Are plummeting literacy skills the new pandemic among young learners? Dozens of studies over the past year have shown alarming drops in the percentage of students meeting reading benchmarks at the beginning of the current school year, particularly among grades K–2, where 50% or more of students are already behind on foundational literacy skills. The learning loss in math is similarly significant and persistent, those same studies show.

Educator attitudes towards inclusive education impact its success. Attitudes differ depending on the SEN cohort, and so the current systematic review is the first to focus solely on students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Seven databases searched yielded 13 relevant articles. The majority reported positive educator attitudes towards ASD inclusion but with considerable variety in the measures used.

Dr. Allison Hatcher, along with her colleagues in the WKU Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD), Drs. Brian Weiler and Lauren Bland, as well as Anchorage School District teacher, Kelly Frost, of Alaska, collaborated for this timely work related to the ways education and healthcare pivoted practice during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns.