Autism spectrum disorders, as the name suggests, do not represent a single nor straightforward set of needs to be met. The challenges facing education and other professionals, and the young people whose needs are being addressed, are considerable. The key is to see past the presenting issues, often behavioural in nature, to the communication…

An inservice teacher training program on individualized education programs was provided to two vocational coordinators and seven teachers of students with mental retardation. The program was found to be effective in teaching the participants how to write technically adequate objectives and in increasing statements of generalized performance. (CR)

Reflects on a study of the effectiveness of an inservice training program on individualized education programs that was provided to two vocational coordinators and seven teachers of students with mental retardation. Discusses the reasons the study focused on behavioral objectives and the importance of writing quality behavioral objectives. (CR)

This study examined whether distractor choices functioned differently for students without learning disabilities than they functioned for students with learning disabilities who received no accommodation, students with learning disabilities who received a read-aloud accommodation, and students with learning disabilities who received some form of…

Profiles are presented of programs effective in delivering special education services to students in rural areas. Projects are reviewed in terms of title, contact, strategy setting (occupations, income, special education staff, number of special education students), problem, strategy description, potential users, population affected, special…

The four-volume study compared the costs and characteristics of public and nonpublic special education programs serving moderately and severely handicapped students in Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools (MCPS). Data are discussed according to five research questions. First, demographic characteristics are presented, and it is recommended…

With the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), redefined expectations and accountability appeared concerning education of students in the nation's schools. The focus of this article is to examine the ramifications of NCLB for students with special needs. In addition, given NCLB, the idea of inclusion--the practice of placing…

To achieve substantive as well as procedural compliance with Public Law 94-142, it must be determined whether using the formative evaluation system which is useful for monitoring the effects of instruction, increases teacher success in developing student programs. Causal modeling techniques were used to examine the relationships among…

A comprehensive three-level program evaluation plan assesses overall impact of early intervention programs through assessment of children's progress toward developmental milestones; quarterly child progress through administration of a program-relevant, criterion-referenced tool; and weekly child progress toward specific instructional objectives by…

Preliminary data comparing individualized education program (IEP) development in three demonstration and three nondemonstration sites show that demonstration sites had significantly more individuals attending IEP meetings, more service options on the IEP, and more best-practice elements included in the IEP. Suggests that the demonstration site…

To support K-12 students with significant disabilities and get an accurate picture of their skills and knowledge, schools need to implement effective alternate assessment based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS). This is the guidebook every team should have--not only to develop successful AA-AAS linked with grade-level content standards,…

This federally funded project analyzed data from a computerized individualized education plan (IEP) system, to examine factors relating to excellence in special education, with the goal of improving student assessment, evaluation, and outcomes in special education. This final report focuses on three research questions. The first question is…

A study was undertaken to determine the degree of implementation and effectiveness of the individual plan (IP) requirement for secondary school students approved by the Utah State Board of Education. Questionnaires were administered to measure the experiences and attitudes of a stratified random sample of 850 students, 759 parents, and 672…

Special Education programs at nine Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) schools were investigated to establish and identify priorities for improvement and to determine the effectiveness of each program. The monitoring procedure involved random sampling of files of identified exceptional students and an in-depth examination of the documentation…

Consortium for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE) partner, the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) has been systematically gathering dispute resolution information from State Education Agencies (SEAs) to analyze formative (process) and summative (outcome) information on the use and…