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. "Family: Knowing Families, Tailoring Practices, Building Capacity" is…

This guide is designed to help advocates--including biological and adoptive parents, resource parents, adult students in foster care, and service providers--understand and advocate for the educational rights of children in New Jersey's foster care system. The guide explains the requirements of federal and state laws that particularly affect these…

Research has identified educational and career development interventions that can make a positive difference in the lives of youth. Work-based learning experiences, preferably connected to curriculum content; student-centered individualized education programs that drive instruction; family involvement in and support of education and career…

The authors describe how the participation of Family as Faculty parents in case-based instruction influenced 16 beliefs of 89 special education teacher candidates about the value of partnering with parents. The parents, who all had children with disabilities, participated in a simulated individualized education program meeting that was embedded in…

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 document consists of three separately published fact sheets (for parents and teachers of children who are deaf-blind) combined here because of the close relationship of their subject matter: (1) "Communication Interactions: It Takes Two," by Kathleen Stremel; (2) "Expressive Communication: How Children Send Their Messages to You," by Kathleen…

This monograph describes the basic physical/neurological examination of children with special needs and how such an exam fits into the multidisciplinary evaluation and development of individualized programming for such children. The first section addresses the importance of the medical history. Next, the basic exam is described, followed by…

This document consists of three separately published fact sheets combined here because of the close relationship of their subject matter. The first fact sheet, "Communication Interactions: It Takes Two" (Kathleen Stremel), defines communication; suggests ways to find opportunities for interactive communication; offers specific suggestions for…

This document consists of three separately published fact sheets combined here because of the close relationship of their subject matter. The first fact sheet, "Communication Interactions: It Takes Two" (Kathleen Stremel), defines communication; suggests ways to find opportunities for interactive communication; offers specific suggestions for…

This manual is intended to facilitate the integration of children with mental handicaps into child care centers in Canada and elsewhere. The first chapter looks at the background of integration in early childhood child care programs in Canada and identifies concerns of parents. The second chapter explores the practice of labelling children with…

This guidebook is intended to assist the transition of Colorado students with developmental disabilities from school to post-school activities by promoting flexible and collaborative planning and service delivery among community-centered boards (CCBs), local education agencies, and other state and community agencies. First, a definition of…

This guide to planning for transition from school to work for middle school or high school students with disabilities in California is intended to assist parents, teachers, and other service providers in coordinating person-centered transition planning and services. The first section examines requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities…

The handbook is intended for school and community programs helping learning disabled young adults make the transition from school to work. The first chapter describes development of the Transition Project by York County (Maine) and project components including referral, assessment, membership on the Transitional Pupil Evaluation Team, the…

This document provides information for decision-making by school personnel, parents, and other Individualized Education Program (IEP) team members about the participation of students with disabilities in the various assessments. It explains in detail the use of adaptations, including accommodations and modifications, where necessary for students…

This article outlines person centered planning (PCP) methods to assist in the review and revision of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students with disabilities. Two methods of PCP are explained and illustrated with case studies. The article describes uses of PCP methods for IEPs and concludes by suggesting ways that PCP methods may…