The seriousness of concussions in athletics is only recently becoming fully understood and appreciated. There are significant implications for the concussed student-athlete both in returning to the playing field and the classroom. Although practices are now in place to improve identification and management of concussions in professional sports,…

Recent research of relevance to school psychologists suggests that the cause, or etiology, of mental retardation can be established by medical diagnosticians in approximately one-half of cases. In the current study, 109 practicing school psychologists considered a hypothetical case of an elementary student with mental retardation and indicated…

Addressing educators and citing the California Penal Code, this booklet discusses the legal responsibilities of persons in child care situations regarding incidents of suspected child abuse. Included are: (1) a definition of child abuse and neglect; (2) reporting procedures including liability of failure to report and immunity of the reporting…

Intended for parents, the manual presents information on existing legislation pertaining to handicapped children in California, and guidelines for effective child advocacy in order to identify and obtain adequate services. Chapters cover the following topics (sample subtopics in parentheses): diagnostic and evaluative procedures (including a…

Guidelines address California's procedures for the operation of programs for handicapped infants and preschool children. Legal requirements of P.L. 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, and the California State Plan are reviewed. Program guidelines focus on eligibility, child assessment, placement in the least restrictive…

This study examined the operationalization of one of the key reforms initiated by the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (U.S. Congress, 1975) and continued through the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (U.S. Congress, 2004)--namely, nondiscriminatory assessment. The original and current…

The report documents the first stage of an 18-month study to determine the effectiveness of existing California legislation for identification of 3- to 5-year old children with special needs. Local service sites (N=112) responded to a questionnaire which addressed implementation of eligibility criteria at local sites, improvement of the…

The operational guidelines in this manual were compiled to assist college/district personnel in complying with government regulations, to provide California community college administrations with a uniform approach to programs and services, to aid local administrators and special resource personnel in developing or improving service and program…