Three students (age 15) with emotional/behavioral disorders were taught to manage their own simulated Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting by using the Self-Directed IEP instructional program. Skills taught included introducing and closing the meeting and discussing past and future goals. Two of the students showed substantial…

Federal law now requires states to establish achievement goals for special-education students. This article discusses the pros and cons of assessing and setting standards for special-education students. (LMI)

This article presents the legal requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments regarding Individualized Education Programs (IEP), functional behavioral assessments, and behavior intervention plans for special education students with problem behavior; describes the initial policy letters and due process hearings that…

The first of two articles on individualized education programs (IEPs) reviews the literature. It traces the origins of IEPs and compares and contrasts their use in different educational systems. Issues in IEPs in the United Kingdom, other European countries, the United States, and Australia are analyzed and general implications for policy and…

This article discusses the phenomenon of skill generalization and techniques for bringing it about. Strategies for generalization facilitation across several dimensions are defined and examples given, with an emphasis on developing and validating decision roles. Further discussion is given to means of facilitating generalization in design and use…

The article offers a commencement-based (as opposed to a credential-based) model of secondary education for individuals with mild mental retardation. Five model components stress process, personal experience, adult community success, circular individualized education plans, and time as the validator of program effectiveness. (Author/DB)

A six-stage model of Individualized Education Program (IEP) development for students with disabilities in Oklahoma high schools includes: (1) student assessment, (2) IEP planning, (3) admission to area vocational/technical schools, (4) development of tentative instructional plans, (5) IEP meeting, and (6) IEP implementation. (DB)

Experiences from Sweden, United States, Netherlands, West Germany, and United Kingdom illustrate the construction and implementation of written individual plans for special education students. Experiences indicate the importance of translating diagnostic data on pupils into teaching decisions, teaching based on the plan, and using evaluation data…

A successful transition program for individuals with disabilities uses a "train-place-train" concept, where vocational training is provided in school, followed by job placement, followed by on-the-job-training by a job coach who provides support until the employee can work independently. (JOW)

Investigation of the quality of programing for 35 students with severe multiple disabilities found that individualized education programs contained many age-inappropriate and nonfunctional objectives, and that students with little voluntary movement received more passive instruction than students who were more physically able. (Author/DB)

Examines the ways in which school counselors are most likely to be affected by the mainstreaming of children with disabilities. Counselors will most likely have expanded roles on multidisciplinary teams, be responsible for promoting acceptance by nondisabled peers, experience more interaction with school social workers and parents, and develop…

The personal value of any goal determination process increases when a goal is conceivable, believable, achievable, controllable, measurable, desirable, stated with no alternative, and growth facilitating. A guide is offered for enhancing the value of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) by elaborating upon these eight elements as crucial parts…

The individualized education programs (IEPs) of 22 students with severe disabilities were analyzed during students' placement in special classes and general education classes. No difference was found in the curriculum content of the IEPs written for students attending a special versus a general education class; however, IEP objectives' quality was…

This article presents a brief introduction to Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome (a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by motor and vocal tics and obsessive-compulsive behaviors). It describes the nature of the disorder, treatment, and service provision (evaluation and assessment and the Individual Education Plan). (DB)

Individualized education programs for 48 students with mild mental retardation and behavior disorders attending integrated elementary and secondary schools were evaluated for current, appropriate practices regarding generalization, functionality, age-appropriateness, and curricular area of emphasis. Results indicated that, although appropriate…