The topic of special education can be confusing and frightening for parents who suspect their child has a disability or has difficulty learning. Parents in this situation want to know how to get help for their child. This guide is intended as a reference for people who have questions about special education for a child. It summarizes the basic…

Extensive research over the past decade has indicated that there are more boys than girls who are struggling readers, but the degree to which there are more boys remains a point of contention. The focus of this article is to review the various definitions of reading disability, to examine how these different definitions translate into different…

The problem investigated in this research study relates to the referral rate for special education evaluations between students of teachers who were exposed to the professional development and resources associated with the federally funded Reading First program and students of teachers who were not exposed to the program. The purpose of this study…

The document offers guidelines for an intake method used by the Kentucky Project for Early Education of Exceptional Children (PEEEC) staff in the placement of a referred child for special education services. Intake procedures are outlined for the following steps: initial referral, initial contact with parent, referral screening recommendations…

Four papers focus on implementation of protection in evaluation procedures (PEP) specified in P.L. 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. Each of the authors commissioned to develop guidelines in PEP are represented: Reginald Jones ("Protection in Evaluation Procedures: Criteria and Recommendations"); Jane Mercer…

Elementary schools, junior high schools, high schools, and district offices were visited in three medium sized urban areas to explore the ways in which assessment systems for handicapped children are structured and managed. Conversations with teachers, counselors, diagnosticians, and administrators focused on reasons for delays in case processing…

A microeconomic paradigm is proposed for the evaluation of special education in schools. The special education process is described in three phases: referral to special education by the classroom teacher; special classroom program; and mainstreaming. The relationship between referral by teachers, classroom resources, and students' desirable…

This article describes the stages of an assistive technology (AT) assessment process and use of an Assistive Technology Referral Format for use with students who have disabilities. Emphasis is on assisting teams to identify AT objectives within the student's present skills and curriculum and plan for the appropriate use of AT. The relevant forms…

The manual offers suggestions regarding the assessment process for handicapped children. Seven chapters address the following topics: the assessment process (a decisionmaking model); the referral process; planning for an individual assessment (formal and informal processes); determining eligibility (the presence or absence of a disability, an…

This article describes community-based developmental assessment (CDA) sites as one means for early identification of infants and toddlers with disabilities. At CDA sites, developmentalists assess referred children for developmental status and serve as liaison between the referring physician and the early intervention system. CDA sites are cost…

This collection of handouts is designed to accompany a 2-hour videotape on assessment strategies for American Indian vocational rehabilitation clients. The videotape covers what assessment is, who should be referred for assessment, types of assessment, types of referrals (psychological, vocational, and educational), and how report findings can be…

This training module includes a trainer's manual and a participant's manual designed for school psychologists and concerned with the appraisal process for students with suspected handicapping conditions. The instructor's guide presents a script for covering seven major steps in the appraisal process (sample subtopics in parentheses): (1) pre…

The document contains seven papers from the Child Assessment Topical Workshop designed to raise participant awareness of basic assessment issues involved in screening, placement, and measurement of daily performance; to provide specific information about the assessment process, including collecting, organizing, analyzing, and using data; and to…

Forty children under three years of age referred for early childhood special education evaluation were randomly assigned to either a multidisciplinary, standardized assessment or a transdisciplinary, play-based assessment. Play-based assessments took less time to complete, resulted in favorable parent and staff perceptions, provided useful…

This guide outlines the process of screening preschool-age children in North Dakota to determine their need for special education services. As mass screenings were found to lack cost-effectiveness, selective screening is encouraged. A periodic selective screening process, using a coordinated, interagency approach, is recommended for the earliest…