How special educators provide reading and writing instruction to secondary students with intellectual and developmental disabilities: A national survey of the United States of America

BACKGROUND: There is limited research regarding teachers' instructional practices and beliefs around teaching reading and writing skills to secondary students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. METHOD: Three hundred forty-eight special educators in the United States responded to a survey about their instructional practices, self-efficacy, and beliefs regarding reading and writing instruction. RESULTS: Participants reported providing regular reading and/or writing instruction, enjoying and feeling confident in teaching these skills, and believing that reading and writing are important skills for their students. Participants' self-efficacy and years of experience explained significant variability in their beliefs about whether their students could improve their literacy skills. CONCLUSION: Special educators overwhelmingly agree that reading and writing are important skills and generally indicated that they believe their students can make important gains. Teachers' beliefs about the malleability of reading and writing skills were related to their sense of self-efficacy in teaching those skills.