The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA; 2004) requires that special education teachers include transition in student individualized education plans (IEPs) in preparation for adulthood. The law also requires that, at a minimum, educators invite students with disabilities to attend their IEP meetings starting no later than…

Although community-based instruction (CBI) is an essential component of an effective educational program for students with severe disabilities, teachers frequently struggle to implement such instruction on a frequent and consistent enough basis for students to learn functional skills quickly and efficiently. This article describes evidence-based…

The emergence of the standards-based reform movement has raised a number of issues related to the design of educational programs for students with severe disabilities, and a debate has arisen that presents an "either/or" choice between the general education curriculum and an ecological curricular framework that has traditionally guided…

In this article, we describe an inclusive educational programme for a young boy severely affected by autism. The programme is exemplary not only academically, but also in terms of what children need socially and emotionally. It represents best practices in action. Given the wide agreement about what constitutes best education practices, but the…

The article presents a system of accountability for monitoring the progress of severely and profoundly handicapped people in behavioral programs. (DLS)

Findings are presented from a site visit to a Raleigh, North Carolina, program that provides in-home support to children and adults with severe disabilities and their families. The program, the Wake County Community Alternatives Program for Persons with Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities, is administered by the North Carolina Department…

This article features Melmark New England, a private, nonprofit, community based organization dedicated to serving children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders, acquired brain injury, neurological diseases and disorders, and severe challenging behaviors. The Melmark parent corporation, a Pennsylvania based provider of services for those…

This paper discusses the concept of individualized, supported living arrangements for individuals with severe disabilities. The supported living arrangements are intended to enable people with disabilities to live in the community in a manner of their choice that most closely approximates the experience of people without disabilities, with support…

This paper discusses a German program that provides a network of sheltered workshops for those unable to work under competitive conditions. Specifically described is the program at Detmold, Westphalia, which uses job analysis and detailed appraisal of workers' social and psychological characteristics in its training program. (Author/DB)

This monograph presents long-range plans of South Carolina's "Continuum of Care for Emotionally Disturbed Children" program, which provides community based services to children and adolescents with severe disturbances, through coordination and utilization of public, private, and individual services. An executive summary notes that 323…

This case study demonstrates the effective use of functional assessment, with a 13-year-old student with autism functioning at a level of severe retardation. The process involved identifying and defining target behaviors (clothes touching and tearing), gathering information, forming and verifying the hypothesis, and implementing an intervention.…

Responding to an article (EC 618 445) describing an individualized program for young children with severe disabilities, including autism, and their families, this article notes features of the program such as its individualized nature, its emphasis on building capacity in families and early intervention providers, and its integrative practices…

Community-Based Independent Living Skills Training for Severely Handicapped Youth is a project of the Minneapolis (Minnesota) Public Schools designed to enhance community training opportunities for individuals aged 16-21. Key issues in program development included: treatment of students as unique individuals, assessments and curricula organized…

The United Cerebral Palsy Open Education Project was developed to meet the individual educational goals of multiply handicapped children (ages six months to 13 years). (PHR)

This manual provides educators with a process to integrate the life-long goals and specific needs of students with severe disabilities within the context of the regular education curriculum, through the development of individualized learner outcomes. The manual discusses the process of building inclusive learning opportunities for students with…