Extending Freeman and Alkin’s review of the literature, this systematic literature review examines the social and academic outcomes of students with extensive support needs (ESN) taught in general education settings compared with those taught in segregated settings. Six comparison design studies were analyzed for contextual factors of educational environments, participants’ characteristics, and outcomes related to social or academic attainment. Results indicate access to the general education classroom with same-age peers is associated with greater academic and social outcomes for students with ESN. There remains a need for improved reporting of participant support needs and demographic information (e.g., SES, nonbinary genders, and race and ethnicity), and a need for improved reporting of potential mediating factors (e.g., contextual factors and personnel) across settings. Detailed implications for future research are provided, particularly as they relate to providing high-quality instruction for students with ESN.

Students with complex support needs frequently experience restrictive educational placements such as self-contained and separate school classrooms. Given the need to support students with complex support needs to experience positive outcomes and make progress in the general education curriculum, there is a need to investigate the characteristics of the classroom contexts in which they are learning. The purpose of this study was to use ecobehavioral assessment observation methods to investigate how student behaviors, educator behaviors, and classroom ecology vary across general education, resource, self-contained, and separate school classrooms. We observed 116 students with complex support needs across the United States, and results indicated that contextual features of resource, self-contained, and separate school classrooms do not offer superior levels of instruction or supports for students with complex support needs as compared with general education classrooms. We were more likely to observe no one interacting with the focus student, no instruction, and the presence of distractions in self-contained and separate school classrooms compared with general education classrooms. Implications for policy, research, and practice are presented.

Students with complex support needs require individualized education programs (IEPs) to describe their present levels of academic achievement and functional performance (PLAAFP), and the annual goals and supplementary aids and services (SAS) that will be provided to enable them to make progress in the least restrictive environment. Previous research has found that IEPs do not reflect recommended practices and that IEP quality varies by educational placement in inclusive and separate class settings. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a national sample of IEPs of elementary-aged students with complex support needs to determine whether placement predicts IEP quality. We used multilevel regression to measure the extent to which placement predicts overall IEP quality as well as the quality of IEP components, including PLAAFP, goals, and SAS. We did not detect statistically significant differences in IEP quality by placement for any of these IEP components or for overall quality; instead, we found the IEPs consistently failed to meet quality indicators across all four placement types. Given these findings, we suggest implications for future research aimed at improving IEP quality for students with complex support needs.

Intervening to enhance self-determination has been linked to enhanced in-school outcomes (e.g., academic and transition goal attainment and access to general education) and post-school outcomes (e.g., competitive employment, community participation) for students with and without disabilities in inclusive schools. However, research is needed to examine the extent to which students with extensive support needs (ESN) are included in this body of research. This systematic review aims to identify empirical research articles that examined the outcomes of interventions designed to promote abilities and skills associated with self-determination for students with ESN. Results suggest that research on self-determination for students with ESN in school contexts is limited across grade levels, particularly in inclusive settings. Consequently, there is a need for ongoing research to consider effective self-determination assessments to inform the design and implementation of interventions that promote self-determination for students with ESN in inclusive settings. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Paraprofessionals are often assigned to work one-on-one with students with disabilities and are often assigned to support students with extensive support needs in general education classrooms. Paraprofessionals have been found to enact effective practices only when given clearly defined roles and provided with direction around enacting these roles. We describe tangible ways special education teachers can create more effective partnerships with paraprofessionals to better support students. Specifically, we discuss ways to clearly define roles and responsibilities, how to embed training and support, ideas to engage in proactive scheduling to better support students, and ways to purposefully collaborate and build capacity to maximize the role of paraprofessionals.