The rationale of mainstreaming is discussed in light of the need for deemphasis on isolation and labeling, increased protection of human rights, individualization in all phases of education, increased attention to the development of the total child, and greater cost effeiciency in the delivery of services. (DLS)

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)

Microcomputers can store and retrieve thousands of goals or objectives and can be an enormous help in developing individualized education programs (IEPs) for handicapped students. An IEP retrieval software system developed with a menu of 24 curricular areas has generated more than 400 IEPs. (CL)

A five-step method is advanced for matching teaching strategies with learning styles in implementing individualized educational programs with learning disabled students. Steps involve evaluating current and needed skills and assessing how the child has learned what he/she already knows. (CL)

The article addresses issues in minimal competency testing for physically handicapped and learning disabled students. Adapting the competency test to the needs of the handicapped students, relating minimal standards to the individualized education program (IEP), and adopting different criteria for graduation are three options considered. (CL)

The authors discuss the issue of increased record-keeping responsibilities which are the direct result of the individualized education process (IEP) as mandated by P.L. 94-142 (the Education for All Handicapped Children Act), and they describe one method of alleviating the burden of this paperwork through the use of computers. (SW)

A teacher, warned not to put anything in the individualized education program that will cost the school district money, is urged to go to the supervisor, file a noncompliance charge with the state education agency, or alert a third party to take that action. (CL)

The article describes the organization of an assessment battery which generates data for establishing individualized education programs (IEPs) for children with learning disabilities. Instruments and procedures for obtaining data related to each facet of assessment are identified. (SBH)

The individualized reading approach, which features independent activities and individual conferences with children, is described in terms of specific areas of need when used with disabled students including systematic progress checks and Individualized Education Program accountability. Advantages and disadvantages of the approach are noted. (CL)

Individualized Education Program meetings can improve the parent-professional partnership by careful consideration of such factors as meeting location, comfortable waiting areas, group process clarification, opportunities for parent input, telephone follow-up, and development of support groups. (CL)

A rating scale that allows teachers to evaluate specific areas related to management of the learning disabled student's individualized education program (IEP) is presented. Ten factors are assessed including systematic instruction of short-term objectives, preparation of individualized lesson plans, and provision of immediate feedback. (CL)

The article presents an interview with Heckelman, senior clinical psychologist with the Riverside County Califonia Children's Mental Health Department, on successful remediation of learning disabilities. Topics discussed include the relationship between success of remedial techniques and lateral dominance, the neurological impress method, the…

The article offers activities and strategies that can be used prior to, during, and after the individualized education program conference to improve communication between the special educator and the parents of handicapped children. (CL)

The study of Individualized Education Programs developed for 203 limited English proficient Hispanic elementary students found that a student's bilingualism and level of English proficiency exerted little influence on selection of instructional goals. Native language or English-as-a-Second-Language instruction was infrequently incorporated into…

The article examines the parent-teacher partnership, stressing the importance of both parent and teacher input. Five suggestions for involving parents of handicapped students in the Individualized Education Program meeting are offered and include asking parents before the meeting to think of short- and long-term goals for the child. (DB)