Parents and educators are expected under IDEIA to work together on educational decision-making for students with disabilities. While collegial relationships in this process are intended, partnerships are not always formed because both parties can struggle to understand each other's perspective. Parents may hold their view, while educators may have…

The goal of this review is to advance the discussion regarding meaningful outcomes of early intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder. The rapid growth in the development and evaluation of early intervention approaches for autism spectrum disorder includes both therapist-driven and parent-mediated interventions. The majority of…

This paper analyses the first significant change to Special Educational Needs (SEN) legislation in England for over a decade, a change that promises new approaches to identification and assessment, increased parental choice and enhanced pupil outcomes. The paper aims to examine to what extent this new framework can live up to its claims in the…

A review of some basic concepts in special education law will help principals better understand the complex laws and regulations implicated in common situations. This article cites a case scenario that illustrates various potential issues under IDEA 2004 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Chris is in the 10th grade, and his parents have…

Understanding disparities in school readiness among America's children when they begin kindergarten is critically important, now more than ever. In today's 21st century global economy, it is expected that the great majority of children will complete high school ready to enter college or begin a career, and assume their civic responsibilities. This…

Inequalities in education outcomes such as test scores or degree attainment have been at the center of education policy debates for decades. Indeed, the first seminal national report on the state of U.S. education--the 1966 Coleman Report--examined some of these inequalities 50 years ago. Since then, researchers have examined performance gaps by…

This article discusses the current issues in play therapy and its implications for play therapists. A brief history of play therapy is provided along with the current play therapy approaches and techniques. This article also touches on current issues or problems that play therapists may face, such as interpreting children's play, implementing…

Children with disabilities receive most of their support from families. While most family caregivers are mothers or fathers, grandparents are increasingly providing care for children with disabilities. In addition, family caregivers come from diverse cultural backgrounds that impact their views on disability. This paper reviews the literature on…

Six issues of the newsletter address practical matters for parents of handicapped children. The first issue examines behavior and offers suggestions such as avoiding inconsistency and idle threats while holding reasonable expectations. The second issue continues the discussion on behavior with ideas for disciplining the child fairly but…

Interviews and home observations examined friendships of 28 children (ages 3-10) with disabilities. Children with the greatest amount of contact with friends had disabilities that were mainly physical, while children with behavior problems and cognitive limitations had the fewest peer interactions. Children living in isolated areas had more…

This document is designed to provide guidance to Illinois school administrators on positive behavioral interventions with students with disabilities. It begins with a description of the Illinois statute addressing behavioral interventions and then provides information on district policy guidelines on establishing and maintaining a committee to…

Family resources (i.e. household income and spouse support), parenting challenges (i.e. number of children, difficulty finding reliable child care, and child characteristics), work rewards (i.e. work interest) and work demands (i.e. hours and work overload) were tested as predictors of parenting role stress among mothers and fathers in two-earner…

This Digest summarizes requirements for individualized education programs (IEPs) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as amended in 1997. In addition to specific information the IEP must contain, it notes that the amendments require IEP teams to consider the child's strengths, the parents' concerns, and the results of the…

This social skills curriculum has been developed as a guide to assist in instructing students with disabilities in determining what behaviors are and are not acceptable in our society. Chapters include: (1) "The Disabled, Classified and Defined" (George R. Taylor and J. Richard Rembold); (2) "Social Learning Theories: An…

Many children have inappropriate behaviors that are part of their disability. These behaviors may make it difficult to learn, cause harm to the child or others, or isolate a child from his or her peers. Some children have behaviors that they can't control, such as tics for a child with Tourette syndrome or self-harming behaviors for some children…