Individuals who serve as surrogate parents fulfill an important role in the life of a child with a disability. Surrogates have become increasingly important in special education because a growing number of children are living outside their family for some period of their lives. Like parents, surrogates of children with disabilities are granted a…

When a military family has a child with autism, they face all the emotions and challenges that accompany this diagnosis, compounded by the realities of military service: war, extended family separation, frequent moves, varying access to specialized healthcare, and other stressors that complicate and often work against effective treatment for…

In this paper, we describe the design, development, and initial validity evidence for the Screening to Assign Accommodations Tool (SAAT). The purpose of the SAAT is to identify students for whom construct irrelevant variance (CIV) might obscure measurement of their knowledge, skills, and abilities in mathematics. Once students are identified as…

Given federal mandates, public school districts have adopted inclusive practices with the expectation that general education teachers can accommodate students with disabilities. For teacher preparation programs to prepare future teachers for this reality, it is important to understand the composition of a "typical" general education…

Autism presents parents and families with many challenges under normal circumstances. Autism in a military family magnifies many of those challenges and adds a few more that are unique to the demands of military life and service, further complicating an already complex neurobiological disorder. Military sources indicate that more than 13,000…

This study reviewed 1137 students' records from 25 school districts to determine if there is a possible conflict between Wisconsin's learning disabilities (LD) eligibility criteria and the federal definition under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. It also surveyed student evaluation and placement teams concerning their application…

This final report describes Oklahoma State Department of Education activities designed to improve technical assistance to special education programs and related services for children and youth with deaf-blindness. Specifically, activities of the project included: (1) training professionals, paraprofessionals, and related service providers…

This handbook provides guidelines for the operation of local special education programs for Alaskan children with disabilities. It addresses: (1) the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Amendments of 1997 and basic concepts of special education; (2) identification of students with disabilities, referral, screening programs, and…

This Special Education Student Information System (SESIS) report presents statistical information through charts, graphs, and text, on the 39,926 children with disabilities in Nebraska special education. The following data are included: (1) Nebraska special education child count as of December 1, 1995, by child's age, disability, race, and…

This report presents statistical information on the 40,570 children with disabilities in Nebraska special education programs. The following data are included: (1) special education child count as of December 1, 1996, by child's age, disability, race, and ethnicity; (2) children with disabilities in nonpublic schools by age, disability, and county;…