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Disability Label And Least Restrictive Environments: General Elementary Education Teachers’ Experiences And Perceptions, Sara Sheffler

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The least restrictive environment (LRE) is the educational placement determined necessary for obtaining maximum educational benefits. The individualized education program (IEP) team determines the LRE after analyzing the student’s academic and behavioral data and assessing the student’s unique needs. Specific special educational labels may produce a higher-than-normal frequency of more restrictive environment decisions by the IEP team. The current study surveyed general education elementary teachers about LRE placements of a hypothetical student with either autism spectrum disorder or emotional and behavioral disorders. Teachers were provided with a hypothetical vignette of a student engaging in challenging behavior, followed by hypothetical data …