Millions of children with disabilities have benefited from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (United States Department of Education [USDOE], 2010). However, the law has also been a source of frequent litigation and conflict between schools and parents (Mueller, 2015; Pudelski, 2016). This study was initiated to examine the…

In recent years, many psycho-educational technologies were studied to address the school-related difficulties encountered by students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, most of them remain individual-centered and do not consider the social environment. To fill this gap, this study reports on the user-centered design of a web-based…

School closure during the COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented challenges to students with disabilities and their families as parents struggled to support their students with disabilities during online learning. The researcher used a single case qualitative study to examine the perceptions of parents of students with disabilities regarding…

This study examined the relational factors influencing school engagement for parents of high school youth with emotional/behavioral disorders. Fourteen parents of high school students (12 mothers, two fathers) who received special education services participated in semistructured interviews. Formal qualitative analyses of audiotaped phone…

This study examined parent couples' participation in and satisfaction with speech-language therapy for school-age children with autism spectrum disorder in the United States. Responses from 40 father-mother couples (n = 80 parents) were examined across therapy components (i.e. parent-therapist communication, assessment, planning, and…

The person-centered individualized education program (IEP) transition planning has emerged as a primary indicator of quality services, and as a predictor for successful post-school outcomes for transition-age youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, these person-centered transition practices are not uniformly implemented across the…

The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) lists 11 recommended practices for assessment, including "Practitioners report assessment results so they are understandable and useful to families" (DEC, 2014, p. 8). This article examines high-impact practices designed to make meaningful and understandable assessment reports to facilitate…

Many parents feel intimidated when talking with special education professionals. There is much in our society which encourages us to look at professionals and to accept what they say without question. However, that does not mean you should be intimidated. The discussion is about your child and you know your child better than anyone, giving you the…

The purpose of this study was to characterize the expectations of parents of children with disabilities regarding adapted physical education services. Participants ("N" = 10) were parents of children with disabilities. Parents participated in one-on-one semistructured interviews. Transcripts were analyzed through a constant comparative…

Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA, 2004) mandates that each student with a disability has an individualized education program (IEP). The IEP serves as the curriculum roadmap for special education services. In order to generate a clear roadmap, full team communication is necessary. The purpose of this paper is to…

This study examined programming practices that have identified in the research as critical for school success for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Secondary purposes of the study were to identify the extent to which these practices were used and to examine student social/emotional and academic outcome data in a public day…

In spite of theoretical validation and legal mandates in special education for parent participation, many studies have indicated that parents' roles in the Individualized Education Programs (IEP) process are still not noticeable and influential and that too often they are not being treated as an equal partner with school professionals. In…

According to the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA), school systems must ensure that the individualized education program (IEP) team includes the parent of the child with a disability. Teachers often report the challenges of getting parents to attend IEP meetings often assuming parents' lack of interest with involvement…

We explored parents' perceptions of their positive and negative experiences in school-based team meetings as a first step toward identifying the characteristics that may promote meaningful parent participation. Parent members of a Midwestern suburban school district's special education advisory group provided open-ended descriptions of their…

This article discusses practical strategies to assist parents in becoming a more inclusive part of the Individualized Education Program process. Characteristics of effective teams are provided, and strategies are listed for providing social support, increasing distinctiveness, ensuring fairness, providing a sense of similarity, and for enhancing…