The McGill Action Planning System (MAPS) is a planning process for furthering the integration of children with disabilities into the school community, using a team which includes the individual, family members, friends, and regular and special education personnel. Examples of MAPS planning for elementary-age and secondary-age children with severe…

Explains the concept and proper application of least restrictive environment in laws governing special education. Discusses conflicts that often arise between parents and school officials. Maintains that close adherence to least restrictive environment guidelines will best serve the interests of students and of the entire school community. (DM)

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the beliefs and skills of community early childhood lead teachers and community child care center administrators participating in Florida's Four Year Old Voluntary Pre-kindergarten (VPK) Program in five rural, north Florida counties hold regarding the inclusion of young children with disabilities…

The report describes policies and services for individuals with developmental disabilities in Minnesota. It emphasizes changes in the way of thinking about individuals with developmental disabilities as knowledge increases concerning what they are capable of doing and what is important in their lives and how they can be supported in communities.…

Intended for preschool teachers, the monograph identifies components of an exemplary program for preschool handicapped children. The first chapter on identification reviews the steps involved in location, screening, and diagnosis. Chapter 2 considers the research literature on the role played by parents and the family in the child's intellectual…

This module was developed as part of a federally funded study group project, to answer the question of how students with severe disabilities can actively participate in lessons within regular elementary classrooms alongside their nondisabled peers, while still meeting their individualized goals and objectives. The module presents a brief overview…

Fourteen sites attempting to integrate 245 severely handicapped students (aged 3-22) with non-handicapped children were examined. Trained observers recorded social interaction between handicapped and non-handicapped students, incorporating macroscopic and microscopic views. Adaptive behavior of each S was also measured, as was teacher and school…

Recent state and federal laws require specific changes with regard to the evaluation and placement of special education students, many of which are beyond the principal's knowledge or expertise. Thirteen elementary principals were interviewed to discover the strategies used by principals before referring a student for special education, as well as…

This paper argues that the individualized education plan (IEP) mandated by Public Law 94-142 for mainstreamed handicapped students provides educators with a model for the future--when all students will have a right to an IEP. The paper first discusses the characteristics of an IEP, suggesting that it should ideally identify the child's present…

The first of a five part report on determining the least restrictive environment (LRE) placement of handicapped children summarizes findings from Annual Program Plans from 49 states and the District of Columbia for fiscal year 1978. The four purposes of the study were to obtain an overview of state policies regarding placement and related issues,…

Calls for a team approach to meeting the vocational needs of handicapped learners. Emphasizes the need for a multi-disciplinary approach to vocational programing. Specifies the competencies necessary to facilitate a team effort and provides an example of a cooperative approach to the individualized education programs. (Editor/CT)

A model for mainstreaming handicapped students into special subject programs progresses from the formative stage (including student identification and teacher consultation) to the process stage (including joint writing of the individualized education program), to the summative stage (where student progress is monitored and feedback given to…

Offers an integrative model for mainstreaming handicapped children into reading classrooms. Discusses nondiscriminatory assessment, the development of individualized education programs, and the factors to emphasize in implementing mainstreaming. (FL)

Describes the mainstreaming efforts of the Madison (Wisconsin) School District, where every moderately and severely retarded student is instructed in four curricular areas: vocational, community, leisure recreational, and domestic. (LRA)

Contends that if the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) provision of special services in parochial schools is struck down, the value system implicit in EHA that gives cognizance to parental placement of children in private schools will have been eviscerated. (MLF)