The number of students identified under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) with an emotional disturbance (ED) has remained remarkably stable over the last 30 years. During this time, approximately 1% of the school-aged population has been identified as disabled under the criteria set forth in IDEA (Kim, Forness, & Walker,…

Special education leaders need to be aware of long-standing general regulatory requirements under [image omitted]504 for which school districts are often vulnerable. Special education leaders also have to keep current on recent legal developments for "[image omitted]504-only" students, including the effects of the Americans with…

Including students in the general education classroom successfully requires multiprofessional coordination. However, given the well-documented barriers to successful collaboration, special educators in the inclusive model face a task that can be overwhelming. Research has shown that effective communication is one of the biggest hurdles in the…

Almost 50 years ago, while President of CEC, Frances Connor delivered a presidential address entitled "The Sword and the Spirit." She called for five revolutions. The first revolution called for increasing the quantity and quality of special education teachers. The second stated that "special education depends upon an intensive…

Over the past forty years, schools across the United States have become more inclusive for students with disabilities. However, in many high-poverty urban school districts, a disproportionate number of minority children with disabilities are segregated from their non-disabled peers. This article presents findings from a qualitative case study of…

The successful transition into adulthood of students with disabilities should be a priority for parents, students, educators, and leaders in special education. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) amendments of 1990 first mandated transition services for individuals with disabilities. Subsequent amendments to the IDEA in 1997 and…

This toolkit was created to make transition planning easier and offers easy-to-understand information about the purpose of transition planning, the goal and importance of age-appropriate assessments, and the required rules that are used by schools. It also includes information on the community partners that can provide youth with supports as…

Learning disabilities are among the most common disabilities experienced in childhood and adulthood. Although identifying learning disabilities in a school setting is a complex process, it is particularly challenging in low- and middle-income countries that lack the appropriate resources, tools, and supports. This guide provides an introduction to…

West Virginia uses multiple state assessments to measure student achievement and inform program decision making. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004) requires participation of students with disabilities in statewide assessments to be consistent with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 2001…

The current laws that mandate special education originated through the advocacy of families (Turnbull & Turnbull, 1990). Over the years, families have challenged the system to provide free and appropriate public educations for their children. We share, through qualitative measures, the experiences of one African American family and the…

As the nation as a whole becomes progressively more diverse, increasing numbers of children from linguistically diverse backgrounds are served in special education programs. Ensuring that appropriate educational services are developed for these students in collaboration with their family members as equal participants on school-based teams…

The importance of student IEP participation has been indicated by both legislative mandates such as IDEA and research literature. The purpose of the current study was to examine those variables that predict student IEP participation among adolescents with autism spectrum disorders as compared to adolescents with disabilities other than autism…

Professional development is a necessary component of maintaining competency in professional practice. Technology has opened the door to new formats for delivering professional development, in addition to more traditional modes of training. This study compared three professional development formats for improving the quality of standards-based…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) includes transportation within its definition of "related services." This means that students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) have the right to receive special transportation services if it is needed. Transportation and assistance may be provided to a child whose…

School-based speech-language pathologists are obligated to apply evidence-based practice and document progress of their students' response to intervention in compliance with federal law. The purpose of this preliminary study was to explore the effects of an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)-based intervention provided in a camp…