Reviews the legal basis for the mandatory consideration of supplementary aids and services for enabling children with disabilities to be educated in the regular classroom and presents a four-step approach for teams to use in determining supplementary aids and services for children with disabilities. (Author/CR)

The paper explores recent legal and programmatic changes in the education of the handicapped in Massachusetts. A first section highlights some aspects of the law, including court interpretations of the meaning of "appropriate education" and examples of state legal standards that are different than federal standards. Also addressed are…

The fourth in a series from a study of least restrictive environment (LRE) placement for handicapped students identifies exemplary practices useful in arriving at LRE placements. Analysis of state documents and observations of 134 placement team meetings held in five states were carried out. Noteworthy approaches are summarized for five…

This paper discusses provisions in the reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 that relate to eligibility of students with disabilities, required services, and termination of special education services for students with disabilities who are between ages 18 and 21. It reviews regulations that clarify: (1) when the right to…

This newsletter issue reviews the research and literature on issues and best practices in programs to facilitate the transition of students with disabilities to adult life. First, the definition of transition services under the 1997 Reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is presented and explained. Next, a…

This article discusses strategies for increasing general education teacher participation in Individualized Education Program (IEP) development, in the following areas: team connection issues, time issues, preparation issues, training issues, and IEP relevance issues. A sample IEP meeting agenda is provided, along with results from an IEP…

This paper reviews the literature on the implementation of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process, using a framework based on phases of evolution of the IEP process. It identifies issues such as the importance of training for all IEP process participants, especially parents and regular teachers, and the development of team decision…

This brochure summarizes law, policy, and practice concerning inclusion policies for students with specific learning disabilities (LD). It summarizes requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act concerning the availability of a continuum of placement options and placement in the least…

The issue of Directions contains 10 articles which address the question of what, besides the legal mandate, does it take to make placement and programing work for hearing impaired individuals. Entries include the following titles and authors: "The IEP (individualized education program) and Deaf Children" (M. Deninger); "The Deaf Child and the…

The paper identifies important issues and trends to individualize education for gifted learners with educationally significant handicaps. Literature is reviewed in terms of five ways to understand modifying educational practice: (1) definitions (language used to order and organize knowledge and policies for service delivery) and designations…

One of 10 documents developed by the Regional Demonstration Program for Preschool Handicapped Children (New York), the curriculum model is intended to describe the means by which child development theory, empirical research data, and teacher experiential assumptions are integrated into the various phases of the curriculum. Individual sections…

The purpose of this monograph is to illustrate the implications of Public Law 94-142 on public education at the state and local levels. The first section illustrates the importance for all educators to be aware of the administrative design used in this piece of permanent legislation. The second section describes the major provisions of Public Law…

This handbook proposes that early speech and language problems may contribute to reading problems. The relationship between oral language problems and written language problems is presented, followed by tools and models of assessment and treatment. In chapter 1, results of follow-up studies of children with early speech and language problems are…

Various testing methods have been developed to assess the intellectual functioning of children with learning disabilities, but testing is only one tool in the comprehensive process of assessment. The alternatives to relying exclusively on intelligence testing include ability tests, individual education plans, and beginning the teaching/programing…

After an introduction to the problems experienced by Australian individuals with multiple disabilities and their families, this article outlines the use of the McGill Action Planning System, or MAPS, to improve or develop educational programs. The timing and relationship between MAPS and Individual Education Plans are also discussed. (Contains…