Most students with complex support needs are taught in separate special education classrooms; one reason is teams that inappropriately use the intensity of support needs as the basis for placement in more restrictive placements. This study used Bayesian multilevel modeling to determine whether the intensity of student support needs predicted…

Nearly 1 million students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) live in rural communities in the United States and, to date, no reviews have examined the transition literature related to supporting students in rural settings. The purpose of this review was to examine transition-related functional skill interventions conducted in rural…

Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) are used to document the needs of students with disabilities and outline provisions with which to support access and inclusion in educational settings. However, often the programs focus on students' specific needs rather than giving agency to students or considering how wider ecosystems impacts students'…

Individualized education plans (IEPs) have the potential and responsibility of providing individuals with the highest level of learning opportunities. In this guide, discover the essential steps and vital understandings for team members to create student-centered IEPs. This book simplifies the IEP writing process and provides practical strategies…

Transportation is one of the many important services that an LEA may have to provide to allow access to special education and related services required for preschool children with disabilities. This document outlines rules and laws on the topic of transportation of students with disabilities and guidance on how to complete Section 8 of the…

The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive, multi-site case study was to determine the criteria individualized education program (IEP) teams used to find the least restrictive environment (LRE) placement for a student with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at the elementary school level. The theoretical framework of this study was Maslow's theory…

Understanding the needs of students who are English learners (ELs) and are also students with disabilities has become an area of policy and research in recent years. Uncovering the needs of this student group requires a closer examination and understanding of the Individualized Education Program (IEP). The IEP is a foundational process and…

The identification of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) occurs in educational and health settings. Many children with autism will only receive a classification of autism in the educational setting (Esler et al., 2022, Pettygrove et al., 2013, Wiggins et al., 2020). There is significant overlap between the early intervention offered to children with…

Students present with mental health needs and posttraumatic stress symptoms, yet they largely do not receive necessary services. Since schools are an ideal setting for students to receive mental health services, Mental Health Action Plans (MHAPs) were developed to define and detail the ways in which student mental health needs can be addressed at…

COMPASS is an educational intervention aimed at supporting individualised goal setting for students on the autism spectrum. Although its effectiveness is supported by quantitative data, little qualitative research has explored the perceived benefits and challenges of implementing COMPASS with community consultants. In the present qualitative…

This manuscript offers an approach to secure needed SBMHS for students with disabilities through unique applications within the IEP development process, informed by an analysis of recent case law. We will discuss six components of this approach. First, the need for SBMHS must be established through evaluation data. Data sources to confirm the need…

Many autistic children receive special education services via Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) that include specific educational goals and needs. Prior research has examined programming options available to support autistic students, but less is known about their educational needs across academic and developmental educational goals.…

Employment outcomes have long been emphasized as a primary transition outcome for individuals with extensive support needs. To develop appropriate annual individualized education plan (IEP) goals for transition, appropriate transition assessments must be administered to guide the process (Prince et al., 2014). As such, transition assessment is a…

Since the pandemic, every school district offers some form of virtual learning to student including students with disabilities with individual education plans (IEPs). Although virtual learning is common, yet, few states have policies that address special services in virtual settings. This is an exploratory mixed methods study that seeks to…

Educational professionals (e.g., special educators, general educators, administrators, related service providers) play an important role in promoting engagement with parents during the development of individualized education programs (IEPs). For this study, we conducted semi-structured interviews to evaluate parents' (n = 16) perceptions of…