Restraint and seclusion are practices used by educators to intervene when a student is in imminent danger of hurting themselves or others. These practices are often misused, resulting in negative long-term emotional, behavioral, and academic impacts on students and families. Although restraint and seclusion practices are recognized as dangerous and abusive, there is no federal legislation restricting their use, and states are tasked with developing their own protections for students. The United States Department of Education issued 15 guiding principles to assist states when developing laws governing the use of restraint and seclusion. The current study extends previous research by using micro-coding to analyze and compare how states address each of the 15 guiding principles. Across states, there were considerable inconsistencies in the number of principles covered in state laws and in how each principle was addressed. Recommendations are provided for policymakers at the district and state levels as they review and revise policies and laws to more consistently address the 15 guiding principles and better protect students from the misuse of restraint and seclusion practices.

The purpose of this descriptive case study was to evaluate the extent to which high school special education teachers could implement a technology-based self-monitoring intervention, I-Connect, after completing a brief, asynchronous online training. Participants included three high school special education teachers and four students receiving special education who implemented I-Connect in their classrooms across 3 school weeks with minimal researcher involvement. Data were collected on completion of training materials, intervention design decisions, ongoing data-based individualization, social validity, and teacher perceptions of student behavior. Analysis included evaluating adherence to training materials and research-based recommendations for self-monitoring intervention design, data-based individualization, and changes in social validity from pre- to post-intervention. Limitations, directions for future research, and implications for practice are discussed.

James M. Kauffman left a legacy of contributions in special education research and practice, much of it focused on emotional and behavioral disorders, that will be consulted by scholars long into the future. Throughout his career, Kauffman exhibited a tireless energy, a devotion to excellence, and a dedication to improving educational outcomes for children and youths with disabilities, especially those with emotional and behavioral disorders. We summarize his contributions to research, instruction, and policy. We encourage current and future leaders to honor his efforts by forging ahead in the pursuit of humane support for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), their families, and their teachers.

Individuals with disabilities who exhibit dangerous, threatening behavior are subjected to higher rates of physical restraint, a procedure that restricts an individual’s ability to move freely. It is regrettable that efforts on eliminating the use of restraint have been ineffective, as there are many issues that coincide with the use of restraint (e.g., access to education, injury). Research on this subject is limited. The current study extends this research by examining 112 teachers’ perceptions of knowledge and training of physical restraint use with students with disabilities. Results indicate several statistically significant variables associated with perceptions, such as school location and teaching position. In light of the study’s findings, teachers, especially general education teachers and teachers in rural areas, must be provided with more training on restraint use, including the issues and concerns that coincide with its use, and equitable support from administrators.

This study evaluated the convergent and discriminant validity of scores from screening tools for depression (Traumatic Symptom Checklist for Children [TSCC], Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-Second Version [MAYSI-2], Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale-Second Edition [RADS-2], Adolescent Psychopathology Scale, Short Form [APSSF-Short Form]) and suicidality (Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire Junior High School Version [SIQ-JR], MAYSI-2) with adjudicated youth. We also evaluated if convergent and divergent correlational relationships were statistically invariant across ethnic groups. Correlations evaluating convergent validity within subscales measuring depression and suicide ideation were r = 0.38–0.56. Correlations evaluating divergent evidence across depression and suicide ideation were r = 0.32–0.58. Concerning convergent correlations, both depression subscales and suicide ideation subscales were nearly 0.1 higher for White youth compared to African American youth. Results indicate that caution is needed when selecting screening tools and the importance of utilizing multiple sources of information, varied methods, and data from multiple settings. Additional results and implications are noted.

Supporting parents in foundational positive behavior support strategies for use with their child is a commonly employed method to improve child behavior in natural contexts, including the home. Parents have learned and implemented a variety of strategies with integrity; however, there is limited research regarding the maintenance of skills. Furthermore, although parents have been taught to implement behavior-specific praise (BSP), the quality of parent BSP has yet to be evaluated. Using a single-case design, the researchers taught three parents to use targeted levels of BSP that contained quality elements, including contingency, immediacy, and variety. Results demonstrated that behavioral skills training resulted in parent mastery of BSP for both frequency and quality; however, skills diminished during maintenance. Self-monitoring was then introduced, resulting in increases to targeted levels. Child engagement and problem behavior were also assessed, with mixed results. Social validity for both BSP and self-monitoring indicated that parents found the practices to be acceptable and feasible.

Elementary school students with or at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) are likely to experience social difficulties and challenges with peer relationships (e.g., victimization, rejection, isolation, and negative peer influence). A particularly salient influence on students’ classroom-based social experiences is how they are perceived by their classmates. The current study examined the extent to which the behavioral reputations of a group of U.S. K to third-grade students identified as with or at risk for EBD (focal students; n = 26) differed from their classmates ( n = 120). Results revealed that focal students had poorer behavioral reputations among the domains of Starts Fights , Says Mean Things , Nice , Cooperates , and Gives the Teacher a Hard Time ; and that these reputations were stable over time. Interestingly, there were no differences between focal students and their classmates for the reputation of being Picked On . Implications and limitations are discussed.

Many students who experience behavioral difficulties (BD) also experience learning difficulties (LD) in school; however, little research exists on how to support the academic achievement of students with co-occurring BD/LD. Even less research exists for students who experience these co-occurring difficulties at the high school or secondary level. The goal of this synthesis was to explore the effects of academic interventions on the academic outcomes (i.e., reading, mathematics, and writing) of high school students with co-occurring BD/LD. A total of nine single-case design studies met criteria for this synthesis, including two dissertations. Four studies examined mathematics outcomes, four studies assessed reading outcomes, and two studies targeted spelling outcomes, with one study examining both mathematics and spelling. The calculated Tau-U effect sizes ranged from 0.54 to 1.0 across studies. Implications for research and practice are discussed with the goal of contributing to the small body of research on secondary-age students with co-occurring BD/LD.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between teachers’ reports of classroom adversity, a measure of classroom hardship, and student problem behavior in a sample of students with or at risk of emotional/behavioral disorders. We also examined the extent to which this relation varied as a function of multiple domains of classroom quality. A series of multiple regression models, adjusting for the nesting of students within classrooms, were conducted. Models revealed a significant effect of the interaction between classroom adversity and classroom emotional support on teachers’ reports of student problem behaviors. This effect indicated that in low-adversity classrooms, teachers differed in their reports of students’ problem behaviors depending on their level of emotional support. In high-adversity classrooms, however, teachers’ reports of students’ problem behaviors were relatively similar regardless of their level of emotional support. Findings suggest classroom adversity is likely an important contextual factor to consider when examining student outcomes and that teacher emotional support may mitigate the influence of classroom adversity. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of this work for research and practice.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of MoBeGo, a mobile self-monitoring app, on the initial and sustained academic engagement and disruptive behavior of third- to eighth-grade students with challenging behavior. Student–teacher pairs ( N = 57) were randomly assigned to the treatment (MoBeGo) or control (business-as-usual) condition. We conducted systematic direct observation of students’ behavior throughout prebaseline, baseline, intervention, and postintervention conditions of the study. Multivariate multilevel models revealed differential improvement for the MoBeGo group in student outcomes (less disruptive behavior; more academic engagement) from baseline to intervention, as well as successful postintervention effects for disruptive behavior. Limitations, future directions, and implications for practice are discussed.