School districts are on safer legal ground if they recommend appropriate educational services for each special-needs child, convene parents and school personnel for Individual Education Plan meetings, make placement decisions based on individualized, thorough evaluations; document alternative options; develop behavior-management programs, and use…

This article examines the impact of multiple individual and ecological factors on the self-determination of students with learning disabilities, mild and moderate mental retardation, and other health impairments. Baseline data from a multistate, longitudinal research project evaluating interventions to promote self-determination were examined…

The National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities (NDPC-SD) was assigned the task of compiling, analyzing and summarizing the data for Indicator 2--Dropout--from the FFY 2008 Annual Performance Reports (APRs) and the revised State Performance Plans (SPPs), which were submitted to the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)…

This booklet is intended to help parents and students better understand the nature of learning disabilities at the college level and to help faculty and staff involved with learning-disabled students in higher education programs. The personal story of a female college student with a learning disability appears on the left-hand side of each…

The second of five handbooks developed by Project HAPI (Handicapped Achievement Program Improvement), a multimedia staff development program to help teachers and specialists write effective individualized education programs (IEPs), is in looseleaf workbook format and focuses on children with severe education handicaps. It is reported that students…

The third of five handbooks developed by Project HAPI (Handicapped Achievement Program Improvement), a multimedia staff development program to help teachers and specialists write effective individualized education programs (IEPs), is in looseleaf workbook format and focuses on children with hearing impairments. It is reported that students who…

The fourth of five handbooks developed by Project HAPI (Handicapped Achievement Program Improvement), a multimedia staff development program to help teachers and specialists write effective individualized education programs (IEPs), is in looseleaf workbook format and focuses on children with visual impairments. It is reported that students who…

The DURABLE (Discussing, Understanding, Reinforcing, Adapting, Building, Learning, Evaluating) Approach, an organizational intervention that is designed to facilitate implementation of individualized evaluation program (IEP) evaluation, is presented. The need for school psychologists to become actively involved in organizational-level matters in…

This paper describes application of a prosocial skills program called Skillstreaming with 12 elementary students diagnosed either with emotional and/or behavioral disorders or with high incidences of school disciplinary actions. The Skillstreaming program has three components: anger management, moral reasoning, and social skills development. The…

Through a review of the literature, recent research, and implementation results, this article explores teaching methods for use with gifted students with learning disabilities. Methods for application in regular and special classrooms are discussed, including establishment of relationships between home and school life, individualized intervention…

Dr. Mitchell Yell, an expert in special-education law, is interviewed on the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that will affect the discipline of students with disabilities. He addresses suspension and expulsion of students with disabilities, the required manifestation determination hearing, and…

This study analyzed the Individualized Education Program (IEP) statements of 24 students' present functioning and goals concerning social competence, observed the students in various school settings, and interviewed teachers and students. IEP statements accurately characterized present peer interactions, but instructional practices to foster peer…

"Data collected from eligibility assessments need to be useful and connected across all areas of service delivery." The content and flow of information have enormous implications for practice. Professionals are challenged because they lack functional information needed to create useful goals and objectives, implement effective…

Positive alternatives to disciplinary exclusion of behaviorally disordered children and youth are examined. Chapter 1 defines disciplinary exclusion and reviews its legal status. Chapter 2 describes common exclusionary practices (in-school suspension, continuous suspension, shortened school day, homebound instruction, alternative school placement,…

The last of five handbooks developed by Project HAPI (Handicapped Achievement Program Improvement), a multimedia staff development program to help teachers and specialists write effective individualized education programs (IEPs), is in looseleaf workbook format and focuses on trainable mentally retarded/developmentally handicapped children. It is…