Parents play important roles as advocates for their child with a disability. Advocacy is the process of striving to improve the quality of life for someone else. The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires parents and professionals to work together to design a service delivery plan for children with disabilities. An…

The authors describe how the participation of Family as Faculty parents in case-based instruction influenced 16 beliefs of 89 special education teacher candidates about the value of partnering with parents. The parents, who all had children with disabilities, participated in a simulated individualized education program meeting that was embedded in…

This digest summarizes information on the roles of the Federal Government, the family, and teachers in preparing young children with disabilities for school. Noted are relevant provisions of Public Law 99-457, the 1986 Amendments to the Education of the Handicapped Act (Part B), including development of Individualized Family Service Plans to aid…

This booklet is designed for public school therapists engaged in the treatment of stuttering in the elementary school. Over 50 questions are posed, regarding treatment of young stutterers in the school, and answers are provided by a panel of 10 leading authorities in the speech therapy field. Topics covered include: (1) differences between…

The article outlines guidelines for parents to understand their disabled children's individualized education programs. Implications and cautions needed for terminology, test scores, subtest interpretations, and classroom behaviors are examined. (CL)

This monograph describes the basic physical/neurological examination of children with special needs and how such an exam fits into the multidisciplinary evaluation and development of individualized programming for such children. The first section addresses the importance of the medical history. Next, the basic exam is described, followed by…

This manual is intended to facilitate the integration of children with mental handicaps into child care centers in Canada and elsewhere. The first chapter looks at the background of integration in early childhood child care programs in Canada and identifies concerns of parents. The second chapter explores the practice of labelling children with…

The authors emphasize that, although the "Education for All Handicapped Children Act" provides for inclusion of students in the individual education program (IEP) meeting, few parents and students are aware of the possibility. Suggestion are made for parents and school personnel about ways to include students. (MC)

The article presents a three module training course to help parents of handicapped children participate effectively in individualized education program (IEP) meetings. (CL)

Presented in question answer format, the paper answers concerns about driver education and handicapped students in North Carolina. The following questions are addressed: What is the procedure for enrolling handicapped students in driver education? How are parents involved in making decisions about driver education for their handicapped child? What…

Reviews major tenets of the reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act amendments of 1997, including strengthening of the role of parents, ensuring access to the general education curriculum, modification of discipline procedures, and changes in how Individualized Education Programs are developed and written. Discusses potential…

Parents have a major influence on their children's attitudes toward work and life. Handicapped youth, who have more difficulty than other youth in making the transition from school to work and adult life, have a special need for parental guidance. Parents can play key roles in transition, especially in the areas of career exploration, job search…

This handbook is designed as a tool and resource document for school and agency personnel involved in the school-to-work transition of persons with disabilities. It includes forms, checklists, and sample documents. After a brief overview describing why transition has become a national priority, an individualized 4-year transition process is…

This document is designed to provide guidance to Illinois school administrators on positive behavioral interventions with students with disabilities. It begins with a description of the Illinois statute addressing behavioral interventions and then provides information on district policy guidelines on establishing and maintaining a committee to…

This set of six videotapes provides a comprehensive guide to meetings to develop Individualized Education Programs (IEP) for students who are blind. The tapes include reenactments of IEP meetings, conferences with experts, and the views of a variety of participants. Emphasis is on requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act…