Twenty-six papers on the education of students with developmental disabilities are divided into 7 sections on: (1) definition and placement; (2) assessment and curriculum; (3) instructional strategies; (4) individual needs; (5) systematic and data-based instruction and management; (6) family involvement and community attitudes; and (7) appropriate…

This booklet provides an overview of autism and discusses strategies for living and working with children with autism. The first section of the guide, "Understanding the Problem," addresses the characteristics of autism, including social symptoms, language difficulties, repetitive behaviors and obsessions, sensory symptoms, and unusual…

This final report summarizes the activities of the North Dakota Deaf-Blind Services program, a 4-year federally funded project to ensure exemplary programs and services for children and youth with dual sensory impairments (DSI) throughout North Dakota. These priorities were met through the systematic identification of children with deaf-blindness,…

Over 10 percent of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students in public schools and more than 18 percent of AI/AN students in Bureau of Indian Affairs and tribal schools are eligible for or placed in special education programs. This digest addresses four selected issues in the education of AI/AN students with disabilities. First, the 1997…

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of a 4-year federally funded project to improve the capacity of state, regional, and local educational services to meet the needs of learners with deaf-blindness and their families throughout the state of Tennessee. The project provided individualized technical assistance and support to…

These two newsletters on gifted education from spring and fall of 2000 include the following articles: (1) "NRC/GT: Developing Expertise Using the 'Big Red Notebook'" (E. Jean Gubbins), which discusses the creation of a professional development module as an intervention tool to foster expertise in using the pedagogy of gifted education in general…

Using data from the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study that included more than 11,000 students (ages 6-12), this study explored the primary disability classification assigned to students by their schools, the variety of disabilities that parents reported, functional limitations associated with students' disabilities, disability…

This classroom assessment tool offers teachers a method to identify academic needs across the curriculum for migrant, language-different, and mobile students. The primary strategy of this assessment system is to identify the knowledge and skill levels of these students in core curriculum areas. The snapshot assessment is a low-stakes, informal…

The classroom assessment tool described in this manual offers teachers a method to identify academic needs across the curriculum for migrant, language minority, and mobile students. The primary strategy of this assessment system is to identify the knowledge and skill levels of these students in core curriculum areas. The tests, for grades 1…

This volume contains 12 papers originally presented at the 14th Rutgers Invitational Symposium on Education in 1999. The symposium explored contemporary issues of ethnic, cultural, and national identities and their influence on the social construction of identity. Papers include: (1) "Reconceptualizing Ethnicity and Educational…

This manual is designed for professional development of both new and experienced Florida adult educators by providing them with insight into general characteristics of learning disabilities in adults. It is one of three manuals developed to supplement a previous series of professional development manuals. Each of its five units consist of some or…

Noting that the number of students served in special education programs has increased at alarming rates since 1975, this paper posits that this increase is due to recent social and political variables and their impact on the educational system. Special emphasis is placed on how state and local educational leaders respond to national education…

This ERIC digest provides highlights of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (P.L. 105-17). Changes to general provisions of the law are explained, as well as changes in other areas, such as outcomes and standards, evaluations and curriculum, procedural safeguards, discipline, early intervention, and teacher training…

This volume presents 12 papers that address the increasing shift toward functional and noncategorical approaches to special education. The papers are: (1) "Origins of Categorical Special Education Services in Schools and a Rationale for Changing Them" (Jim Ysseldyke and Doug Marston); (2) "Reform Trends and System Design Alternatives" (Dan Reschly…

This guidebook is designed to assist schools in providing appropriate education experiences for all gifted and talented children, regardless of the child's talent area, age, ethnic origin, or economic level. Chapters address: (1) the development of an educational plan, what is reasonable to ask schools to do, and what kind of teacher is best for a…