Research Guides: SEDP 330: Survey of Special Education: Disability Research Paper Sources

Search Term Examples

Enclose phrases (two or more words) in quotation marks

[name of condition]
"chronic illness"
"congenital impairments"

"academic accommodations"
"access to education"
implications
inclusion
"inclusive classrooms"
mainstreaming
"regular and special education relationship"
"special education"

Be sure to select PEER-REVIEWED in ERIC and PsycINFO before you submit your search in order to limit the results to peer-reviewed articles. In Education Research Complete, choose SCHOLARLY (PEER REVIEWED) JOURNALS after you run the search and have results. You will see the option to the left of the results.

Disabilities/Disorders/Conditions

MedlinePlus
Produced by the National Library of Medicine. Designed for laypeople, especially patients and their families. Covers more than 1000 diseases and disorders. Search for a disorder/condition, then select the result (usually the first one) that links to Health Topics. Each topic has an easy to use navigation system. Some topics will have a Statistics and Research section.
KidsHealth - For Parents - Diseases & Conditions
From the Nemours Center for Children's Health Media, part of the Nemours Foundation dedicated to improving children's health. The Parents section has information on a variety of diseases, defects, and conditions.
March of Dimes - Birth Defects & Other Health Conditions
Information aimed at parents of children who have a birth defect. Click on a condition for a summary of what the condition is and how it affects a child. Some factsheets are quite detailed.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5)
Used by practicing psychologists and psychiatrists to diagnose patients. Of particular interest may be this chapter on Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Section II.

Social Work Reference Center
Provides evidence-based information and current best practices. Includes clinical assessment tools, practice guidelines, drug information, continuing education modules, and patient education information. Designed for social workers as they work with their clients. Select 'Diseases and Conditions' in the Browse list.

Educational/Instructional Implications

ERIC via ProQuest
Content produced by the U.S. Department of Education, 1966-present. The premier education database addressing all aspects of education, including theories of teaching and learning. (ProQuest)
Education Research Complete
Comprehensive full-text database of core education journals. Most have complete run indexing, i.e., from v.1, with extensive full-text coverage for many. A necessary complement to ERIC, especially for newer articles. (EBSCO)
PsycINFO (Psychological Abstracts)
Largest resource for peer-reviewed literature in behavioral science and mental health.

Laws and regulations are in Special Ed Connection (link below). Select Stats/Regs to see links to public laws and federal regulations, e.g., IDEA, ADA.

Special Ed Connection
Special education-related case law, federal policy, statutes, and regulations. Tracks updates, changes, and trends in special education, including IDEA, FERPA, ADA, RTI, PBIS, transition services, early childhood, IEP best practices, and others.

Organizations

Professional Organizations:
Search Google using one or more of the following:

"special education" "professional association"

disabilities "professional association"

[name of condition] "professional association

Support Organizations:
Try either or both of the following

1. Look for a Resources or Organizations link at the MedlinePlus and KidsHealth sites listed above in the Disabilities/Disorders/Conditions box.

2. Construct a Google search like this: [name of condition] site:.org

After landing at an organization site, look for links such as About; What We Do; Mission Statement; History.