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This study evaluated the impact of a multitiered behavior support model on preservice special education teachers’ implementation of behavior-specific praise (BSP) during a field-based practicum. Given the increasing prevalence of challenging behaviors in schools and documented gaps in classroom management training, innovative interventions are needed to better prepare educators. Employing a concurrent multiple baseline design across three participants, tiered behavior support was implemented. Tier 1 consisted of a universal training on BSP for all participants. In Tier 2, participants engaged in individualized goal setting and received daily brief prompts via text message. Tier 3 added visual performance feedback–presented as line graphs comparing actual BSP delivery rates with individualized goals. Data were collected through frequency recording during 10-minute observation sessions, and visual analysis revealed a functional relation between the tiered intervention and increased BSP use. Social validity measures indicated that the intervention was rated as highly acceptable, feasible, and understandable. These findings suggest that tiered behavior support, particularly when enhanced with technology-based visual performance feedback, may offer a practical and sustainable method for improving evidence-based classroom management practices. Although this study focused on preservice special education teachers in a graduate program, the implications extend to a variety of coaching and consultation settings involving both preservice and in-service educators, as well as other service providers. © 2025 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

This article explores the changing landscape of Assistive Technology (AT) in special education and introduces a paradigm of the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) for AT implementation—that aims to clarify the roles and expectations for educators and specialists providing AT services. AT tools are critical resources to support students with disabilities but there are implementation challenges (OSEP, 2024). While the types and variety of AT available continue to grow there is a lack of clarity of the implementation expectations for educators. Using the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) as an implementation framework for AT implementation is a potential means of defining these roles. This article defines an AT-MTSS framework that clarifies AT implementation. Defining an AT-MTSS framework has implications for teacher preparation programs, K-12 systems, general educators, special educators, and AT specialists who may be able to better understand their roles and responsibilities. With many schools providing one-to-one devices for students there is a need for all educators to be able to provide a level of universal supports based on Universal Design for Learning (UDL). There will always remain a need for some specialized interventions for students with disabilities. Some of these common AT tools should be implemented and supported by nearly any special education teacher. Other more specialized AT tools will need the support of educators with highly specialized knowledge to determine which tool to use and to provide ongoing AT services. The AT-MTSS framework is designed to be inclusive of the recent DOE AT guidance (2024), and, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004), and the National Education Technology Plan (NETP, 2024). © The Author(s) 2025

Technology has become both a valuable learning tool and a significant source of distraction in higher education classrooms. As students increasingly engage with their phones, smartwatches, and laptops for nonacademic purposes during class, faculty members face challenges in maintaining student attention and participation. While some instructors attempt to combat these issues with technology bans or restrictive policies, such approaches can be difficult to enforce and may create resistance among students. Self-monitoring, an evidence-based behavioral strategy, offers an alternative solution by encouraging students to track and regulate their own behaviors. This article presents a faculty-implemented self-monitoring system designed to increase student awareness of their technology use and its impact on classroom engagement. The self-monitoring model described in this article provides a simple and cost-effective method for faculty members to reduce classroom distractions while fostering student self-regulation and accountability. This quick fix offers faculty structured recommendations to implement the same or similar procedures in their classroom. © 2025 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

The chapter “Considering Emerging Complementary and Alternative Treatments“delves into the diverse landscape of non-mainstream interventions for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The discourse navigates through the historical evolution, current status, and future prospects of complementary and alternative medicine treatments. The narrative acknowledges the dichotomy between scientifically validated practices and those emerging from anecdotal and preliminary evidence. Key topics include vitamin and mineral supplementation, dietary interventions, secretin administration, chelation therapy, neurofeedback, sensory-based therapies, and facilitated communication. Each treatment is critically evaluated for its empirical support, safety, and clinical utility. The chapter emphasizes the necessity for rigorous research methodologies and balanced clinical perspectives in assessing these interventions. By providing a comprehensive overview, it aims to inform clinicians, researchers, and caregivers about the potential benefits and pitfalls of CAM treatments, fostering informed decision making in the therapeutic management of ASD. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.

Evidence-based practice guidelines use specific rubrics to first evaluate the quality of individual outcome research studies and then the overall strength of the evidence, ultimately generating recommendations for clinical and educational practice. This chapter reviews the methodologies used across three different types of guidelines spanning health and education, by comparing recommendations related to practices for addressing sleep problems. The review reveals that these guidelines share many features, with some differences suggesting areas of improvement. More fundamental differences between biomedical and psychosocial practices, as well as specific challenges of community-based practices, suggest other opportunities for improvement in the design of outcome research and in the development of practice guidelines. This chapter concludes by discussing how to close other gaps in guideline development by emphasizing focused practices instead of comprehensive treatment programs (CTPs), integrating research findings from related populations, developing recommendations for program and policy leaders, and imagining reviews that potentially offer more individualized recommendations. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.

This concluding chapter summarizes how the field has advanced, the current state of evidence-based practices, unique insights derived from systematic reviews of practices and programs, and directions for the future. We note major gains since the first attempts in the early 1990s to provide information on evidence-based practices, including more sophisticated research methods for meta-analytic studies and systematic reviews. The emergence of very high-quality reviews of rigorous outcome research over the past 15 years has accelerated interest in evidence-based practices. At the same time, controversies surrounding questions of research design, study selection, the potential bias relative to cultural and racial factors, persistent gaps in research on adults and those with more significant levels of disability, and other areas remain to be addressed. We note some area of active discussion, e.g., relative to whether or not to screen and the need to help community-based professionals responsible for tailoring evidence-based practices to the many different individuals and settings they serve. If we are able to reconcile the researcher’s desire for experimental rigor with the flexibility required for outcome studies conducted in community-based settings, we might begin to demonstrate the kinds of population impacts needed to justify more substantial funding and policy changes. Several areas of additional research are outlined. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.

The handbook examines the empirical status of interventions and treatments for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It offers an insightful and balanced perspective on topics ranging from the historical underpinnings of autism treatment to the use of psychopharmacology and the implementation of EBPs. The book reviews the conceptualization of evidence-based practices (EBPs) as well as considerations for implementing such practices across settings. In addition, it describes emerging treatments – though they cannot yet be considered evidence-based – that have produced limited but highly promising results. The book also describes treatments and therapies that have been proved ineffective. It explores ways in which EBPs can be applied in inclusive school settings, pedatric settings, in-patient treatment progams, and college-based programs for transition-aged youth. The volume describes outcomes from the development of EBP guidelines at the national level (in Scotland) and, more broadly, in the United States and outlines how such guidelines can be adapted to offer more individualized intervention. Key areas of coverage include: Comprehensive treatment models, including early intensive behavioral intervention, pivotal response treatment, Early Start Denver Model, and Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions. Focal treatments addressing the core deficits of ASD and its co-occuring conditions. Social skills, communication, and the use of applied behavior analysis (ABA) practices for teaching new skills and decreasing challenging behaviors. Sensory-based interventions, psychopharmacology, cognitive behavior therapy, and parent education programs (e. g., Project ImPACT). The Handbook of Evidence-Based Practices in Autism Spectrum Disorder is an invaluable resource for researchers, professors, and graduate students as well as clinicians, therapists, and all professionals working in the fields of developmental, clinical child, and school psychology, pediatrics, social work, behavior analysis, allied health sciences, public health, child and adolescent psychiatry, early childhood intervention, and general and special education. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.

When we published our first volume, the evidence-based practice (EBP) movement in the field of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) had already begun to gain strength around the world, and it has since shown no signs of abating. Multiple organizations and groups have now produced EBP guidelines concerning the treatment and/or identification of ASD. However, the resulting definitions continue to vary in important ways across professions and sometimes even within their subdivisions. A universal definition of EBP remains elusive. While these conclusions drawn from the previous edition of this book still hold true, we are nonetheless encouraged by the growth in interest in EBP and by the dramatic increase in the number of high-quality research studies over the past 15 years and so are excited to offer this updated and expanded handbook. This chapter serves as an introduction to the current state of affairs with respect to evidence-based practices in autism spectrum disorders. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.

Students identified with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) often display a variety of challenging behaviors that can significantly affect both their learning and the dynamics of the student–teacher relationship. Addressing these challenges necessitates the development of authentic, meaningful connections between teachers and students, achieved through applying strategies designed to support student behavior and solidify a trusting relationship. This article introduces the TRUST mnemonic framework, a comprehensive, trauma-informed approach to help teachers build rapport, foster trust, engage, and support students with EBD. The framework encapsulates five principal strategies: transforming perceptions of challenging student behaviors, rapport-building, utilizing restorative practices, supplying choices, and teaming with student caregivers. Together, these strategies provide a structured model for fostering positive relationships and educational experiences while supporting student behavior, ultimately contributing to improved outcomes for students with EBD.

Meaningful student–teacher relationships form a crucial foundation for teachers to deliver effective interventions leading to better outcomes for students with challenging behavior. By implementing simple recommendations for facilitating genuine and intentional interactions with students and regulating their own emotional responses, teachers can establish, maintain, and reinforce meaningful relationships with students. This article describes and provides school-based examples of recommendations for building and sustaining meaningful student–teacher relationships with students who exhibit challenging behaviors.