This article presents a model for integrating transition planning into the Individualized Education Program (IEP) with a focus on developing quality student-centered strategic plans. Strategies for developing effective transition practices, following meaningful processes, and creating efficient and effective IEP products are described. (Contains…

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)

This article addresses integrated education for disabled students from both legal and educational perspectives. Variables critical to integration, including the influence of the media, the need for increased dissemination of legal and educational findings, the need for well-developed individualized education programs, and a critical examination of…

The president of the Council for Exceptional Children urges special educators to respect students' varying cultural backgrounds; to differentiate between cultural differences, developmental delays, and true disabilities; and to use the individualized education program to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate programming. (DB)

An elementary principal discusses his own son's learning disabilities and explains how schools can engage parents in setting special needs students' individualized education programs. As a parent, he went through four stages: separation anxiety, role confusion, concern about the future, and partnerships with teachers. Educators must recognize each…

Illustrates with a hypothetical adolescent with a disability the use of the McGill Action Planning System for initial and follow-up transition planning. Shows how the system promotes self-advocacy for students and families and provides information useful in the Individualized Education Plan. (SK)

This study evaluated the type and frequency of social skills listed as objectives in 469 students' Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) in a rural special education cooperative. Results indicated that academically related social skills were much more likely to be included in IEPs than interpersonal skills. (Author/DB)

Characteristics of individualized education programs (IEPs) of 46 mainstreamed students with multiple disabilities from 9 states were analyzed, revealing that IEPs are vague and inconsistent, list goals for staff rather than for students, and are discipline-referenced. The study recommends that IEPs include individualized learning outcomes,…

Explores the relative emphasis given to directive and nondirective approaches to language instruction in early intervention programs by examining language objectives on Individual Educational Programs (IEPs) in 20 programs. Analyzes the directive/nondirective nature of language items on eight developmental inventories used to assess children's…

Suggestions to make parents of children with disabilities more comfortable in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting include contacting parents personally before the meeting, having a school staff member greet the parents, appointing an "interpreter" to monitor educational jargon, and videotaping or audiotaping a few conferences to…

In a comparison of the provision of occupational therapy as direct service versus collaborative consultation, 14 preschoolers and kindergartners were randomly assigned to interventions. Although both groups achieved similar percentages of individualized education plan goals, teachers who collaborated with therapists reported much larger…

The 4th Circuit's decision in "Hartman v Loudoun County Board of Education," involving the placement of an 11-year-old autistic child, teaches important lessons about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: mainstreaming is a strong preference, not an unyielding requirement; and if educators make active and careful efforts to…

The program "Take Action" was used to teach six adolescents with mild to moderate mental retardation the skills they needed to attain their daily Individualized Education Program goals. Results indicate all students learned to attain their own daily goals and maintained these skills following withdrawal of teacher instruction. (Contains…

Two learning disabled students, Jonathan Mooney and David Cole, share their thoughts on how to get the most out of higher education. Discusses the importance of individualized education and project-based learning. (GCP)

This article suggests that the influence of school culture on Individual Education Plans (IEPs) has received insufficient attention and that school changes may be a demonstration of compliance to external pressures rather than the development of good practice. A secondary school is described that capitalized on existing strengths through…