Universal screening is increasingly becoming part of prevention and early intervention best practice in schools. Although the number of schools engaging in universal screening has increased over the past decade, emotional and behavioral problems are often their primary focus. Problem-focused screening, however, does not address positive…

Recent years have brought many changes to the ways in which schools in the United States address learning disabilities in their students. In an attempt to provide all students with appropriate reading instruction and to identify struggling students in a more timely manner, the 2004 revision of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act…

Students with specific learning difficulties (SpLD) in higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Republic of Ireland are required to have a formal psycho-educational assessment from an educational psychologist to register with Disability Services in HEIs, to be eligible for support through the Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD). Such…

The change in allowing school districts to use the more prevalent discrepancy model or the new addition of response to intervention to determine whether a disability is present has sparked discussion among educators. As districts decide which method to use, it is important to base decisions on factual and researched information. The authors hope…

Understanding what autism means on a personal level can be an important process for young people on the autistic spectrum, and being able to reflect on this and discuss with autistic peers can be particularly helpful. However, opportunities may be restricted by reluctance to talk about diagnosis and because of difficulties in communication…

Federal legislation allows local education agencies to use a student's response to scientific research-based interventions as a method of identifying specific learning disabilities. As a result, educational leadership is challenged to implement response to intervention (RTI). Despite increased literature addressing RTI, no consensus on…

Response to Intervention (RtI) is a process that addresses both the identification of learning disabilities and the design of early intervention and instruction. RtI provides a framework upon which to structure high quality instruction for all students and a means by which to identify those in need of more intensive intervention. The process is…

As the identification of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) continues to increase unabated, there exists a need to provide school personnel with information they can use for the purpose of designing and implementing appropriate comprehensive programs for these students. Accordingly, this article identifies and discusses comprehensive…

Response to intervention (RTI) arose, in part, from the limited success of the pre-referral process, an approach advocated in the 1980s and 1990s, and accurately measuring the discrepancy between aptitude and achievement in young children. Reflecting these concerns, when the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was reauthorized in…

Response to Intervention (RTI) is an instructional framework through which schools can provide early intervention for students experiencing academic and behavioral difficulties. It is also promoted as an alternative to the IQ-discrepancy model for identifying students with learning disabilities. Most states have developed, or are developing,…

This book highlights 10 preschool education programs for children with autism, focusing on each program's structure and content, diagnosis and assessment, staffing and administration, curriculum, integration, use of aversive behavior modification techniques, family involvement, and outcomes. The book consists of 11 chapters, the first of which is…

The article reviews the evolution and growth of the Primary Mental Health Project (PMHP), an innovative school based program for early detection and prevention of school maladjustment problems. (Author)

Presents the ideas and educational activities of the TRIANGLE intervention program for both hearing-impaired or deaf infants and their mothers. The program encourages children's integration into the community and into school, offers classes on everyday learning activities at home, provides counseling and audiological assessment for parents and…

Through the combined efforts of the Hawaii Department of Health's Family Health Services and Mental Health Division, developmental and socioemotional screening services are being offered in approximately 115 preschool and day-care centers. This paper provides a general overview of the program and describes its various service delivery models.…

This transcript of a videotaped presentation introduces the early education program at the Fujimidai Auditory Centre for hearing-impaired children. The center serves children from birth until their enrollment in elementary school, and its activities include audiological assessment; hearing aid selection, check, and maintenance; individualized,…