In recent years, researchers have worked closely with parents, teachers, other school staff, and external stakeholders to increase knowledge on ways to effectively teach children and adolescents with disabilities in mainstream school settings. State, national, and global directives have encouraged the implementation of research-based practices and contributed to advocacy efforts for students with and without disabilities. In a longitudinal comparative case study, Grima-Farrell (2017) responded to these movements by striving to enhance teacher knowledge on how to effectively implement and sustain the use of validated teaching approaches to maximise the student engagement and success of all students. This paper specifically reports on the school-based efforts of 6 experienced teachers as they strive to implement research-based practices to respond to the diverse needs of their students. Results are presented using the research-to-practice model (Grima-Farrell, 2017) as a conceptual framework for guiding instructional decision-making through the implementation and sustained use of validated educational research approaches.

Education is a human right of every child and adolescent. The impact of a disability such as cerebral palsy should not pose barriers to this right because of structures within education environments (e.g., rigid examination conditions). Students within Australia with a disability are supported by legislation that ensures they can participate in education, like assessments, on the same basis as their peers without disability. This case study provides an applied example of how one school addressed the barriers posed by examination processes, and ensured that this student, with specific needs due to the impact of cerebral palsy, could access examinations on the same basis as her peers without disability.

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a challenging and poorly understood condition that can have a considerable negative effect on an individual’s ability to learn, despite there being little to no impact on their intelligence. In this paper, we detail the experiences of 2 higher education staff who supported a student with severe TS to undertake studies in a university bridging program. We make suggestions and recommendations for teachers who have students with TS. Over the course of 5 semesters, the teaching team researched TS in order to understand what the student was facing and adjusted their teaching strategies and the learning environment to overcome the complications that the condition presented. The design of the learning environment and the embedded accessible pedagogy that we found helpful are framed and discussed using the 3 primary principles of universal design for learning: engagement, representation, and action and expression. The authors utilise the minimal model of Rolfe, Freshwater, and Jasper (2001) to reflect upon and share their practice.

The ability to generate narratives is important for literacy development. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been found to generate less complex narratives than typically developing peers. This pilot AB study was designed to investigate the efficacy of a brief intervention procedure to develop the macrostructure of original fictional narratives based on a realistic scenario in one child, aged 9 years 8 months, with autism spectrum disorder and language disorder. The intervention targeted the characters, setting, problem, feelings, and fix of fictional narrative. Intervention involved the use of macrostructure icons, pictures to support the generation of narratives, clinician modelling, and the participant telling the entire narrative each session. The participant received 12 training sessions of 4–6 minutes each and the intervention was effective. Areas for future research include implementation of a stronger research design and investigation of generalisation to fantasy-based fictional narratives.

The increasing inclusion of students with disabilities in regular classes still leads to debate and many advocate for full inclusion of all students. Arguments for full inclusion are generally rights-based, but proponents also claim research supports the effectiveness of full inclusion over specialist provision for all students with disabilities. In this article, we analyse and critique the use of the research literature in an Australian advocacy paper as an example of the broad claims made concerning full inclusion. We examine the extent to which the sources used provide conclusive evidence about the merits of full inclusion. We find the advocacy paper relies heavily on opinion and non-peer-reviewed literature, with little use of quantitative research that compares outcomes for students in different settings. We suggest that policymakers should treat the conclusions drawn in this paper cautiously and give due consideration to the literature that is not supportive of full inclusion.

This paper describes a collaborative approach to professional learning that has provided an opportunity for refreshed practices and growth in capacity in schools supporting students with various learning needs in several schools that are part of the Association of Independent Schools in the Australian Capital Territory. An action research approach to professional learning for school staff was facilitated with the participating schools in 2018/2019, centred on the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability.

Researchers note that the transitions of secondary students with disability in and out of the juvenile justice system are problematic for both the young person and leadership teams of their sending and receiving schools. Much of the literature focuses on barriers to successful transitions; however, there are some accounts of positive transition practices. In this article, we identify these positive practices and outline the steps school principals and executives involved in transitioning secondary school students with disability in and out of juvenile justice settings can take to smooth the way and improve student outcomes for this vulnerable population.

Way to Play is an approach that supports adults to promote the engagement of young children with autism spectrum disorder through play. The Ministry of Education in New Zealand has collaborated with Autism New Zealand to ensure the sustainable delivery of Way to Play within Auckland’s early learning services by training early intervention staff to both use Way to Play and to coach and support other adults in its use. Key strategies that form the foundation of Way to Play are described, and an outline of the evidence base for these strategies is provided. Preliminary data demonstrate the effectiveness of the training approach and the perceived impact for young children with autism and their parents/carers and teachers. Case examples illustrate how Way to Play is used across home and educational settings to successfully support the engagement and inclusion of young children with autism. Suggestions are made for a comprehensive investigation of program effectiveness.

This article describes the evolution of inclusive education in Hong Kong, moving from segregation via integration to inclusion. The outside influence of education policies and trends from Britain, Australia, and the United States are identified, and the current situation is described. In particular, obstacles that are encountered on the route to inclusion are compared with those found in other countries. These obstacles include large class size, teachers’ often negative attitudes, parents’ expectations, teachers’ lack of expertise for adapting the curriculum and for providing differentiated teaching, and ongoing conflicts between the notion of ‘inclusive schooling for all’ and the ‘academic standards agenda’.