Individuals who serve as surrogate parents fulfill an important role in the life of a child with a disability. Surrogates have become increasingly important in special education because a growing number of children are living outside their family for some period of their lives. Like parents, surrogates of children with disabilities are granted a…

The purpose of the White Paper is to provide additional information for and guidance to the federal government, professional organizations, practitioners, and the public. The Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA) is hopeful that this document will facilitate legal, regulatory, policy, and training decisions, and ultimately, service…

Having a disability can be one of the most marginalizing factors in a child's life. In education, finding ways to meet the learning needs of students with disabilities can be challenging, especially in schools, districts, regions, and countries with severely limited resources. Inclusive education--which fully engages all students, including…

For many parents, successfully advocating for their twice-exceptional child can be intimidating and overwhelming. Using grounded theory, we conducted a study with parents (n = 8) of elementary age, twice-exceptional children to learn about their advocacy experiences. Findings revealed that parents simultaneously advocated for their child's…

Using grounded theory, this study investigated primary caregivers' perceptions of the role they play in influencing the academic success of students formally identified as twice-exceptional. Data from interviews were coded and analyzed for themes. Results indicated that primary caregivers (mothers) perceived that they played a major role in…

Given federal mandates, public school districts have adopted inclusive practices with the expectation that general education teachers can accommodate students with disabilities. For teacher preparation programs to prepare future teachers for this reality, it is important to understand the composition of a "typical" general education…

While the overall student population in Massachusetts has dropped slightly in the last 10 years, the number of English language learners (ELLs) has increased by more than 50 percent. In April 2012, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MA DESE) contracted with researchers at Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC),…

The purpose of this study was to determine if the actual implementation of Response to Intervention (RtI) was related to school psychologists' knowledge, district opportunities for RtI training within the school district, and school psychologists' attitudes toward RtI. The implementation and use of RtI was predicted to be dependent upon those…

This manual is intended to help special education teachers in Montana with the Child Study Team (CST) process. It provides answers and examples for general questions regarding student evaluation and eligibility for special education services and for completing the CST report. The guide begins by answering common questions about the CST process,…

This document presents guidelines for evaluation of early childhood special education programs in North Dakota. Following an introduction, a section considers six general program goals including the significance of families, the need for developmentally appropriate and individually appropriate practice, preference for service delivery in…

This document includes the Early Screening Inventory: Revised (ESI-R), a developmental screening instrument for 3- to 6-year-olds, and an examiner's manual. The inventory comprises two sample scoring sheets, one for preschool (ages 3-4) and one for kindergarten (ages 4-6), and a parent questionnaire. The inventory is intended to be individually…

This training manual provides vocational rehabilitation and school counselors with background information and practical tools related to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), with particular reference to the needs of Native Americans. The most recent reliable data (1990) for American Indians and Alaska Natives show a rate of FAS over 10 times the national…

This handbook provides guidelines for the operation of local special education programs for Alaskan children with disabilities. It addresses: (1) the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Amendments of 1997 and basic concepts of special education; (2) identification of students with disabilities, referral, screening programs, and…

This second volume of the Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System (AEPS) Test and its associated curriculum, begins with an overview of the test and a discussion on the purpose and value of the assessment and evaluation of young children. Chapter 3 describes the target population for the AEPS Test and the use of the test with children with…

This Special Education Student Information System (SESIS) report presents statistical information through charts, graphs, and text, on the 39,926 children with disabilities in Nebraska special education. The following data are included: (1) Nebraska special education child count as of December 1, 1995, by child's age, disability, race, and…