The article discusses the conceptual and procedural mandates of the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP), required under Public Law 99-457, as both a bold radical step taken by the federal government and as a logical extension of current service delivery practices serving disabled children. (Author/DB)

Synchronizing the availability of team members for Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings can be a daunting task. Fortunately, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 permits alternative means of conducting such meetings. An example of an alternate means is a telephone conference, whereby parents communicate over the…

This volume is the third in a series (developed in response to a needs assessment survey of special educators in Alberta, Canada) providing practical suggestions about instructional strategies, classroom management, preparing individual program plans, and understanding special needs. This volume presents a process for development of Individualized…

A questionnaire was designed to determine parent perceptions of and degree of satisfaction with the services provided by Philadelphia's Prescriptive Educational Approach to Children with Handicaps (Project PEACH). Project PEACH provided diagnostic, referral, and prescriptive educational services for preschool children. Five areas were covered by…

In its annual report, the National Advisory Committee on the Handicapped discusses the idea of an "individualized education program" for each handicapped child and the adjustments it will require of educators. (Editor)

This article examines Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs) developed with parents with special needs/mental retardation in a model early intervention program. Results suggest that such parents can participate fully in the IFSP process when the process stresses relationship building, empowerment, interagency collaboration, and program…

The authors describe how the participation of Family as Faculty parents in case-based instruction influenced 16 beliefs of 89 special education teacher candidates about the value of partnering with parents. The parents, who all had children with disabilities, participated in a simulated individualized education program meeting that was embedded in…

The concept of children's rights evolved during the 1980s giving prominence to the role of children as active participants in the construction of their lives. The rhetoric of children's rights has emerged as an important consideration in all policy and practice relating to children. Implementation of children's rights in practice is necessary to…

The author investigated parental perceptions of the individualized education program (IEP) meeting among 51 parents of students who were receiving special education services from 1 family support service agency. Survey questions pertained to the following areas: (a) IEP meeting experiences, (b) knowledge level of special education law, (c)…

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…

Discussed are findings of a task force on parent-teacher-child involvement in the education of handicapped children, and described is a prescriptive approach to parent programs that focuses on assessment, planning, intervention, and evaluation. It is explained that a 4-day workshop centered on 10 modules, including parent-child dynamics,…

In the field of educational leadership, as well as special education, parental participation is paramount given that federal law has mandated that schools provide and show evidence that they foster parental participation. This quantitative, non-experimental study examined the relationship between level of education, marital status, socioeconomic…

Parent-school relationships are vital to the success of student achievement. Effective parent-school relationships are especially beneficial to students with disabilities. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires parental participation in partnership with the school staff when developing the individual educational programs…

This examination of individual transition plans (ITPs) for students with disabilities in New South Wales, Australia, looked at effectiveness of the system and procedures, and involvement of teachers in the development of the ITPs. It found that the numbers of written ITPs grew from 156 (56 percent of potential) in 1989 to 340 (74 percent) by June…

This paper discusses ways parents influence the educational and emotional development of their handicapped children and how parent involvement in special education programs facilitates growth processes in these children. Research findings indicating the importance of the parent-child relationship and parenting styles are summarized. Program…