Early interventionists interact and partner with a multitude of families, all with unique strengths, backgrounds, and circumstances. During partnerships with family members, professionals may encounter interactions and relationships that they perceive as challenging or imbalanced. Skilled Dialogue is a framework which emphasizes the use of…

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…

The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (1975), PL-94142, mandated parent participation as a required component of the provision of special education services to children with disabilities. It is widely recognized that a collaborative teaming approach is the most effective strategy to foster parent participation (Friend & Cook, 2010; A.…

Manifestation determination teams are required by law to determine the relationship between a student's disability and behaviors that lead to disciplinary action when a student with a disability is either excluded from school for more than 10 days, is put in an interim alternative placement, or is under consideration for a change in placement.…

Given the centrality of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) to services for students with disabilities, the decision-making process during the IEP meeting deserves attention in research and implementation. In this case study, IEP team decision-making is examined as a socially situated practice. Transcripts of an initial evaluation and IEP…

For interdisciplinary teams to function effectively, members must be cognizant of the effects of group dynamics on team decision-making. Individual characteristics, group characteristics, and situational factors are discussed as they relate to the processes teams use in carrying out their goal of providing early intervention services to children…

The number of disabled students in regular vocational training (VT) programs at Cuyahoga Valley Joint Vocational School (Ohio) has increased steadily in recent years. At the school, more than 140 students with diagnosed disabilities are served within a continuum of options as follows: option 1, which entails total inclusion in the VT program with…

This presentation introduces the methods of negotiation and mediation in transdisciplinary decision-making, and applies the methods specifically to the educational needs and placements of students with disabilities. Four stages of mediation are described: problem identification, generation of problem-solving options, evaluation of options, and…

This article describes efforts in Colorado to develop collaborative relationships among educators to better meet needs of students with disabilities. The article stresses the importance of developing common understanding, developing a full array of services within the delivery system, and addressing school scheduling issues. (JDD)

This document presents one module in a set of training resources for trainers to use with parents and/or professionals serving children with disabilities; focus is on effective community advisory committees (CACs). The modules stress content and activities that build skills and offer resources to promote parent-professional collaboration. Each…

Successful transition planning is a lifelong process in which the student, family members, friends, and professionals come together to develop and act upon a plan that will lead to a successful adult life. For this reason, transition planning has become a part of several federal laws. The most encompassing of these laws, the Individuals with…

An inservice program entitled The Team Approach to Educational Decision-Making: Inservice for Multidisciplinary Teams is described. It provides instruction in team theory, communication skills, and problem-solving techniques to create more active and effective team participation in the Individual Education Program decision-making processes to meet…

This document presents one module in a set of training resources for trainers to use with parents and/or professionals serving children with disabilities; focus is on community advisory committee leadership training. The modules stress content and activities that build skills and offer resources to promote parent-professional collaboration. Each…

Characteristics of new teams are reviewed with attention being given to variables that must be addressed to ensure their effectiveness. A process model of team building also is described, and implications of research on group effectiveness for multidisciplinary teams in schools are discussed. (Author/PN)

Three areas related to decision making are discussed: (1) a research survey summary of multidisciplinary team decision making (MTD); (2) four approaches for structuring MTD decision making; and (3) styles of leadership as a factor that impacts on the decision-making teams. (Author/PN)