Teachers and parents often find special education law complex and confusing. As one step for a basic foundation in special education law, a previous "TEACHING Exceptional Children" article (Zirkel, 2005) provided a snapshot of the "top five case concepts" based on 10 decisions from the Supreme Court. Each of these decisions…

What do we know about young children with delays and disabilities, and how can we help them succeed in prekindergarten through third grade? To begin with, Kathleen Hebbeler and Donna Spiker write, identifying children with delays and disabilities to receive specialized services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act poses several…

Professional confusion, as well as case law confusion, exists concerning the fidelity and integrity of response to intervention (RTI) as a defensible procedure for identifying children as having a specific learning disability (SLD) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Division is generated because of conflicting mandates…

This study was conducted to examine changes in the identification rates and national and state placement practices for school age students with learning disabilities (LD) between 1990-1991 and 2008-2009. Findings revealed that while identification rates of students with LD declined by about 4 percent during this time, general education placements…

African Americans account for approximately 12.4 percent of the United States population. They also account for approximately 79 percent of the players in the National Basketball Association. On average, African American and Hispanic students are found eligible for special education services at higher rates than their populations would suggest,…

As a result of recent federal and state regulations, all children being considered for special education services must be identified through a team process. This article outlines the administrator's role in the Eligibility and Planning Team process that is utilized in the Fallbrook Union School District, San Diego County. (Editor/KC)

Discusses identification and evaluation guidelines under the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. To satisfy federal mandates concerning the placement of handicapped children, public school systems are required to utilize a least restrictive environment, whereby complete segregation of handicapped from nonhandicapped children is prohibited.…

The authors review the legislative antecedents of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, 1975 (PL 94-142), an overview of the purpose and intent of Congress in enacting the legislation, and discuss some long-range implications for society. (MB)

This report reviews and compares the legal rights of students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The first and second sections detail the statutory framework of the laws and legal requirements pertaining to eligibility, identification, and local and…

This guidebook is intended to provide teachers with basic information on special education legislation and definitions of a wide variety of specific physical and mental disabilities. The first chapter focuses on what educators need to know about Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.…

This book on attention deficit disorders (ADD) is designed to prepare current and prospective teachers and other school personnel to teach and work with students with ADD in the schools. Part 1 introduces the field; reviews characteristics of ADD, symptoms at different stages of life, and coexisting conditions; offers a brief history of the field;…

This ERIC digest provides highlights of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (P.L. 105-17). Changes to general provisions of the law are explained, as well as changes in other areas, such as outcomes and standards, evaluations and curriculum, procedural safeguards, discipline, early intervention, and teacher training…

This report compares and contrasts special education and least restrictive environment requirements for children with disabilities in Nigeria and the United States. The implementation of special education policies in both countries is discussed, including policies in the following areas: referral and identification, nondiscriminatory assessment,…

This book is intended to be a comprehensive work that answers the myriad of specific legal questions engendered by special education statutes. The book attempts to give guidance on particular legal questions, to collect and evaluate caselaw and other authoritative materials, and to put forward the positions that seem best supported in reason and…

Reviews the provisions of the Americans With Disabilities Act as they apply to children in child care centers. Defines disability and inclusion, and specifies requirements when including special needs children into the daily life of the facility. Reviews guidelines for deciding if a child belongs in a particular program. (DLH)