Early childhood education teachers often feel underprepared for addressing behavior challenges in the classroom. This can limit a teacher's ability to teach academic and social skills and lead to interruptions in their educational experience such as suspensions or expulsions. Effective planning can help teachers create and manage positive learning…

High-leverage practices (HLPs) are instructional approaches educators in K-12 can use to teach different types of learners and content. They are deemed "high leverage" because they are foundational to effective instruction, they help with managing and intervening in students' behavior, and they support successful implementation of the…

Although different authors define the SMART acronym differently, an IEP-related interpretation of the acronym is as follows: specific, measurable, action verbs, realistic, and time limited. In addition to these features, well-written IEP goals reflect students' unique strengths and needs. This article discusses how educators can produce specific,…

Since the passing of what we now call the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, students who were previously educated in separate facilities or campuses are now educated in their neighborhood schools. Even though students with severe disabilities are now in their neighborhood schools, many spend the majority of their day in…

Parent involvement in a child's education has been demonstrated to increase child maintenance and generalization of skills taught in early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) settings to their home environments, improve parent-child relationships, and decrease parent stress. Parent coaching is a way to support parents' development of…

Reading is creating meaning with print. It makes sense that interventions for struggling readers be similarly meaning-based and take place, to the greatest extent possible, in a general education setting. This article describes a meaning-based Response to Intervention plan that is economical, pragmatic, research-based, and effective. Based on a…

Questions often arise about how accessible educational materials (AEM) and technologies might be included in individualized education programs (IEPs). This resource discusses a number of locations in the IEP where it might be appropriate to refer to a student's use of AEM. The right to accessible educational materials when needed is an inherent…

The purpose of this article is to discuss major substantive errors that school personnel may make when developing students' Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). School IEP team members need to understand the importance of the procedural and substantive requirements of the IEP, have an awareness of the five serious substantive errors that IEP…

With the growing use of technology in today's schools, electronic IEP programs are being adopted by many school districts around the nation as part of special education service delivery. These programs provide a useful technology that can facilitate compliance with IDEA requirements in IEP development while concurrently lessening teacher paperwork…

The transition to life after high school for students with disabilities and the vital role that school counselors have in assisting the students and their families to achieve success are discussed. As there may be unique requirements for these students in making this transition, it is important that school counselors are acquainted with particular…

The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA; 2006) requires schools to develop transition plans for students with disabilities, beginning at age 16, if not before. For students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the transition planning process includes unique considerations. This article describes five steps for developing effective…

Lakeview High School is a medium sized high school in a rural farming community. The staff at Lakeview meets at the beginning of each school year to discuss building-level professional development plans. This year, Lakeview's special education team has requested to focus its professional development time on improving special education services for…

Since 1990, transition planning has been a requirement under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Students receiving services under IDEA must have an individualized education program (IEP) with goals aligned to grade-level content standards. In addition, the IEP must ensure the student has the supports necessary, including…

The transition from school to adulthood is a pivotal time in the lives of all students. For a student with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), change of any kind can be challenging, and a transition as momentous as this can seem especially daunting. Thoughtful planning, sound information, and open communication will help parents support young adults…

Community-based youth sport coaches are often unprepared to accommodate the unique learning needs of athletes with hidden disabilities. The consequences of not knowing how to work with these athletes can be disastrous for both the athletes and the coaches. Universal design for learning, a practice borrowed from educational theory, can help…