2018 TASH Conference

Inclusive education rates for students with significant cognitive disabilities continues to be abysmal, even though we have decades of research illustrating positive outcomes for inclusion. By examining current research and deconstructing larger policy and practice issues, it is possible to develop innovative plans to help the field move forward. This session will bring together several strands of research and inquiry into solutions to systemic barriers for inclusive practices at the federal, state and school levels. This session will look at the current state of inclusive practices, consider the implications for federal policy and state and local practice, and then consider how to use processes from other fields, such as implementation science, to move forward. We will illustrate research related to patterns of inclusive (and segregated) contexts, school and postschool outcomes and opportunities for students who have been included in general education contexts as well as those who have not. We will examine the “Gold Standard” of research and will problematize what it means to have evidence-based practices (EBP), especially for students with IDD. This portion will identify areas of concern for identifying EBP for this population (i.e., the small “n” size of this population, the lack of research within inclusive contexts, and the reliance our field has on the single case design study). These factors combined with funding agencies typical preference for large populations and randomized controlled trials, effectively limit the level of research we are able to do and support we are able to systematically provide to educators working with this population. Next, we will report initial findings and recommendations from a national cohort of experts who explored and identified best practices for students with IDD and future research and policy needs at the student, classroom and school, state and federal levels.