Advocating for deaf or hard of hearing child can be a daunting task … and intimidating. So many professionals around a table and the parent. What can parents do to advocate for deaf or hard of hearing children? Why is advocating for these child at school meetings important? As Apple says (2009), "There's an app for that!" The Laurent…

Children with autism spectrum disorder demonstrate challenges in socialization that can interfere with their participation in common childhood activities and can persist or worsen if not addressed. The purpose of this study was to assess whether individualized education program (IEP) social goals could be targeted by a supervised paraprofessional…

Safety Net funding is available to local education agencies (LEAs) that demonstrate need for additional special education funding. There are two types of Safety Net funding--High-Need Individual and Community Impact. High-Need funding is on behalf of an individual student. Community Impact funding is for a factor that impacts the district as a…

Researchers have linked the promotion of skills associated with self-determination with positive school and post-school outcomes for students with disabilities, and there is an ongoing need to promote greater access to instruction that enhances student self-determination. To that end, curricula were developed that provide teachers with content and…

Throughout this practitioner-oriented paper, we provide a rationale, framework, and supporting materials to promote the development and implementation of personalized, contextualized, and holistic individualized education plans (IEPs) with a strength-based orientation. We believe that adopting strength-based IEP writing practices is vital to…

Teaching a skill within the highly controlled conditions of one setting and promoting the transfer of that skill to a less-structured setting may seem like an unattainable goal. Yet this is the challenge presented by many individualized education program (IEP) IEP objectives that involve generalization of a skill acquired in a resource room to be…

In contrast with professional norms and best practices, the legal requirements for functional behavioral assessments (FBAs) and behavior intervention plans (BIP) are meager in scope and specificity (Collins & Zirkel, 2017). Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (2017) makes no mention of FBAs or BIPs, and the Individuals with Disabilities…

In this paper, we will analyze the inclusive education policies and practices of a Province in Canada. Qualitative methods were used to analyze the planning of teaching and learning for students, with a focus on those with a Personalized Learning Plan (PLP). The process involved extended school and classroom observation, completion of…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which extracurricular activities are included in Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) of secondary age students with intellectual disability (ID). Student characteristics (grade, disability, use of augmentative and alternative communication) were examined to explore potential group…

Students with autism and intellectual disabilities experience many transitions during their schooling, and a large body of literature is devoted to best practices in transition planning and support. The Taxonomy for Transition Programming 2.0 is a research-based model that provides best practice suggestions to guide the planning of various…

Dramatic inquiry is an arts-based method for exploring curricular goals in real and fictional contexts created in the classroom. Students and teachers collaborate as they explore possible solutions to inquiry questions to make meaning. Dramatic inquiry promotes inclusion by encouraging the use of tools and multiple modes for demonstrating…

We acknowledge that some students with severe disabilities are not being taught in general education. We do not agree that inclusion in general education is inherently better, nor do we think it is always appropriate, and we provide some reasons that a full continuum of alternative placements is not only legally mandated but appropriate. We are…

Since the original passing of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1975, students with disabilities are required to have services that are individualized to meet their needs as documented in their Individual Education Program, or IEP. These documents can often be long and determining the implications for students in music classrooms…

The purpose of this guidance is to provide clarity to schools and districts regarding expectations and considerations for equitable learning opportunities for all students during this time of Continuous Learning. Equity starts with educators checking their assumptions and biases. Educators can review outgoing language, materials, images and…

Following a high-quality early care and pre-K experience, the kindergarten-through-third-grade years set the foundation upon which future learning builds; and strengthening this continuum creates opportunities for later success. Key components of a quality experience in K-3 include school readiness and transitions, kindergarten requirements,…