Individual Education Programs (IEPs) are the entry point to the design of teaching and learning for students with disabilities. This guidebook provides teachers with reflective questions, a sample response bank, strategies from the research-based Learner Variability Navigator, and other resources to write strength-based IEPs. Strength-based…

There are an estimated 1.5 to 2.5 million children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in the United States. These children make up about 3-5 percent of a school's student population. Boys are diagnosed almost ten times more often than girls. Girls tend to be more inattentive and their symptoms are dismissed as those of a day…

Although the instructional strategy described in this article can be used to support all learners, the purpose of this article is to address the needs of students with learning disabilities, who are often several grade levels behind in reading comprehension. Specifically, this article explores how an explicitly taught instructional practice that…

Transition for students with disabilities has been the focus of educational policies for several decades. Still, students with disabilities, including those with a specific learning disability (SLD), continue to experience difficulties transitioning to post-school environments, particularly post-secondary education (PSE). The Individuals with…

Twice-exceptional (2e) learners have often been misunderstood, disciplined, unchallenged, and left behind. Even as awareness of 2e students has grown, educators are still in need of practical tools to recognize and support their twice-exceptional students. This book answers that need, providing teachers with accessible information about…

The purpose of this brief is to help families and educators understand the right of students with disabilities who need accessible educational materials to receive these materials in a timely manner. This right is based on provisions in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as well as in the disability civil rights statutes…

Since the reauthorization of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 2004, standards-based individualized education plans (IEPs) have been an expectation for serving students with disabilities in the K-12 public school setting. Nearly a decade after the mandates calling for standards-based IEPs, special educators still struggle…

This special education reopening guidance has been developed as a companion resource to "Reopening Washington Schools 2020: District Planning Guide" (ED606044) to provide information and resources for supporting students with disabilities throughout the school reopening process. The intent of this document is to offer guidance for all…

Efforts to promote self-determination have been a principal focus of transition planning in support of students with disabilities for nearly two decades. However, research and recommendations related to self-determination have been primarily centered on promoting student participation in the IEP process and ensuring broader preparation for…

Research strongly suggests that visual supports, such as pictures, prompts, cue cards, story boards, graphic schedules, and diagrams, have been effective for providing instructional structure for a wide variety of children and for multiple activities. Making successful transitions from one activity to another is difficult for many children,…

"Learning disability" is a general term that describes specific kinds of learning problems. A learning disability can cause a person to have trouble learning and using certain skills. The skills most often affected are: reading, writing, listening, speaking, reasoning, and doing math. Following a brief story about a child with a learning…

Alberta Education provides programming support and funding to school authorities to develop and implement special education programming for ECS children and students in grades 1 to 12. "Special Education Coding Criteria 2009/2010" outlines criteria within specific categories to help school authorities identify those children and students…

Transition from secondary education to adulthood represents a period during which adolescents with disabilities face multiple responsibilities and changing roles that include establishing independence, attending postsecondary education or training, developing social networks, choosing a career, participating in their communities, and managing…

The Strategies for Effective Learning (SEL) Unit at the Alberta Vocational Centre focuses on developing and teaching cognitive strategies for adults rather than simply diagnosing them. In its initial stages the SEL unit has begun the task of assessing the value of various strategies, testing instruments, and procedures for learning disabled…

Understanding the criteria and process for determining a student's eligibility for special education services is critical for any educator in an inclusive school environment. Based on the current reauthorization of IDEA 2004, this timely resource offers teachers and administrators an overview of each eligible disability and clear, specific…