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…

The IDEA requires schools to evaluate and provide services to students who have a mental health issue that is deemed an educational disability or a mental health issue that is comorbid with an educational disability. Etscheidt and colleagues (this issue) propose a six component approach to securing school-based mental health services for students…

Developing the ability to summarize written text is a critical literacy skill set for adolescent students with disabilities. Four female students at-risk for emotional and behavioral disorders in a U.S. juvenile justice facility were taught the TRAP+IDEAS mnemonic using the self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) instructional approach to…

Functional communication training (FCT) is a commonly used, often recommended intervention that involves teaching a functionally equivalent communicative response to replace challenging behavior. The purpose of this literature review was to evaluate the strength of the evidence for the use of FCT. A systematic review of the literature resulted in…

Students now live at a time of instant access to cell phones, tablets, or computers, which open the door to exciting new ways of connecting, interacting, and learning. However, these new modes of communication also present new challenges for parents. Not only do parents have to help children and youth navigate in-person social situations, they…

Challenging behaviors refer to those behaviors that decrease the child's ability to engage and participate in classroom routines (Dunlap, Wilson, Strain, & Lee, 2013), and therefore, the dilemma in the scenario above is common to early childhood and early childhood special education teachers due to an increase in children experiencing autism…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that each child identified as a student with a disability be provided free and appropriate education (FAPE). This is accomplished through the implementation of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) developed by parents and school personnel. This plan guides the provision of…

Less frequently than you might expect, a court case within the booming world of special education litigation focuses on the evaluation practices of a school psychologist. The appropriateness of such practices merits comparative examination from both professional and legal perspectives. This article contains the facts for examination under these…

Austin Independent School District supported parent training in the Love and Logic curriculum during the 2009-2010 school year, and survey results indicated that most parents reported improvements in their children's behavior and their own behavior after completing training.

The number of children with autism served in early intervention or the public school system appears to be growing at an alarming rate. This article provides a basis for understanding this dramatic increase. In addition, the authors present a brief overview of the characteristics of autism, research on early behavioral indicators of infants and…

This study examines recent evidence that many children with learning disabilities (LD) have accompanying behavior problems, especially children who experience academic difficulties in school but who are not formally diagnosed as LD. Subjects were 85 referrals to a university educational assessment center from 1991 to 1994. The subjects, 58 males…

Provides a review of the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC). Presents a description of the test and analysis of its administration, scoring, and psychometric properties. Argues that the BASC is an improvement over other objective personality measures used by school psychologists. Discusses other aspects of the test. (RJM)

A growing body of evidence confirms that serious and persistent challenging behaviors in early childhood directly relate to later problems in school success, social relationships, educational and vocational success, and social adjustment. Conversely, key social skills associated with learning in group settings include being able to get along with…