Federal and state guidelines direct students with disabilities to the least restrictive environment (LRE). The inclusion of students with disabilities in the LRE (general education) has been an issue for many public schools. In an effort to promote inclusive education for students with disabilities, many special education teacher-chairpersons…

The present study explored the perceptions of Greek general and special primary teachers regarding the role and the professional characteristics of special needs coordinators (SENCOs). According to the responses of the 466 participants, each school should have a fulltime SENCO, who should have both teaching experience in general schools and…

As of 2007, 718,119 instructional assistants were employed in the United States (National Center for Education Statistics, 2009b). Of those instructional assistants, 373,466 were classified as full-time special education instructional assistants (Data Accountability Center, 2009a). As the employment of instructional assistants continues to grow,…

During the past 10 years in Australia teacher aides have been employed in mainstream schools as support personnel in special education intervention programmes, and their numbers are increasing. At the same time workplace reform in relation to inclusive education is impacting on their employment and deployment in schools to support students with…

This paper reports research that evaluated the efficacy of training for education assistants and its impact upon changing practices in a group of private international schools in Hong Kong, China. Two cohorts of education assistants received training through an education institute. The focus was on supporting and fostering inclusive practices in…

The teacher training program drew on the most effective techniques of special education, condensing them into a course on how to teach. The program, implemented with regular secondary teachers on a voluntary basis, provided on-site practical training with follow-up. Reflections are offered on reasons for the program's success and training models…

Many paraeducators work with individuals with disabilities and follow them throughout their day to their various classes. In such cases, the paraeducator may be asked to attend physical education with the child with a disability and do tasks he or she is not trained to do. Paraeducators can be extremely helpful in many ways, but there is a need to…

Many students "included" in general education today are accompanied by a paraprofessional, also known as a 1-to-1 aide, therapist, behavioral aide, or personal assistant. The use of a paraprofessional, particularly with children who have autism, mental retardation, deaf-blindness, or multiple disabilities has many merits, such as increased…

The Single Skill Training (SST) Courses were developed to meet staff development needs by providing short, concentrated training modules in the areas of mainstreaming handicapped students, providing individualized instruction, and implementing a Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC). The program was set up to offer staff development courses to public…

The Project ACCESS (Adapting Curriculum Content for Exceptional Secondary Students) resource guide is designed to help regular classroom teachers provide successful experiences to mildly handicapped mainstreamed students through the adaptation of the curriculum. The concerns-based approach, which was used successfully by Project ACCESS, focuses on…

This discussion reviews the literature regarding consultation as a form of indirect service delivery in early intervention for children with disabilities, identifies barriers to effective consultation practice, and concludes that consultation can allow children with disabilities to receive intervention services in integrated settings if…

The New Jersey Mainstream Inservice Project is described as a response to the mandate of P.L. 94-142 (the Education for All Handicapped Children Act) for a comprehensive system of personnel development. The model stresses collaboration between the state department of education, 50 local school districts, and five institutions of higher education…

The central purpose of mainstreaming is to integrate handicapped students with nonhandicapped peers. It is the teacher's responsibility to foster positive and constructive interactions between handicapped students and their peers. Three ways of organizing constructive peer interaction are: (1) cooperation; (2) competition; and (3) an…

Interviews with directors and counselors at five camps that integrate children with disabilities into their programs show that integration is successful when there is adequate staff preparation and ongoing peer support and coaching. Interviews with 124 anglers revealed that although there are racial and gender differences in reasons for fishing,…

The paper describes training of staff in a mainstream program for children 4 months through 5 years of age. Approximately 40% of the 105 children have one or more handicapping condition. The program provides training via a competency model. Preservice training is delivered to a new employee when entering the program by teams made up of the program…