Purpose -In the current study, the purpose of this paper is to examine the self-regulation and social interaction skills of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as compared to children with intellectual disabilities (IDs) across time. Design/methodology/approach -Drawn from the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study (SEELS), our sample consisted of 1,016 children diagnosed with ASD and 597 children diagnosed with ID. The self-regulation and social interaction skills were measured using relevant subscales of the Scales of Independent Behavior-Revised across three time points evenly spaced at two years apart. Findings -Results revealed that children with ASD have significantly worse self-regulation (po0.01, Z 2 ¼ 0.12, Cohen's f ¼ 0.36) and social interaction skills (po0.01, Z 2 ¼ 0.05, Cohen's f ¼ 0.21) as compared to children with ID across time. The results of the current study support the results of Bieberich and Morgan (2004) that children with ASD have significantly worse self-regulation and social interaction skills as compared to children with ID across time.Originality/value -The paper suggests that our results may be considered as more generalizable given the utilization of data from the SEELS as a large, nationally representative, and community-based sample of children with disabilities across the USA examined longitudinally.

No abstract

An inclusive curriculum values diversity and addresses barriers to academic success. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) introduces a framework for inclusive instruction, which transforms the systems and structures in schools to help make learning more effective and efficient for all students. Because Universal Design supports the literacy component of classroom design (Rose & Meyer, 2006), this chapter provides insight into instructional strategies that reinforces these essential skills. This chapter offers the background and framework for UDL, including research-based literacy instruction which ensures materials are accessible through multiple forms of representation, expression, and engagement of information.