It is important that stakeholders are aware of practices supported as effective for students with learning and behavioral disabilities in order to provide instruction that results in improved learner outcomes. Perhaps equally important, stakeholders should also know which practices have been shown by research to be ineffective (e.g., have no, small, or inconsistent effects on learner outcomes). Special education has a long history of using practices that, though appealing in some ways, have little or no positive impact on learner outcomes. In order to bridge the gap between research and...

The challenges associated with the education and treatment of children and youth with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) have proven to be both persistent and exceedingly complex. Thus, our best hope for improving outcomes for students with or at risk for EBD lies not in miracle cures or the eradication of all disorders, but in the incremental progress that furthers our understanding of the nature of EBD, enabling us to systematically refine interventions. Toward these goals, this volume focuses on emerging research and issues related to students identified with or at risk of EBD.  ...

Intensive, individualized interventions are certainly the hallmark promise of special education. In a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS), tier 3 interventions are the most intensive and require individualized delivery to address the learning and behavioral needs of students who are most often identified for special education services. MTSS, such as Responsiveness to Intervention (RTI) and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), are comprised of universal assessment, progress monitoring, and databased decision-making as intervention is implemented with increasing intensity...