Embedded Instruction in the General Education Classroom for Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

This book is the 12th in the Prism series, developed by the Council for Exceptional Children Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities. The Prism series is a collection of volumes that highlight evidence-based research-to-practice teaching strategies and interventions geared toward supporting students with autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, and other developmental disabilities.

This book gives teachers and other special education professionals an overview and serve as a guide to the development and implementation of embedded instructional programs. Illustrated by vignettes and including sample planning and implementation tools, it is a valuable resource to professionals in home, school, and community environments.

J. Matt Jameson is Associate Professor of Special Education at the University of Utah. His primary research interests include instructional strategies and inclusive educational procedures for students with significant cognitive disabilities. He has authored and co-authored articles and book chapters focused on providing students with disabilities a free and appropriate public education and highly qualified special education teachers, instructional strategies to support students with significant cognitive disabilities in inclusive settings, and evaluations of distance education and teacher preparation programs. He served as the Distance Education Coordinator for the University of Utah’s Department of Special Education from 2004 to 2018 and has been involved in the design and delivery of distance education courses since 2000. He is currently the program coordinator for the Low Incidence Disability Program. He has taught numerous on-campus and distance education courses including an ongoing involvement with the support of distance education students. In addition, he worked as a classroom teacher for middle school students with significant cognitive disabilities and for preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder, and as a specialist in a residential program for adults with significant cognitive disabilities.

John McDonnell is Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Utah. His research agenda focuses on the development and validation of curriculum and instructional strategies to support students with severe disabilities in inclusive educational and community environments. Over the last 30 years, he has designed and implemented a number of single-subject, group, and correlational studies examining educational methods and models for individuals with disabilities. These studies have addressed areas such as the effectiveness of embedded instruction for students with severe disabilities enrolled in general education classes, comparisons of inclusive and segregated education placements for students with severe disabilities, and large-scale regression studies identifying the components of education and supported employment models that predict employment and community-living outcomes for youth and adults with disabilities. Dr. McDonnell’s work has been published in a number of internationally and nationally recognized journals including Exceptional Children, Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Career Development for Exceptional Individuals, and the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. In addition, he is the author or co-author of six books. Dr. McDonnell has obtained over $16 million in federal and state funding to support his research and outreach activities.

Tim Riesen is a research assistant professor with a joint appointment in the Center for Persons with Disabilities and the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation at Utah State University. His research focuses on promoting positive employment outcomes for individuals with significant disabilities, secondary transition, policy, and evidence-based instruction. He has published articles on customized employment, transition to employment, inclusive education, instruction in applied community settings, distance education, alternatives to guardianship, and interagency collaboration.

Shamby Polychronis is a professor in the Education Department at Westminster College, Salt Lake City. She has served on multiple grant projects, co-authored several articles, and presented at state and national conferences. Her scholarly interests include postschool outcomes for students, family support services, and teacher education. Dr. Polychronis teaches courses on the disability rights movement, autism spectrum disorder (debunking myths and stereotypes), inclusive educa