Brandi Simonsen

In 1975, Public Law (PL) 94-142—the precursor to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004), set the stage for creating inclusive and supportive classrooms. Five decades since the initial law was passed, the field of education has made tremendous progress. This includes shifting away from restrictive, reactive, and exclusionary practices to implementing inclusive, proactive, and positive approaches. Other shifts include recognizing growth in social, emotional, and behavioral skills rather than managing behaviors, and valuing student and family partnerships. In this article, we highlight: (a) milestones related to IDEA and students with disabilities in the area of behavior; (b) advances in evidence-based practice to support behavior; (c) implications for practice; and (d) possibilities of an even more inclusive and supportive future for students in the next 50 years.

This leading-edge article invites readers to “imagine if” we implemented positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) as intended—designing classroom and school environments that enable each and every student to access, engage in, and benefit from their education. By centering the experiences and voices of students with extensive support needs, educators can (a) collaboratively develop and implement robust and differentiated universal (Tier 1) practices that provide an important foundation of support for all students and (b) further target (Tier 2) and intensify (Tier 3) their practice to set all students up for success. When school leaders build a PBIS framework that centers equity and is inclusive of those with extensive support needs, they build a framework that promises to be inclusive and supportive of all students, families, and educators.

Successful implementation of coordinated supports for students with intensive learning and behavior needs, including students with disabilities, is complex and challenging for a variety of reasons. A multi-tiered system of support framework has the potential to help educators organize this support, but implementation barriers persist. In this article, we discuss how alignment may help address common challenges. We discuss why alignment is important, gaps that often interfere with it, and we offer four recommendations for aligning implementation: (a) leverage the implementation cascade, (b) build local capacity with effective professional development, (c) plan for alignment and integration together to promote positive school experiences, and (d) use data for continuous improvement.

Because research has shown that strong academic instruction also supports classroom behavior, this meta-analysis examined the empirical evidence supporting the use of instructional choice as a classroom management strategy. We aimed to describe the characteristics of the literature base, calculate the average effect of instructional choice on classroom behavior, and identify the variables that contributed to heterogeneity within findings. We searched for published and gray literature across seven databases. Studies eligible for inclusion (a) took place in grades K-12 educational settings, (b) used instructional choice as the primary intervention, (c) measured student behavioral outcomes, and (d) were conducted using a single-case research design. The analysis includes 34 studies, including 89 individual students and 170 cases. We found instructional choice significantly increased desired classroom behaviors (log response ratio [ LRR ] = .186, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [.042, .330]), but did not significantly decrease challenging behaviors ( LRR = −.468, 95% CI = [−1.1, .163]). Moderator analyses indicated instructional choice is associated with significantly larger increases in behavior for secondary students and when preference assessments are not given. Primary limitations included unexplained heterogeneity and evolving procedures for conducting single-case meta-analyses. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

This meta-analysis examined the post-intervention effects of joint attention interventions on children's joint attention skills and other outcomes for young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as identifying characteristics associated with improvements in children's joint attention skills. We searched four databases in February 2025. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of joint attention interventions for children with ASD under five years old were included. Risk of bias was assessed using the Risk of Bias 2.0 tool. Effects were synthesized using multivariate random-effects model meta-analysis using robust variance estimation. Eighteen RCTs with 1,165 child participants were included in this meta-analysis. We found improvements in joint attention skills (g = 0.53, 95% CI [0.34, 0.72]) with substantial heterogeneity. Child's chronological age and joint attention types were found statistically moderating the effect on children's joint attention skills. We also found improvements in play (g = 0.33, 95% CI [0.04, 0.63]), and autism symptomatology (g = 0.70, 95% CI [0.13, 1.26]). This meta-analysis of 18 RCTs showed that joint attention interventions effectively improved joint attention skills in young children with ASD. Younger children showed greater improvements than older children. Larger effects on responding to joint attention were observed comparing to other types of joint attention. While positive effects on play skills and autism symptoms were observed, these findings require cautious interpretation due to methodological limitations. Results support joint attention interventions as beneficial for improving developmental outcomes in young children with ASD.

We conducted a systematic review of the literature to examine the effectiveness of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), when implemented with fidelity at Tier 1, in reducing exclusionary discipline for students with disabilities. We conducted a comprehensive search using electronic databases Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), Professional Development Collection, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, PsycINFO, and Teacher Reference Center and identified relevant studies published between 2007 and 2023. After title, abstract, article screening, and contact with principal authors, we found that a total of 10 articles met the inclusion criteria. We systematically coded these articles, and results supported a positive association between implementing PBIS at Tier 1 with fidelity and reduced rates of exclusionary discipline for students with disabilities. These findings suggest that implementing PBIS with fidelity is a promising intervention for reducing exclusionary discipline. However, further research is needed to establish a causal relationship between PBIS and reduced exclusionary discipline for students with disabilities.

Traditional responses to aggressive behavior in inpatient psychiatric settings have relied heavily on aversive and restrictive practices, such as restraint, despite the fact that such practices demonstrate limited effectiveness and are at odds with a rehabilitative, patient-centered mission. In response to such concerns, a growing number of researchers and practitioners have moved toward proactive, person-centered approaches to addressing challenging behavior, such as Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports is a multi-tiered framework for preventing and responding to challenging behavior by addressing environmental and contextual factors. This article describes an exploratory study examining the effect that implementation of individualized PBIS plans had on restraint events in an adult inpatient psychiatric hospital setting in the Northeastern United States. Results indicated a 76% reduction in restraints following implementation of individualized PBIS plans. Implications for future research and practice are explored as a means of improving clinical outcomes and quality of life of individuals in inpatient psychiatric settings.