Purpose: Adapted physical activity (APA) provides children and youth with disabilities more opportunities to be physically active. Nevertheless, it is not well known how APA implementation in different services has benefited them. This study reviews the existing literature on APA interventions to identify characteristics and program descriptions,…

Pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) have the greatest need for excellent teaching and are entitled to provision that supports achievement at, and enjoyment of, school. The attainment gap between pupils with SEND and their peers is twice as big as the gap between pupils eligible for free school meals and their peers.…

The DEC Recommended Practices provide guidance to families and professionals about the most effective ways to improve learning outcomes and promote development of young children, birth through age 5, who have, or are at-risk for, developmental delays or disabilities. "Teaming and Collaboration: Building and Sustaining Partnerships" is…

Parents of young children who are in early intervention (EI) or early childhood special education (ECSE) programs want to be sure these services are helping their children develop and learn. These services are designed to make the most of each child's potential as well as to strengthen the family's ability to help their child. This report asks how…

Responsiveness to intervention (RTI) is addressed through federal law and refers to a tiered approach to instruction. Students who do not make adequate academic progress and who are at risk for reading and other learning disabilities receive increasingly intensive instructional services. This brief was developed to help you understand…

Alternative education programs (also called alternative schools) first appeared on the American landscape in the 1960s. Despite the proliferation of these programs, a generic description of what constitutes an alternative education program, historically, has been elusive. Most alternative education programs have the general criteria of serving…

This synthesis presents summary information on curricula and intervention packages designed to help young children ages birth to 5 years improve their social-emotional functioning. It includes evidence-based manualized curricula and programs for use with children, in classrooms or small groups, or with families/parents. It builds and expands on…

This manual is designed to help advocates, including parents, obtain special education for children with disabilities residing in New Jersey. It explains the requirements of the federal statute governing special education--the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)--and the federal regulations implementing IDEA, as well as the state…

Early intervention programs are very diverse in clientele served, ages served, staffing, focus of services, location of service, length of service, agencies responsible, and funding. The Early Intervention Research Institute at Utah State University is investigating the efficacy of early intervention programs; 13 of its ongoing longitudinal…

This editorial describes the role of early intervention programs in helping children with disabilities, focusing on parents' and infants' needs, the Family Service Plan, and the role of case managers. The editorial cautions that: early intervention's effectiveness is unproven, early is not always better, and more is not always better. (JDD)

This document presents a "Quality Program Indicators Checklist" developed with the goal of program improvement in classrooms for students in Kentucky with moderate and severe handicaps. The checklist evaluates program effectiveness in six component areas: (1) integration (interaction opportunities and teacher behaviors supportive of…

The paper describes the 26-unit program called "Let's Be Social Home Program" intended to encourage parents to teach social skills to young handicapped children. The program was developed to supplement the "Let's Be Social" preschool program. The home program allows parents a choice in the amount and type of teaching activities…

School districts are making after-school day-care programs available for disabled children by expanding existing programs for non-disabled students to include children with disabilities. Project SCOPE (Serving Children of Parents Employed) in Springfield Illinois and school-age child-care programs in Arlington and Fairfax County, Virginia, are…

This annotated bibliography on student outcomes was developed as part of a Maine project studying the effectiveness of transition programs for students with disabilities. The 75 citations are listed alphabetically by author and date from 1985 through 1993. (DB)

An estimated 6,000 children and youth in Ramsey County have severe, long-term difficulties that make it very hard for them to function at home, at school, and in the community. The suffering and hardship for these children and youth is severe. The harm also extends beyond the youth themselves, affecting their families, their schools, their…