Adapting Educational Programs for Students with Developmental Disabilities: A Structured Narrative Review
Year: 2026
Type: review
Abstract: Inclusive education requires educational programs to respond to diverse functional profiles rather than treating disability categories as uniform instructional needs. This structured narrative review examines the main domains of educational adaptation described in selected literature and policy documents, and considers their implications for classroom practice. Existing sources assembled for the manuscript were organized into an explicit thematic framework covering instructional individualization, support planning, self-regulation, collaboration, accessibility, and classroom organization. This is a narrative synthesis, not a systematic or scoping review; a reproducible database search and formal appraisal of all eligible studies were not available. The literature and guidance converge on flexible presentation and assessment, functional goal-setting, proactive accessibility, coordinated support, and ongoing progress monitoring. However, conceptual guidance and empirical evidence vary in their capacity to establish effectiveness intervention. Educational adaptation is best conceptualized as an iterative, participation-oriented process that links individual needs with changes in teaching and school environments. More rigorous comparative and implementation research is needed to determine which adaptations work best, for whom, and under what conditions.
DOI: 10.59519/mper8204
Author: Nikolina Tomić
Institution: University of Sarajevo
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7225053045