Every year, under the federal law known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), millions of children with disabilities receive special services designed to meet their unique needs. Early intervention services are provided through the state to infants and toddlers with disabilities under three years of age and their families. For…

This resource manual--proceedings of two task force meetings--is intended to assist Florida school districts, state agencies, and parents in the provision of special programs for students who exhibit disorders in oral or written language. As part of a continuing effort to improve services for exceptional students in Florida's public schools, the…

This document updates "Accommodations: Assisting Students with Disabilities. A Guide for Educators," published by the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) in 2003. This document is written to assist school district personnel and parents when making decisions about the use of accommodations by students with disabilities in instructional…

This collection of essays on early French second language instruction includes: "Why Bilingualism?" (Steven MacKinnon); "French Second-Language Programs: Alternative Approaches" (Henry P. Edwards); "Core French: A Brighter Future" (Janet Poyen, Judy Gibson); "The Parents' Role" (Deborah Whale); "Franco…

The issue of homework is now uppermost in many parents' and teachers' minds. Researchers are questioning homework's effectiveness as an educational tool. Policy makers are thinking twice about what to do about it while kids have their fingers crossed. In two national surveys conducted by the authors, they have discovered a wide range of…

"Specific Learning Disability" is by far the largest category of conditions served in special education. Unfortunately, few parents (and educators) really understand what learning disabilities are. Many erroneously believe it is a "politically correct" term for "mildly mentally retarded" or "dull normal." Further, while most laypeople have heard…

Learning disability is a classification that includes several disorders in which a person has difficulty learning in a typical manner. Depending on the type and severity of the disability, interventions may be used to help the individual learn strategies that will foster future success. Some interventions can be quite simplistic, while others are…

Dyslexia is a disorder of the language-processing systems in the brain. It is a specific learning disability in reading that often affects spelling as well. This article describes: (1) Common characteristics experienced by people with dyslexia or reading disabilities; (2) Common misconceptions about dyslexia; (3) What brain research tell us about…

This book presents a multisensory approach for teaching language arts skills to students in grades 3-10 with learning disabilities. It is intended for teachers, parents, speech-language pathologists, and other professionals who work with students with learning disabilities. An introduction discusses multisensory instruction and the benefits of…

Discussion of college foreign language requirements for students with learning disabilities considers how foreign language courses affect college admission, foreign language as a college graduation requirement, variations in how colleges determine course substitutions, and useful documentation for the substitution process. Insets list suggested…

This brief paper summarizes warning signs of learning disabilities in preschool children, elementary school children, and secondary school children. It notes that learning disabilities are presumed to arise from dysfunctions in the brain resulting in significant difficulties in perceiving information, processing and/or remembering information,…

The guide, intended to help teachers, parents, and community workers throughout the world develop educational services for children with severe cerebral palsy, is published in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese. The 11 practitioner-contributed chapters stress specific intervention techniques based on the practitioners' own experiences…

This guide to learning disabilities is primarily based on the experiences of parents and staff at Landmark College (Vermont), a two-year college specifically for students with learning disabilities. Chapter 1 introduces a group of Landmark parents and students who share their feelings and concerns. Chapter 2 describes learning by seeing, hearing,…

This annotated bibliography covers materials about children at risk because of disabilities and/or abilities. The bibliography includes approximately 560 entries. The following categories are addressed: autism; gifted; handicapped--general and multiple; hearing impaired/deaf; learning disabilities; mental illness; mentally handicapped/brain…

A listing of resources is presented for parents of handicapped children. Resources are categorized according to the following types: programs, organizations, products, and additional resources; federally funded programs; national parent organizations; local parent training; and handbooks, book lists, and media. Entries are organized according to…