Promoting Access to High-Quality Reading Instruction for Students with IDD: Variables Associated with Teacher Expectations

Students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD; e.g., intellectual disability, autism, multiple disabilities) have historically been excluded from explicit, multicomponent reading instruction, despite substantial research supporting this approach for these students. We conducted a national survey of special education teachers (N = 318) who taught reading to elementary students with IDD. Questions addressed demographics, knowledge of foundational reading content, preferences for explicit versus implicit reading instructional approaches, perceptions of training/professional development, and expectations (i.e., perceptions of students’ needs, individualization, and professional responsibilities). We used path analysis to examine special education teachers’ knowledge, perceptions of training, and theoretical orientations toward reading instruction in relation to their expectations for their students with IDD in reading. Based on the path analysis, significant findings indicate that (1) Implicit orientation is negatively related to Knowledge and Responsibilities; (2) Explicit orientation and Knowledge are positively related to Responsibilities; (3) Training/PD is negatively related to Individualization, but positively related to Student needs and Responsibilities; and (4) Knowledge is a significant mediator for the relation from Implicit to Responsibility. We frame our findings with the perspective of a need for equitable access to high-quality instruction aligned with the science of reading for all students, especially those with IDD, and the role of teacher knowledge and expectations in achieving such access.