Identification, differential diagnosis, and treatment evaluation of emotionally disturbed preschoolers by practitioners are considered. Emphasis is on the need for defining disorders in terms of: (1) a broad normative context to assist general reporting within the profession; and (2) specific settings to provide the information necessary for…

This article examines the role of assessment in developing Individual Family Service Plans (IFSP) under Part H of the Education of the Handicapped Act. Emphasis is on determining eligibility, collecting assessment data for describing developmental performance, and establishing desired outcomes. (PB)

This article describes requirements for developing Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSP) under Part H of the Education of the Handicapped Act. Components of the IFSP document are reviewed and process considerations are discussed. State-level and local-level strategies for implementing family-centered IFSP processes are highlighted. (Author/PB)

This article presents a brief introduction to Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome (a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by motor and vocal tics and obsessive-compulsive behaviors). It describes the nature of the disorder, treatment, and service provision (evaluation and assessment and the Individual Education Plan). (DB)

Special educators are urged to prepare for the increasing numbers of children disabled due to maternal drug use. Encouraged are interagency coordination, increased data collection, personnel preparation, renewed emphasis on "child find" and individualized education programs, and overcoming political resistance to service expansions. (DB)

The question of responsibility for the education of disabled students has become a controversial issue. This article explores the debate between proponents of special education and of mainstreaming for academically handicapped children. Under Public Law 94-142, disabled children are guaranteed an appropriate public education in the least…

Examines recent legal and programmatic changes in the education of the handicapped in Massachusetts. Highlights State standards in the areas of program delivery, identification and placement, and the use of individual educational plans. Raises issues of validation and possible inequity. (FMW)