Although many social–emotional learning (SEL) surveys exist for the general student population, students with learning disabilities (SwLD) are often excluded during the survey development process, and the current SEL surveys often overlook critical SEL competencies for SwLD (e.g., self-advocacy), necessitating an SEL survey for SwLD. To address this oversight, the Winston Essential Skills Survey (WESS) was designed to measure SEL in an SwLD population. Annually, over a 4-year period prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, two teachers evaluated each student with the WESS 2.0 ( N _students = 809; N _teachers = 236). A confirmatory factor analysis suggested that this 41-item version of the WESS could be improved. A follow-up exploratory factor analysis indicated that 15 items could be dropped and that two items fit better under two other subscales, which improved the model fit of the eight-factor model substantially. This 26-item version of the WESS (WESS 3.0) also had evidence for internal consistency, test–retest reliability, and consensus (i.e., between the two evaluating teachers). Study 2 found that the WESS 3.0 has evidence for convergent, divergent, and discriminant validity. These findings suggest that the WESS 3.0 may be the first reliable and valid SEL survey specifically designed for SwLD.

The ability to work and function independently is one of the most important skills for the achievement of ideal post-school outcomes. The use of self-monitoring to improve independence and/or reduce undesirable behaviors is an imperative need for individuals with autism. The purpose of this literature review was to examine technology-based self-monitoring interventions for individuals with autism. We used a four-step literature search process to identify studies for review. Online databases, such as ERIC, were used to search for studies. Using four inclusion criteria and PRISMA guidelines for the selection and screening process, we identified 16 studies that met the inclusion criteria. We used coding to summarize the following information from the included studies: participants who met the inclusion criteria, primary dependent variable, primary intervention, and study design. The results of the review revealed three primary functions of technology performed in self-monitoring. The included studies targeted on-task behaviors, skill acquisition, and socially relevant behaviors as primary dependent variables. The findings of the review suggested that future research could use self-monitoring interventions to support an adult with autism in employment settings and that a self-monitoring intervention could be tailored by considering individual differences.

In the past years, the authors held computer programming and machine learning summer camp for high-school students with disabilities. Due to the pandemic, the summer camp was offered virtually in 2020 and 2021. This paper reports our experience of teaching this summer camp. The main goal of the summer camp was to let students with disabilities get first-hand experience of working in STEM fields to encourage them to pursue STEM careers. The curriculum was primarily composed of hands-on activities for Python programming and Computer Vision. Besides lectures and programming tasks, there were also guest speakers and an external panel to offer their personal experiences of working in STEM fields. Students enrolled had disabilities including Autism, learning disability, vision impairments, and blindness. The summer camp was successful, and all students were able to finish all programming tasks. Special accommodations and adjustments were necessary, especially in the curriculum, schedule, teaching practices, and the involvement of special educators. The overall effort to make these adjustments was not extremely high. However, we did observe accessibility issues for the student with blindness. Overall, our experience shows that online programming camps for high-school students with disabilities are feasible, and students with disabilities can potentially be successful Computer Science professionals.

Students with learning disabilities tend to focus on lower-level elements of writing, leading them to compose poorly organized paragraphs comprised of strings of linear ideas. Deficits in language and working memory negatively impact ability to produce quality writing. Technology and software applications can provide a means of academic supports for students with disabilities. Four productivity applications (i.e., apps) that encourage focusing on higher-order writing skills and support cognitive load are presented for use with secondary students. These apps are combined to provide teachers with a step-by-step technique for instructing students to write a quality expository paragraph.