Teaching Students with Severe Disabilities

About our authors David Westling is Professor Emeritus at Western Carolina University. He joined the faculty at WCU as the Adelaide Worth Daniels Distinguished Professor of Special Education in 1997. Before arriving at WCU, Dr. Westling was on the faculty in special education at Florida State University. He received the EdD degree in Special Education from the University of Florida in 1976 with related areas of study in Applied Behavior Analysis and Educational Research. He is the coauthor of several books in special education, including Teaching Students with Severe Disabilities, Special Education for Today’s Teachers: An Introduction, and Inclusion: Effective Practices for All Teachers and has published more than 60 papers in refereed journals in special education. Dr. Westling served on the editorial boards of several professional journals, is past President of the Board of Directors for TASH, was codirector of the personnel preparation project in severe disabilities at Western Carolina University and was codirector of the Western Carolina University’s University Participant Program. Dr. Westling was a Fulbright Research Scholar in Salzburg, Austria, in 1994. Erik Carter is Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Special Education at Vanderbilt University. His research and teaching focuses on evidence-based strategies for supporting inclusion and valued roles in school, work, community and congregational settings for children and adults with intellectual disability, autism and multiple disabilities. Prior to receiving his doctorate, Dr. Carter worked as a high school teacher and transition specialist. He has published widely in the areas of educational and transition services for children and youth with disabilities, including nearly 200 articles and chapters as well as 7 books. He has received research awards from the Council for Exceptional Children, the American Association for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and the Association of University Centers on Disabilities. He is coeditor of Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals and associate editor for Exceptional Children, Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities and Journal of Religion and Disability. Alexandra Da Fonte is an associate professor of the practice in the Department of Special Education at Vanderbilt University and a member of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. She earned a PhD in Special Education from Purdue University in 2008 in Severe Disabilities, with a specialization in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Her primary interests are in the areas of AAC, teacher training, bridging research-to-practice and in training pre- and in-service special education teachers to work with students with complex communication needs (CCN). She is the coauthor of Effective Augmentative and Alternative Communication Practices: A Handbook for School-based Practitioners. Dr. Da Fonte brings experiences as a special education teacher and as a special education and AAC consultant. She has over 25 years of experience working with students with intellectual and multiple disabilities and their families in public, private and home settings. Jennifer Kurth is an associate professor of special education at the University of Kansas and affiliated faculty at the Kansas University Center on Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (KUCDD). Her research centers on inclusive education for students with extensive and pervasive support needs. This includes examining outcomes of inclusion in terms of skill development and quality of life indicators for students with disabilities, as well as how educators develop skills and dispositions for inclusive practices. She was the recipient of the TASH Early Career Researcher Award. Prior to starting her doctoral program at the University of California at Davis, Dr. Kurth was an inclusion specialist teaching adolescents with severe disabilities in California.

Brief Table of Contents PART ONE: Important Considerations Prior to Teaching Students with Severe Disabilities

Students with Severe Disabilities: Descriptions, Characteristics, and Possibilities
Philosophies and Practices for Teaching Students with Severe Disabilities
Collaboration among Educators, Professionals, and Families

PART TWO: General Instructional Procedures

Assessment and Planning for Instruction
Teaching Students to Learn, Generalize, and Maintain Skills
Evaluating Student Progress
Supporting Inclusive Education

PART THREE: Specific Instructional Procedures and Supports

Providing Support for Health and Medical Needs
Assessment and Instruction of Communication Skills
Teaching Personal Care Skills
Teaching Academic Skills
Teaching Home and Community Skills
Fostering Friendships and Recreational Involvement
Providing Behavior Support to Improve Challenging Behavior

PART FOUR: Special Considerations

Using Assistive Technology
Meeting the Needs of Young Children
Transitioning to Adulthood