An overview is provided of five recent legal developments that merit special attention of special educators: (a) the amended Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) regulations concerning parental consent, including subsequent agency interpretations concerning their practical application; (b) the IDEIA provisions and…

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…

In response to legislative mandates that schools use evidence-based instructional practices, the National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center has identified evidence-based practices and predictors in the area of secondary transition for high school students with disabilities. This article provides an overview of practices and…

Less frequently than you might expect, a court case within the booming world of special education litigation focuses on the evaluation practices of a school psychologist. The appropriateness of such practices merits comparative examination from both professional and legal perspectives. This article contains the facts for examination under these…

When the author learned that her daughter, Selah, had autism, she and her husband were shaken to the core and were terrified of what lay ahead of them. Selah's autism has redefined many things for them. In this article, the author describes her journey through autism with her deaf child.

The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) funds schools located on 63 reservations in 23 states across the nation. Of the 183 schools, 59 are Bureau operated and 124 are tribally controlled. One-hundred and sixteen schools provide instructional programs, 55 provide instructional as well as boarding services and 12 peripheral dormitories provide only…

This paper addresses two approaches to serving students at risk for or with emotional and/or behavioral disorders in general education settings: (1) use of individual behavior plans (IBPs), and (2) use of the combined classroom model. The process of developing an IBP is detailed, including when an IBP is developed, by whom it is developed, and the…

The counseling session reveals parents who are upset at the school's lack of progress in implementing their child's Individualized Education Program. The counselor notes the parents' different ways of responding to their child's problems and indicates ways in which the parents' sense of competence may be threatened. (CL)

Replicating the Appalachia Educational Laboratory's (AEL) experience-based career education (EBCE) model, this project had as its objectives increasing students' basic, career awareness, and life skills; developing in students awareness of their abilities, interests, and aptitudes; developing positive student, parent, and community attitudes;…

This study explores the relation between Mexican American parents and the special education system, especially the Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) meetings. Within this narrative account, 10 Mexican American women were interviewed throughout a school year to comprehend how they felt about their experiences during IEP meetings concerning…

This third document in a three-volume summative evaluation report submitted to the National Institute of Education presents a portion of the internal evaluation conducted by the Mountain-Plains program, a residential, family-based education program developed to improve the economic potential and lifestyle of selected student families in a…

The practicum addressed the problem of lack of parent involvement in the development of IEPs (Individualized Education Programs) for their handicapped children, through development of a slide program and associated materials. The program attempted to educate parents regarding the IEP process, their role in it according to Public Law 94-142 (The…

After recognizing the failures of the educational system to meet student needs, the Utah State Board of Education mandated annually reviewed individual education plans, modeled on those required under the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, for all students. This article reviews this program, its implementation, and its accomplishments.…

This article presents questions regarding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) regulations and the No Child Left Behind Act. The author's answers to these questions are presented.

Literacy is important not only to school success but is fundamental to skills needed to succeed in our rapidly changing technology-driven society. This article focuses on characteristics, interactions, and attitudes of parents and children related to their use of assistive technologies to build literacy skills. Interviews and observations…