Special education eligibility determinations are decision making processes that involve multiple stakeholders who bring a variety of power, privilege, and influence that impacts the overall decision and trajectory of the evaluation team. Eligibility for special education is a prescriptive process outlined by federal and state regulations that…

The Individualized Education Program (IEP) remains a pivotal document for ensuring educational equity for students with disabilities in public education (Bateman, 2017). This qualitative interview study investigated how an IEP team supporting a student with extensive support needs navigated the decision-making process during annual IEP…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to seek descriptions from people included in, and excluded from, participating on transition teams for adolescents with intellectual disabilities entering adulthood in New Jersey. The theoretical framework included two theories to support this research. Faludi's Procedural Planning Theory…

Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) were created to provide students with disabilities with equitable accommodation within American Public Classrooms. Simultaneously, there was a problem that when parents' trust for the Exceptional Student Education program and the IEP team was not developed with a staffing specialist, then students with…

Team collaboration is an essential component of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) services that directly impacts outcomes for students in special schools. Given the central role of the Special Education Teacher (SET) in the AAC team, there is a need to explore and understand SETs' perceptions to support effective team collaboration.…

There has been a growing concern in special education due to the under and overrepresentation of Multilingual Learners (MLLs) qualifying for special education services (National Center for Learning Disabilities, 2020). Due to this inequity, culturally and linguistically responsive practices such as district bilingual assessment teams are being…

To present interdisciplinary teams (IDTs) as foundational to effective assessment for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This conceptual paper encourages IDTs by (a) presenting practice guidelines and research supporting effective IDTs; (b) describing vital team characteristics; (c) introducing a new model of teaming practices with a…

Individualized education plans (IEPs) have the potential and responsibility of providing individuals with the highest level of learning opportunities. In this guide, discover the essential steps and vital understandings for team members to create student-centered IEPs. This book simplifies the IEP writing process and provides practical strategies…

This scoping review aims to synthesise what is known about professional collaboration among schools, healthcare and social care for children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Papers (N = 29; discussions, theoretical, empirical; 2003-2022) were selected in early 2023 from seven databases and supplemented by manual search. The analysis was…

The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive, multi-site case study was to determine the criteria individualized education program (IEP) teams used to find the least restrictive environment (LRE) placement for a student with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at the elementary school level. The theoretical framework of this study was Maslow's theory…

The transition to kindergarten can be a memorable, yet stressful time for children and families. For children with disabilities and their caregivers, the transition to kindergarten can be especially difficult due to changes in environment, supports, and services that occur as part of the transition. The purpose of this article is to highlight…

As key members of the Individualised Education Program (IEP) team and strong child advocates, parents play a critical role in special education. In this study, we sought to understand a crucial, yet underexamined, aspect of special education -- parent perceptions regarding student participation in IEP development. Specifically, we asked parents…

This article presents the rationale, evidence base, and strategies for teachers and related service personnel to implement peer-assisted Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) modeling with their students with complex communication needs within inclusive settings across the school day. Specific steps for teaching the student's same-age…

The value of early intervention is well demonstrated; however, less is known about the processes that initial evaluation teams use to evaluate and determine young children's eligibility for early intervention (EI) and preschool special education. The present study surveyed multidisciplinary early childhood providers (N = 1445) who conduct initial…

Rural schools face unique challenges providing high-quality professional development opportunities due to barriers such as geographic isolation and limited resources. This article provides information on three coaching models, eCoaching, iCoaching, and teacher dyad coaching. Each model has the potential to leverage technology to ameliorate…