Family-professional partnerships have been recognized through research and supported through legislation as critical components contributing to the positive development of children with disabilities, yet current practices and services need significant improvement. In practice, families and service providers often experience difficulty in…

Special education teachers and individualized education program (IEP) team members throughout the country are struggling to make appropriate decisions regarding assistive technology (AT) for students with high incidence disabilities. Although numerous authors and organizations have developed tools to assist IEP teams when considering AT, the task…

Successful inclusion of very young children with disabilities in natural environments requires professionals to have specialized skills including: collaboration with the child's parents and caregivers and other professionals, ecologically valid assessment of the child within the context of his or her natural environment, and the design of an…

Assistive Technology (AT) devices and services have been legally mandated for several years. However, the passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Act Amendments P.L. 105-17 (IDEA1997), which states that every student with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) must be considered for AT, had enormous implications impacting approximately six…

The Secretary amends the regulations governing programs administered under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) (referred to in these regulations as the Title I program) and the regulations governing programs under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities…

No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) both include a commitment to keep the public informed about educational progress that students are making, and both emphasize the importance of involving parents in the education of their children. An underlying assumption of NCLB and IDEA is that in order…

Designed for use by parents and professionals, this guide provides assistance in finding appropriate financial resources and services for children with special needs in Iowa. Divided into six chapters, the guide presents programs related to education, health, human services, insurance, social security, and other support services. After a brief…

This brief informational flyer presents practical information on the transition from school to work for students who are deaf-blind or have other severe disabilities. After defining transition, the flyer offers guidelines on: the age at which transition services should be started, areas that should be considered in a coordinated transition plan,…

This study seeks to determine whether first-year special educators use their knowledge of differentiated teaching strategies in their classrooms. It also seeks to understand what conditions within school systems support or hinder attempts by special educators to implement these strategies. Participants in the study included four first-year special…

This report reviews and compares the legal rights of students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The first and second sections detail the statutory framework of the laws and legal requirements pertaining to eligibility, identification, and local and…

This study investigated the upper age educational mandates of 15 states and the policies regarding alternative awards to the regular diploma in 19 states. The study was based on analysis of state policy documents, a 1990 state survey of exiting procedures, and telephone conversations with state education agency officials. The first section…

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a federally recognized disabling condition which involves behavioral and academic difficulties. Dysfunction varies with the type and location of injury and with the age of the child. School personnel traditionally have had little exposure to TBI, and there is great potential for problems to occur due to lack of…

This paper describes the "Every Child a Winner" curriculum that provides inclusion for special needs children in elementary classrooms. Key elements of the curriculum for all ability levels are: improved fitness and motor skills, and enhanced academics and self-esteem for every child. Early program development is described as growing out…

This practicum study was designed to improve the communication and social skills of 43 students (ages 14-22) with developmental disabilities by involving families in at-home treatment activities that reinforced and enhanced in-school and community-based speech/language therapy and by increasing attendance of parents at school meetings and…

This methods textbook includes interventions that beginning teachers need to understand to address the many problems they will encounter in classrooms with children who have emotional or behavioral disorders. Chapters discuss: definitions of emotional or behavioral disorders and ways in which children with these problems are classified; Individual…