Research evaluating phonics reading programs for children with severe intellectual disabilities (ID) is limited. The current study investigated whether using an online reading program (Headsprout â Early Reading; HER) as supplementary reading instruction for children with a severe ID leads to improvements in reading skills as compared to children not receiving this additional instruction. Fifty-five children from a special school were randomly allocated into the HER group or a waiting list control group. For six months, children in the intervention group received HER as supplementary instruction, whereas children in the control group received only reading as usual' teaching. Pre-and post-intervention tests on standardised reading measures were conducted. Analysis of data from outcome measures indicated that the HER group made improvements at post-intervention in comparison with the control group, with medium effect sizes on two domains from the main outcome measure. These results support the case for a larger research trial of HER for children with severe ID.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted to identify current practice on teaching science to students with intellectual disability (ID) and/or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in relation to two review questions—students' science outcomes and students' and teachers' experiences of the interventions. Six databases related to education, psychology, and science were systematically searched. A detailed protocol can be viewed on PROSPERO (registration number: CRD42017057323). Thirty studies were identified that reported on science interventions and 20 on student/teacher experiences of the interventions. The majority of the studies targeted science vocabulary and concepts. Other targets included inquiry skills and comprehension skills. The majority of the interventions used components of systematic instruction (n = 23). Five studies focused on self‐directed learning and two on comprehension‐based instruction. Students and teachers reported positive experiences of the interventions. The findings suggest that components of systematic instruction in particular might be effective in teaching science content to students with ID and/or ASD. Further research is needed to explore the effectiveness of identified interventions on teaching more complex science skills and with students with severe disabilities. Some limitations related to the search strategy are highlighted.

Background Little is known about how to evaluate relationships and sex education (RSE) delivered to students with intellectual disability and what stakeholders perceive are important outcomes. The present study aimed to systematically review existing studies on outcomes of RSE, as the first step in the development of a core outcome set (COS) for students with intellectual disability. Method A systematic literature process included two stages: (1) searching for studies reporting on RSE outcomes for students with intellectual disability and (2) studies reporting on measurement properties (e.g. validity, reliability and responsiveness) of standardised instruments identified in stage 1. Results A total of 135 RSE outcomes were extracted from 42 studies: 43 outcomes for students in secondary education and 92 outcomes for students in further education. No RSE outcomes were reported for primary education. Outcomes referred to the human body, hygiene, relationships, sexuality, sex and its consequences, inappropriate and appropriate social and sexual behaviour, keeping safe, emotional vocabulary and positive self-esteem. Outcomes were predominantly knowledge-based, rather than relating to skills and attitudes development. Students with intellectual disability, parents and teachers perceive different RSE outcomes meaningful. Five instruments were used to measure the outcomes, but none have established psychometric properties with this population. Conclusions The comprehensive list of RSE outcomes for students with intellectual disability will be used to inform the next steps of a Core Outcome Set needed for RSE evaluations in research and education settings. There is an urgent need to develop standardised instruments validated for students with intellectual disability.

Teacher-reported scores on GO4KIDDS Brief Behaviour Scale can provide a reliable and valid composite of adaptive skills in children with severe to profound intellectual disability. The scale will be useful to researchers and teachers who need a brief descriptive assessment of adaptive functioning.

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