The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan has been published for England and includes a recommendation for SEND Assessment and Review Teams guidance. These teams co-ordinate and monitor the statutory Education, Health and Care Plans detailing the needs and provision for children with…

Young learners with severe visual impairments are restricted in many ways, and psychologists and special needs teachers require information about the nature and extent of the possible educationally handicapping effects. This article, written by Michael Tobin, Emeritus Professor of Special Education within the School of Education at the University…

This article analyzes implementation of the "Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs" by special schools in England and Wales. A survey of schools, including 73 special schools, concluded that the Code's potential universality is being lost through an overemphasis on implementation of procedural…

Interdisciplinary collaboration with other professionals was the theme of a preservice training activity in England in which 18 students enrolled in a teacher training program for learning difficulties were paired with students of speech and language pathology to observe, discuss, and assess a severely disabled child in the school setting. (JW)

A case study of a local education agency (LEA) in Barnsley, England reveals how one LEA implemented the 1981 Education Act. A description of LEA characteristics is followed by a discussion of assessment procedures (e.g., annual screening and a Teacher Information Package) and a within-child interpretation of special needs. (JW)

This article addresses issues rising from the British government's Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs. It argues that the process of Recording of Achievement is closely related to the school-based stages of assessment in the Code of Practice. The Recording of Achievement assessment process recognizes…

Results of a questionnaire completed by 69 British parents of children with special educational needs who were protected by a formal statement indicated that parents do not always understand the procedures for assessment and "statementing" of their child's needs, and that parents are generally satisfied with their communication with…

England's "Draft Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs" presents a five-stage assessment procedure. The five stages range from the class or subject teacher identifying a student's needs and consulting the Special Educational Needs coordinator, to the local education authority making a…

The article describes activities of two education guidance centers in England providing short-term help to behavior disordered students ages 3-15. Program features include classroom-based intervention, individual and group therapy, interim special class placement, and work with families. Assessment and intervention practices are summarized, and…

This article reviews transition planning requirements specified in the Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs in Great Britain and the effectiveness of the requirements. The Code's emphasis on social and independent living skills is discussed, as is the need for schools to balance process and procedure.…

This article discusses the development and implementation of procedures to comply with the Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs in a special British school for children with disabilities. The procedures involve observing the student, conducting diagnostic assessments, determining areas and levels of…