Every child is unique and learns in different ways. Some children are identified as needing special education services to support his or her learning at school. Parents can play a major role in shaping the services a child receives. This guidebook has been written for parents, guardians, and surrogate parents of a child (ages 3 to 21 or…

The paper is a product of the 3-year project, "Functional Mainstreaming for Success," designed to develop a model for instructional mainstreaming of handicapped children (3-6 years old) in community settings. The paper reviews the literature defining "mainstreaming," notes that mainstreaming is not the wholesale return of exceptional students from…

In December 1986, the Governor of the State of Illinois appointed a task force to make recommendations on how each sector of society could contribute to narrowing the gap between the availability of day care services and the child care needs of working parents. The 51-member task force was composed of representatives of private industry,…

The third of 16 booklets designed for use in an Open University course on special education in the United Kingdom, this guide introduces key issues in the course. The variety of handicapping conditions is examined, and age and sex factors in special education are considered. Effects of the environment and the special educational system are also…

The article defines the term, "transition," discusses the types of transitions that occur during early childhood special education, explores the rationale for studying and planning such transitions, and identifies transition issues and procedures. Tables offer data on critical events in rearing a handicapped family member, commercially available…

This paper provides a definition of assessment that is tailored to the unique considerations of the concept and practice of the transition of students with disabilities from school to adult life. Assessment in transition is considered to be the on-going process of obtaining and properly using both person and environment-based assessment…

This report explores ramifications of vocational rehabilitation services being provided in independent living programs through tracing the development of disability rights and independent living movements from their inception to the present. Comparisons are drawn between the programmatic approaches of state rehabilitation agencies and independent…

The document discusses the development of individualized education programs (IEPs) for handicapped students based upon information which describes a child's level of educational achievement and learning rate, social development, physical development, and management needs in the classroom. An introductory section provides a rationale for developing…

The development of comprehensive, coordinated, multidisciplinary services for young handicapped children is required by Public Law 99-457. The article presents a definition of technical assistance, a description of developmental levels in service provision, suggestions for designing such services, and a discussion of major needs of states…

The authors define the individualized educational program (IEP) provision of PL 94-142 and the roles and responsibilities of the participants in the IEP process. Studies of concerns and potential problems with the IEP are briefly reviewed. (SJL)

This summary of assessment information for programming in early childhood special education discusses principles of assessment, specific assessment procedures, and assessment instruments. An overview section on assessment provides definitions of "assessment" and "evaluation" and discusses the importance of assessment for…

The document contains a copy of Subpart 200-2 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education of the State of New York covering the purpose of the Regents' Hearings on education of handicapped children and a revised timetable for action by the Board of Regents. Fourteen subsections address the following topics: definitions; board of education…

This article reviews definitions of quality of life; explores the subjective nature of life quality for people with disabilities; relates the concept to cultural norms and universal human values and needs; explores the optimal theory of personal well-being; and surveys the source and use of research and implications for planning and evaluating…

This guide was developed to help Wisconsin agency assessment, evaluation, and planning personnel to develop a perspective on how needs assessment fits into their state's vocational rehabilitation program planning. It is intended to offer practical and responsible suggestions that meet the intent of federal and state mandates. Volume I of the guide…

This brief guide outlines best practices in preschool screening for the presence of possible disabilities. It covers: a definition of screening, its history, the rationale for screening, requirements for effective screening measures (reliability, validity, fairness, utility), models for preschool screening, evaluation of screening procedures, and…