomes. Implications for practice, policy, and research are discussed.

Families Requesting Advocates for Children With Disabilities: The Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of Special Education Advocacy.

Because parents face barriers in advocating for their children within the special education system, some families request help from a special education advocate. In this study, we evaluated the perceptions of caregivers who requested advocacy support to understand why, for whom, when, and where the advocacy services were needed; how the advocate helped; and what the outcomes of the advocacy process were and which variables related to better outcomes. We conducted structured interviews with 36 families who had requested help and connected with an advocate over a 3-year period. Compared to national norms, families were more likely to request an advocate if their child had ASD, was in elementary school, and lived in non-rural areas. Family requests were most often for advocate attendance at IEP meetings; help to resolve disagreements with the school concerning supports and services; and information about school services and parental rights. Most advocate assistance was for a short duration, although a longer duration process, advocate attendance at meetings, and more intensive advocate assistance were all related to better outcomes. Most participants were satisfied with the advocate and with the end-result of the advocacy process. Findings are discussed in terms of implications for future research and practice.

Effects of School-Home Communication With Parent-Implemented Reinforcement on Off-Task Behavior for Students With ASD.

School-home communication is highly valued for parents of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and other developmental disabilities. However, parents report poor communication as a common barrier to developing partnerships with schools. Using a multiple baseline design, we evaluated the effects of a school-home note intervention with parent-implemented reinforcement for decreasing off-task behavior of students with ASD at school. We also evaluated social validity (i.e., feasibility and acceptability) of the intervention and outcomes. Only two of the four participants showed clear behavior change, which precluded the demonstration of functional relations. However, all participating parents and teachers reported the school-home note and parent-implemented contingent reinforcement were highly feasible and acceptable, and indicated positive outcomes relating to improved family-school partnership and communication. Findings of this study, which meets single-case design standards and quality indicators, are discussed in terms of future research and practice.

Correlates of Sustained Volunteering: Advocacy for Students with Disabilities.

Parents of students with disabilities often receive support from special education advocates, who may be trained through a variety of programs. Using a web-based survey, this study examined the post-graduation advocacy activities of 83 graduates of one such volunteer advocacy training program. In the 1-4 years after program graduation, 63.8% (53 of 83) of the graduates advocated for one or more families; these sustained advocates reported stable rates of advocacy over time, and advocates performed activities that were either family-focused or school-focused. For graduates who advocated post-training, amounts of advocacy were positively related to satisfaction with advocating and with higher levels of involvement with other advocates and with the broader disability community. Compared to those not advocating after graduating, sustained advocates reported greater advocacy-role identities, increased involvement in disability groups, and higher likelihood to advocate in the upcoming year. Future research and practice implications are discussed.

Identifying the associated factors of mediation and due process in families of students with autism spectrum disorder.

Compared to families of students with other types of disabilities, families of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are significantly more likely to enact their procedural safeguards such as mediation and due process. However, we do not know which school, child, and parent characteristics are associated with the enactment of safeguards. For this study, 507 parents of students with ASD responded to a national web-based survey. Parents who filed for due process or mediation were more likely to advocate for their child, have poor family-school partnerships, and have greater household incomes. Parents were also more likely to utilize their safeguards if their children were older, experiencing more internalizing behaviors, and educated in segregated placements. Implications for research and practice are discussed.